Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ash knew this was a stupid idea. Despite what his friends believed, the teen wasn't unaware that he could be reckless, and would charge headfirst into a situation without thought of his own personal safety, but usually, it was because he was so desperate to help. Ash had always taken after his mother in that way, never denying help to anyone who needed it. Always willing to lend a hand no matter the task as long as it lightened someone's burden. So yes, Ash knew he could get idiotically reckless when he was desperate to stop a situation and right now this was the most desperate the raven-haired male had felt in his entire 16 years of life. A massive storm ravaged the world outside the castle, pokemon and clones were fighting to kill each other around him, and at the center of it all, were two legendary Pokemon battling it out to prove which side was superior. So Ash, being the person he was, of course, ran into the battle with no thought to himself or his friend's voices screaming at him to come back. He watched as Mew and Mewtwo floated on opposite sides of the arena, each charging up for another massive attack. The very air vibrated with powerful energy that had every hair on the teen's body raising in fear, but Ash pushed on and continued running. He just wanted them to listen, to stop this pointless bloodshed.

“STOP!” He screamed as he reached the center of the field, hoping that one of the legendaries would hear him.

But his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Ash felt the two forces of psychic energy hit him simultaneously and then his whole world was nothing but torture. His flesh, his bones, even his very molecules felt like they were being burned away. The sound of muffled shouting could be heard, but Ash was unable to understand past the ringing in his ears. Enormous pressure was building in his chest and head like a balloon with too much helium reaching its limits. Ash knew he must be dying, there was no way that something this painful wasn't being followed by death. He wished for it. For the burning to stop, for his brain to not feel like it was being pressed inside of a meat grinder. Why did it hurt so much? More muffled shouting was heard around him, but this time even that felt like too much to his overstimulated senses. Ash found himself crying out before instinctively curling up in a feeble attempt to block out the world around him, but the pain did not stop. If anything it burned hotter in retaliation. Pressure continues to build, build, build. Make it stop. Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!

Something inside his body cracked and Ash released another blood-curdling scream. Another crack, another fire set ablaze, another wave of spots in his already blurry vision. He knew he was reaching his limit. No mortal body could endure something like this for long. So he let himself be dragged further and further into darkness. Wishing he could have heard his best friend one more time, to make sure his sacrifice actually made a difference.
“Pika Pi......Ash....”

------------------------------------------------------------------

Consciousness came back slowly to Ash. His thoughts were painfully sluggish as he reconnected with his body's senses. His mouth was dry as desert sand, his head throbbing with pain, and every muscle of his body felt rung out and weak like that of a newborn ponyta. What had happened? Why did he feel so awful? His memories felt fuzzy in his still recovering mind so Ash just lay there hoping it would all come back to him soon. He attempted to open his eyes to get his bearings, but quickly shut them with a pained hiss when the room's bright lights caused his lingering migraine to worsen.

“Ash?” a silvery voice questioned and it was only then that the teen realized that something small and warm was resting against his side. The sound of the voice was very familiar, but Ash knew that couldn't be right for obvious reasons. He once again cracked his eyes open and this time glanced down to find his best friend Pikachu cuddled up next to him, glancing up with small black eyes filled with concern. Ash tried to speak but only a garbled croak came out followed by sharp pins and needles in his throat. It felt as if he'd been screaming for hours on end with no break. The young man proceeded to cough roughly before something smooth and cold touched his forehead. Ash quickly shot his gaze up to see what it was, only to regret it instantly when his head screamed at him for the sudden movement. He released a whimper before clutching his head and curling into a fetal position in an attempt to stave off the pain. Another touch came to Ash's head, this time warm and soft, and after a moment something that felt like a cooling mist began seeping into his mind and soothing the migraine down to a manageable level. Ash released a heavy sigh of relief as he leaned further into the unknown touch.

'Drink this. It will help you recover.' A resonant voice echoed through Ash's thoughts and the young trainer furrowed his brows as something prodded at his lips. Realizing it was a straw, Ash took a long sip and almost moaned as a cool refreshing liquid cured his dry mouth and burning throat.

' Drink slowly or you'll make yourself sick.' the deep voice chastised and Ash did his best to obey since he didn't want the other person to take the drink away. Only after the straw no longer yielded anything did Ash pull his mouth away and attempt to see who was helping him. Freezing in place when his gaze fell onto a pair of lavender-colored eyes surrounding a cat-like pupil. Mewtwo stood over the teen, looking down at him with a stoic expression while holding the empty glass the other had just been drinking from.

“M....mew..two?” Ash questioned in both shock and confusion as to what was going on. Why was Mewtwo here helping him? Wasn't he just fighting Mew in an arena with dozens of other Pokemon and clones?

' It is a relief to see you awake, Ash Ketchum. I worried you may never wake after your body endured such an immensely difficult transformation.' the genetic Pokemon said, setting the empty glass down on a small table beside the bed, before turning back to the teen. 'Your friend hasn't left your side since you passed out.' Ash's mind tried to comprehend what the cloned legendary just said, but his thoughts were interrupted by the same voice from before.

“I told you, Ash is strong.” The trainer just stared gobsmacked as he witnessed his beloved partner speak actual words and not the usual Pokemon speak. What the heck was going on?!

“Pikachu, what...How are you talking like a human?!” Both Pikachu and Mewtwo stared at Ash before the electric mouse stood up and placed a comforting paw on Ash's arm.

“I'm not, Ash. I'm still speaking in my language. You just can understand me now.”

“Wh.....how?” Ash asked feeling a little off-kilter. Pikachu rubbed the back of his neck anxiously before reaching down to grab Ash's hand and lift it into the young trainer's line of sight. Ash began to ask what the other was doing before choking on the words once he actually got a look at his hand. No longer was there a five-fingered human hand covered by a green fingerless glove, but a three-fingered sandy-colored hand with round spheres at the tips. No, this wasn't his hand. Yet he could feel Pikachu's touch as the little Pokemon gripped it, could open and close the appendage with a mere thought. This was his hand, but it was NOT his.

Despite his still weakened state, Ash released a terrified shriek before jumping back in an instinctive attempt to get away from the unwanted object. He slipped off the bed and onto the floor, now catching sight of what had become of the rest of his body. Thick thighs, digitigrade legs, and a long muscular charcoal tail flailing in response to his emotional distress. Ash felt panic set in, finding it hard to breathe as he kept releasing fearful sounds. Someone was suddenly there beside him, hands grasping his head in a firm grip to force the teen to focus on Mewtwo's face. The same mist-like feeling from earlier returned and Ash's body fell limp as his mind was psychically forced into a calm state.

'You need to calm yourself. Your body is still recovering and can't handle any more stress right now. Once I release my hold on your mind I need you to just breathe for me, is that clear?' Mewtwo explained and Ash could do nothing else but nod slowly. The legendary stared at the boy for a few moments before withdrawing his powers from the other's psyche. Ash gasped as his emotions returned to him, but did as instructed and took in several deep gulps of air as he reached up to grasp Mewtwo's wrists as a way to help ground himself. The clone kept his hold on Ash's face in fear of the other collapsing to the floor and the trainer was very grateful for this. It took a while, but eventually, Ash's heart rate returned to a healthy pace and his breathing was no longer labored. Exhaustion hit the teen like a truck and he fell into Mewtwo's arms, who easily scooped the other up and redeposited them on the bed. Ash curled up sleepily, his new body instinctively wrapping his tail around him like a blanket, and Pikachu climbed in so he could lay in his trainer's arms filled with worry.

'I shall return shortly,” Mewtwo informed as he turned towards the doorway. “Rest now and we shall talk when you next awaken.' The last thing Ash saw was the legendary exiting the room before he closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waking up to the smell of food was definitely Ash's favorite way to wake up. He opened his eyes and found a large plate filled to the brim with berries, freshly baked bread, and a bowl of what looked to be some kind of vegetable stew. The teen found his stomach grumbling at the sight and he did his best to try and sit up on the pliable bed beneath him with his muscles still protesting heavily. Pikachu immediately climbed onto the bedside table and helped his friend by pushing the food items within their reach.

“Thanks, Pikachu.” Ash croaked as he managed to nab one of the sitrus berries stacked inside the large fruit bowl. He quickly dug his newly grown fangs into the berries' supple flesh and hummed happily at the sweet flavor. The more he of the fruit the less Ash's muscles ached and the trainer realized that if he was now a Pokemon then berries could affect his healing. The sitrus berry was eaten quickly and Ash reached for an oran berry this time. In between bites, Ash took a moment to examine his empty hand. Opening and closing the three fingers repeatedly with furrowed brows.

“This is so weird.” the transformed Pokemon whispered.

“I still think you look nice,” Pikachu assured, swiftly jumping back on the bed so that he could nuzzle his trainer affectionately. Ash gave his best buddy a small smile before petting the electric type between the ears.

“Thanks, Buddy. I appreciate it, but I'm not sure I can agree. I don't even know what I look like now.”

“Do you want me to ask Mewtwo for a mirror?” Pikachu questioned with a tilt of his head.

“Not right now. I'm not sure how many more shocks I can handle right now.” Ash admitted before thinking of something. “By the way, where are the others? Are they okay?”

“They are downstairs eating breakfast,” Pikachu answered. “Mewtwo hasn't let them know you're awake yet since he didn't want everyone to run in and overwhelm you more than necessary.”

“Why was Mewtwo the one looking after me?” Ash questioned confused before jumping when the legendary's voice suddenly spoke via telepathy.

'The reason is because I require very little sleep so it was agreed I would watch over you while the others slept.' the psychic type glanced at the food tray briefly before turning to the trainer with a frown. 'You should eat more. It will help your body recover faster.'

“It's a little hard to eat right now,” Ash confessed unhappily before yelping when his body was lifted up with an unseeable force and re-positioned to sit up with several pillows to help keep the teen in place. Then the tray flew to seat itself gently on his lap.

' That should make it easier.' Mewtwo said factually while deactivating his powers.

“Um....thanks.” the newly transformed Pokemon mumbled red-faced and then proceeded to take large spoonfuls of stew. The familiar taste of Brock's cooking had Ash's chest filling with warmth and a smile pulling at his lips. The three occupants of the room fell into silence as Ash continued to eat his fill. Honestly, it made the trainer feel a little awkward sitting here like this with Mewtwo just watching him when the last thing he remembers is the other attempting to end the world. What had he missed while he was out?

' I imagine you have questions.” Surprisingly, it was Mewtwo who was the first to speak. 'I can't promise answers, but I will do my best to try.” Ash looked at the clone in surprise before staring back down at his empty bowl in thought. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, the hard part was which ones to ask first.

“Can...can you tell me what happened after I was hit the attack. I don't remember anything after running to try and stop you and Mew's fight.” Mewtwo nodded before coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

' After you foolishly ran into the battlefield, Mew's and my attack both hit you simultaneously. You collapsed to the ground covered in magenta energy and suddenly started screaming, the sound was enough to draw our attention and once we flew over to investigate your body was already beginning to transform. Your Pikachu refused to leave your side and begged both Mew and me for help. At first, I was taken aback by them ordering me around, but then I started to notice just how devastated the little thing was at you being in pain. To see a Pokemon cry over a human finally caused me to look at this world in another light. The fact that you, a mere human, risked your life in an attempt to stop our fighting, made me realize that not all of your species is corrupted. I agreed to help, along with Mew, but despite our best effort there was nothing we could do.' As the legendary explained his story, Ash looked at him with wide eyes. So his idiotic desperate actions hadn't been in vain after all. Even if it had resulted in his body changing species he had helped Mewtwo understand his way of thinking was wrong.

“I'm glad.” Ash smiled happily. “Life is meant to be enjoyed. Not tied down by hatred.” Mewtwo stared at the other for a moment in contemplation.

' I suppose you are right. I still have much to learn about this world.” the clone's gaze wandered to the room's large windows that overlooked the sea.

“That's what makes it exciting. There's always more to learn.” Ash agreed his tail flicking happily behind him. The sight had Mewtwo cracking an amused smile, eyes shut in a complacent manner.

' You're certainly taking being turned into a Pokemon quite well. At least after your initial panic.'

“To be honest, I'll probably panic again later once it actually sinks in,” Ash admitted with a nervous laugh. “Right now I'm kind of half expecting to wake up in a hospital and find out this was all a dream. I mean it was only yesterday that my friends and I were picnicking on the beach deciding which town to stop at next.”

“Actually it was a little over a week ago.” Pikachu corrected and Ash's attention shot down to the other with shock.

“A week!? I've been passed out for a week!?”

' I wasn't exaggerating about how much trauma your body went through. It's honestly a miracle you're not insane or dead right now.' Mewtwo pointed out and this caused the teen to bury his face into his hands.

“I think I'm going to go back to panicking now.” Ash groaned, words muffled from his position.

' Perhaps your friends could help calm you this time. The two shall be coming up shortly to check on you.' Mewtwo warned standing up from the bed and levitating Ash's breakfast tray into the air.

“No, you can't leave me with Misty! She's going to kill me!” Ash whined dramatically falling back onto the bed with arms outstretched.

' You'll find that in your current form that will be much harder for her to accomplish.' Mewtwo teased and this caused the previous human to look at the other gobsmacked.

“Did you just make a joke? I was not expecting that. No, stop it! I don't want to laugh when I'm preparing to leave this world.”

' You're awfully dramatic.'

“Maybe it comes with being a Mewtwo.” Ash shot back and this had the other giving him a flat look before turning towards the exit. “No, wait, please, I'm sorry. Come back!”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

As Ash had predicted, as soon as Misty and Brock entered the room and saw their friend awake the redhead bolted over and pulled the newly turned Pokemon into a tight hug, before pulling away and punching him in the arm.

“You absolute moron! What were you thinking running into a fight between legendary Pokemon!”

“I really wasn't thinking. I just wanted them to stop.” Ash mumbled while rubbing his arm with a wince.

“Well look where that got you, Ash Ketchum! You could have died!” Misty's eyes welled with tears and the former gym leader went back to hugging the teen desperately.

“Please, don't do that again. We could have lost you.” At the sound of his friend's shaky voice and sniffles, Ash gently hugged the other back as his own eyes filled with tears.

“I'm sorry.” He apologized softly before glancing up past Misty. He found Brock sitting in the same spot Mewtwo had occupied minutes prior. The breeder-in-training gave Ash an assuring smile, his own eyes growing wet in the corners. Guilt swelled up in Ash's chest and he buried his face into Misty's shoulder, taking comfort in the familiar smell of salt water mixed with floral perfume.

“Are you feeling okay?” Misty asked as soon as she pulled away, her hands still clasped on his arms as if afraid he'd vanish in front of her. “Do you know what happened?”

“Mewtwo explained most of it I think,” Ash replied thoughtfully. “I'm guessing there's probably no way to change me back.”

“At least not in a way we're aware of.” Brock clarified dishearteningly.

“That's going to make traveling a little more difficult now, huh guys?” Ash weakly chuckled and the group went silent. No one was brave enough to voice what they all knew. Misty's grip tightened momentarily on Ash's arms and she angrily glared at the covers on the bed beneath her.

“We'll find a way,” she announced before looking her friend in the eyes, her words full of resolution. “We will find a way to change you back someday. So you can show everyone what it means to be a Pokemon master. I promise.” The former human burst into tears at his friend's pledge, a sob tearing its way up his throat as the weight of the situation hit him full force. His journey was over. Until he became human again it wasn't possible for him to continue challenging gyms, to join tournaments, to even be able to go into human civilizations without threat of capture.

“It will be okay, Ash,” Brock whispered taking the other's hand in his as the teen wailed pitifully onto Misty's shirt. “We'll be by your side, no matter what.”

“Pika Pika. (That's right.)” Pikachu, who had been watching solemnly the whole time, agreed with a sad smile. “Pika Pika Pikachu! (We're partners for life after all!)” Ash sniffled before pulling all three into a group hug. (An easy feat considering his newly acquired height.)

“I love you guys.” He cried and the four friends continued to hold each other until Ash ran out of tears.

Chapter Text

It was another few days before Ash was cleared to begin physical therapy by Nurse Joy, who the teen was surprised to find still remained on New Island after all the other humans had been sent away by Mewtwo.

“You needed me. I made a vow to never leave an injured Pokemon without care.” she had explained and being called a Pokemon so casually had Ash feeling a little dissociative. It was so unsettling to think about how he wasn't the same Ash Ketchum he'd been his whole life but in a strange new body with different needs and instincts.

“We'll start slow.” Nurse Joy explained standing beside Ash with her hands on his left arm. “Just a small walk to the door and back to see how your body is healing.” The older teen looked over to the doorway and never before had a small distance of 30 feet seemed so vast. Ash's tail swished nervously behind him as Nurse Joy prodded him to stand up off the bed that had been the mewtwo's home the last couple of weeks. Ash took a deep breath before shakily climbing onto his two feet, only for them to buckle momentarily and forcing Joy to help hold him up.

'Do you require help?' Mewtwo offered coming to stand close by.

“I think we're okay.” Nurse Joy smiled encouragingly. “Now Ash, just take slow steps forward. Take all the time you need.” The other nodded before furrowing his brow in concentration and lifting his right foot up. This caused his left foot to wobble and Joy had to straighten him up a few times, but eventually, Ash successfully planted his two-toed foot onto the floor. The tiles felt cool on his foot pads, which was an odd feeling, but not unwelcomed. Proud that he managed the first step, Ash worked on repeating the movement with his left. More wobbling and teetering, but he succeeded in completing 5 steps without collapsing.

“You're doing very well, Ash. Just a few more steps.” Nurse Joy encouraged with a sweet smile. Ash gave a nervous smile back before looking back down at his feet which were still trembling under his body weight. Taking a deep breath, the yellowish-gray mewtwo forced himself to continue on at a slowpoke's pace until he was finally able to touch the doorway with a hand. Leaning himself on the door frame, Ash sighed heavily and attempted to psych himself up for the return trip to the bed.

“When is that mewtwo strength going to kick in?” The teen joked to the cloned legendary standing a few feet away.

'When your body is done healing from being forcefully transformed into something it was never meant to be.' Mewtwo responded seriously. 'A Pokemon with heal pulse would probably speed up the recovery significantly, but none of the Pokemon here know this move.'

“My chansey back at the center knows heal pulse, but I don't want to bring her here and leave the place with no one to help at all.” Nurse Joy remarked with a frown.

'Hmmm, perhaps we can-'

“Mew!(I can!)” All three turned to stare at the little pink legendary dancing around in the air like a carefree child.

“Mew, you came back!” Ash smiled, his tail wiggling energetically and almost hitting Nurse Joy's cap off.

“Yup, and I can help!” Mew announced proudly. “I have the ability to learn almost every Pokemon move that exists. If it's healing you need then leave it to me!”

“Wow, really!? You can learn every move?” Ash repeated astounded. Nurse Joy watched on in confusion as her patient had a conversation with a non-telepathy using legendary. Unable to understand the Mew as the other could.

'That power certainly wouldn't have been useful a week ago.' Mewtwo snarked sarcastically at his DNA donor. Mew seemed unaffected by the other's jab and instead flew over to pet the clone on the head like a child.

“No need to be angry, Two! I was going around asking the others if there was a way to change Ash back to human.”

'Don't touch me!' Mewtwo ordered swiping the little pest away. 'Now what do you mean by “others”?

“Oh, you know the other legendaries and mythicals. Or at least the ones I could reach on such short notice.” Mew clarified and both he and Ash stared at the mythical with matching dumbfounded expressions. The sight was enough to cause Mew to begin laughing loudly as she held her stomach.

“Hold on, there are more legendary Pokemon besides you?” Ash questioned still holding himself up with the doorway.

“Of course there is. You didn't think little old me could be in charge of the whole universe, did you? In terms of legendary hierarchy, I'm actually quite low in the ranks. Not that I mind since it means less responsibility for me and more fun time.”

'I'm interested to know about these other powerful beings.' Mewtwo confessed. 'The scientists who created me seemed to care very little about anything that didn't pertain to you.'

“Oh sure, you're my little sibling, so that means I have to teach you all I know!” Mew proudly announced, which had the other legendary scoffing in disbelief.

'I am no such thing. Scientifically speaking, if you were anything to me it would be a parent, not a sibling. Not to mention we are clearly too different to be counted as the same species.'

“Aww don't worry, Two, even if those humans made you look different you are still a mew in spirit and that's what matters!” The pink mythical assured taking a seat on Mewtwo's head in between his ears.

“Don't call me that,” Mewtwo ordered, levitating the nuisance off his head and flinging it through the air away from him. Mew giggled as it righted itself before flying back over to Ash, who was now being guided back to the bed by Nurse Joy. The little legendary hovered around the two and examined the human-turned-pokemon closely with curiosity. Ash made it to the bed and collapsed with a sigh of relief onto the mattress, stretching his muscles out to relieve some of the tension.

“You look good, Ash!” Mew complimented as it continued to float above the other with a smile.

“Thank you, I guess. I'll have to take your word for it since I haven't seen myself yet.” The former trainer admitted with a shrug. Mew levitated lower and stared kneading its paws over the newly made mewtwo's stomach. Ash glanced down at her with confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“It's a way to offer comfort for my kind!” Mew explained happily proceeding with their actions. It did feel nice, but Ash also felt a little embarrassed since he was still adjusting to the idea that he no longer had to wear clothes. Regardless, he relaxed back onto the bed and allowed himself to just enjoy the peaceful moment. The sound of Ash's tail swishing against the bed combined with light rumbling unwittingly beginning to pour from his throat brought a big grin to Mew's face.

“I didn't know that your kind could purr.” Nurse Joy smiled softly in amusement.

“What?” Ash murmured tiredly before noticing that he in fact was making a strange sound with his throat. He felt his face heat up at the realization before Mew started giggling and stopped kneading the other's stomach.

“Now that you're relaxed, let's start healing!” she suggested before her body began to glow a delicate turquoise color. The wave of soothing energy washed over Ash's body and the former human let out a grateful sigh as his muscles lost their soreness for the first time since he'd woken up. Mew carried on with the treatment for a few minutes before abruptly stopping, much to her patient's disappointment.

“All done for now!” The mythical stated proudly before perking up suddenly. “Be right back!” Ash watched the Pokemon vanish into thin air before testing out his body to see if the healing pulse helped. To his delight, it was much easier to move now so the former human sat up and tapped his foot on the floor a couple of times.

“I think I'd like to try and walk again.”

“Are you sure?” Nurse Joy questioned and at her patient's nod, she reached out to take his arm. “Alright, nice and slow like before.” Ash excitedly stood up from the bed, noting that though his legs still felt fatigued they were no longer on the verge of collapse as they had been minutes prior. Ash lit up happily at the discovery and started taking steps toward the door with more confidence.

'It seems my suggestion was correct. A few more treatments of heal pulse and you should be able to move about as normal.' Mewtwo commented while keeping an eye on the teen in case.

“That would be great!” Ash said happily, wondering if he could talk Brock into making something for a picnic once he was all healed up.
He and Nurse Joy made it halfway back to the bed when Mew reappeared. Ash was forced to stop in his tracks when he bumped into something and it took a moment for the other to take in the object responsible. Mew had found and brought back a rather large mirror and Ash felt frozen at the sight that greeted him in the smooth clear glass. A mewtwo stared back at him, but this one looked much different than the original. This one had sand-colored fur along with a charcoal-colored tail rather than the other's purplish-gray and dark purple. Its eyes were also much different from Mewtwo's, much softer in shape with coffee-colored irises. The same brown eyes Ash shared with his mother. Ash felt his heart thundering within his rib cage while lifting his hand up to touch the smooth surface, only to watch the mewtwo copy his movement perfectly. He watched the mewtwo's pupils narrow as panic began bubbling up inside his chest. He knew he had changed. He knew what he had become. He'd seen the hands, the feet, and the tail that didn't use to be there whenever he looked behind him, but somehow seeing his reflection staring back at him made the situation more real. More permanent.

Tears spilled down Ash's face as he looked away from the daunting image while stumbling to get as far away from the mirror as possible. Mewtwo was suddenly there; catching the teen before he could fall and hurt himself in this vulnerable state. Ash buried his face into the clone's shoulder, trembling so terribly that Mewtwo worried that the other might vibrate out of his hold. The Pokemon wasn't used to physical touch from others, the closest he'd ever come since his 'birth' was when the very one he was holding tried to punch him, so he felt completely lost on what to do in this situation. Mewtwo thought back to what the other humans had done to comfort their friend when he was upset and decided to try and recreate their actions. He hesitantly encompassed his arms around the slightly shorter Pokemon, placing one hand on Ash's lower back and the other on the back of his head. The other responded to the touch by curling closer into Mewtwo's chest, their tail wrapping around their legs in a sign of distress. Mewtwo couldn't help noticing how warm Ash was, or how soft his short fur was.

“I'm sorry!” Mew blurted out as it floated over the two mewtwos frantically. “I didn't mean to upset him! I just thought he would want to see what he looked like now!”

'Calm yourself, Mew. You're not helping by getting worked up. Ash just needs a moment to come to terms with what he saw.' Mewtwo explained calmly. His hand brushed up and down the other's spine in a soothing motion. Mew just hovered guiltily in the air without a word.

“Why don't you lay him back into bed? Let him rest.” Nurse Joy suggested with a pitying smile on her pretty face. Already fluffing the pillows and pulling the covers down so Ash could easily climb in. Mewtwo gave a nod of agreement before carefully lifting the other into his arms. Ash finally lifted his gaze from Mewtwo's chest, his tear-stained face on full display, to look at the clone in both confusion and embarrassment.

“What are you-?”

'Taking you back to bed so you can rest for a while.' Mewtwo imparted as he neared the edge of the mattress.

“I don't want to sleep anymore,” Ash argued miserably and this gave the legendary pause before he turned to look toward the large bedroom windows. With a swift thought, the windows threw themselves open allowing a refreshing ocean breeze to enter into the room. Mewtwo then proceeded to levitate into the air and fly to the new opening.

“Wait, where are you going?” Nurse Joy questioned shocked.

'Getting some fresh air.” the clone briefly informed before the two mewtwos disappeared outside and out of sight from the young woman.

“Wait! Hold on!” Ash shouted over the gusts of wind whipping past the pair as they descended quickly towards the small grassy field located behind the castle.

'Calm yourself, it's not as if I'll drop you.' Mewtwo smirked at the other's tightening hold around him. 'Or perhaps you are just scared of heights?'

“I'm not scared of heights!” the former trainer rebutted with a glare. “I'm just not a fan of being launched out of windows!”

'Again, you are quite dramatic.' The clone rolled his eyes before slowing his descent and gracefully touching his feet to the ground. Mewtwo released his hostage, making sure he was standing up fine on his own before stepping away to give the other some space. Ash heaved a relieved breath before actually looking around at his new surroundings. He hadn't even known there was a field behind the giant imposing palace. It was a little jarring just how nice this little patch of grasses and wildflowers was in contrast to how cold and uninviting Mewtwo's home was. To be fair though, Ash doubted that making the place homey was the last thing on the clone's mind when he'd built the place.

Ash closed his eyes and basked in the warm sunlight, Taking a deep lungful of clean ocean air and releasing it slowly. It felt amazing to finally be out of that room after so long. The sandy-colored Pokemon carefully sat amongst the small pink and yellow flowers, reaching out to touch the delicate petals. One thing, Ash had discovered about this new body was just how sensitive it was to everything. Touch, smell, hearing; it was all so much and made it hard to sleep a lot of the time. Even now, just with the slight touch of a flower petal, Ash could feel some kind of tingle he couldn't name being produced by the plant. Maybe it came with being a psychic type?

'I find that sitting out in nature is a great distraction from when I get too many thoughts.' Mewtwo spoke up coming to stand beside Ash in the grass. 'Is it helping?'

“Actually, yeah it is. I've always been more comfortable outside than trapped in a building.” The other admitted gazing up at the stoic psychic beside him. A gentle gust of wind blew past the two, causing the plants around them to sway hypnotically in the breeze. From their spot on the cliffside, Ash could make out many water-type Pokemon playfully swimming around below. As well as several white and blue striped flying Pokemon diving about that the teen had never seen before. In reflex, Ash reached for his Pokedex only to remember he no longer had it on him or even knew where it was. Ash's mood quickly lowered at the realization and he just glanced back at the sky quietly.

'It is highly unusual to see wingull this close to Kanto.' Mewtwo observed casually, tail swishing back and forth calmly behind him.

“Wingull?” Ash repeated with interest.

'I did some research on all known Pokemon to prepare my cloning machine. It's quite surprising how behind Kanto is when it comes to outside regions. Most do not know a lot about species of Pokemon outside their borders. I hadn't even seen anything on other legendaries until Mew mentioned it.'

“Wow, so there's more than 149...Well, I guess now 151... Pokemon species? How many?” the former trainer's eyes sparkled with excitement.

'As I said, there isn't much documentation on them here, and the little I did find was incomplete, but I can say there is likely more than 500.' Mewtwo replied and this had Ash jumping up with stars in his eyes and tail wagging back at forth wildly.

“That's amazing! I want to see them all! Professor Oak will be so excited when I-” Abruptly, all the Pokemon's enthusiasm drained away as he lowered back to the ground in silence. His body collapsed into itself as it had earlier when he was faced with his own reflection.

'Ash?' Mewtwo inquired, head tilting slightly at the sudden change in the other's demeanor. The teen looked back out into the horizon with a forlorn expression.

“I.....I won't be able to tell them.” he finally spoke, his voice quiet and brittle.

'Tell who?'

“Professor Oak and....my mom. I won't be able to tell them any of this. I...I can't even go ho-” the young adult choked up at the last word as if his body physically couldn't complete the sentence. His face crumpled into devastation as he mentally hit himself for not thinking about this before. Ash had always been scatterbrained, but it seemed as if his brain got even worse after transforming. How could he have not spared a single thought about his mother in these last three days? Why had none of his friends mentioned it to him? Surely, Brock had thought of her since he was usually the one who reminded Ash to call his mother whenever they found a town with access to a video phone. So why had he not said anything? Did they all forget due to how hectic the last couple of weeks had been? Or maybe they hadn't wanted to upset Ash while he was recovering? He was already hurting from the knowledge that his dream was put on hold for the foreseeable future, but Misty and Brock couldn't possibly think this wasn't an important topic to discuss. Heck, even Pikachu could have said something considering his trainer could now understand his speech.

Ash gripped his head and let out a growl of frustration from all the thoughts buzzing around his head like a swarm of angry beedrill. He was such a terrible son. So wrapped up in his own sorrow about no longer being able to become a Pokemon master that he hadn't given two cares about how his mother was going to react to her son basically disappearing off the planet.

'Ash' Mewtwo's voice gently echoed through his mind. Bringing the other out of his spiraling thoughts with a soft touch to the head between his ears. Ash released a stuttering breath before proceeding to look up at the cloned legendary now standing right in front of him.

“I'm sorry.”

'No need for apologies. You've done nothing wrong.' Mewtwo removed his hand from Ash's head, much to the transformed Pokemon's disappointment. 'Would a distraction help instead of silence? I can take you to your friends if you wish.' Ash thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

“I'd rather stay outside,” he stated before collapsing onto his back with arms and legs spread out on the grass. The wind had picked up slightly in the last few minutes causing the clouds to drift quickly overhead while the surrounding flowers brushed against the former human's thin covering of sandy fur. Ash noticed Mewtwo still standing beside him looking at the ocean intensely as if he were trying to figure out a difficult equation.

“Hey,” Ash caught the clone's attention by patting the ground beside him. “Why don't you join me?”

'You wish me to....lay on the ground?' Mewtwo's query was punctuated by a swift flick of his tail.

“Yeah, it's nice to lay out in the sunlight on the grass,” Ash promised with another repeated patting of the ground eagerly. Mewtwo didn't move and just stood there looking unsure.

'I don't feel it appropriate for something like me to frolic on the grass.' He ended up admitting while avoiding the other's gaze.

“What do you mean?” Ash requested as he propped himself up on his elbows. “Everyone has a right to enjoy themselves. Come on.” The teen reached out and grasped Mewtwo's wrist, causing the legendary to tense up with his tail lashing back and forth. Shooting a watchful look to the area where his and Ash's bodies met as if it were an arbok about to strike. Ash immediately let go when he noticed the negative reaction.

“I'm sorry! I should have asked first! I didn't know you didn't like to be touched!” the smaller mewtwo apologized profusely. Mewtwo continued to stare at his wrist for a quiet moment before his eyes slowly traveled up to meet Ash's own.

'It is alright. I'm just not....used to physical touch.' His explanation was met with another questioning stare from Ash before the former trainer cautiously reached his hand back out.

“May I?” he asked and the cloned legendary stared intently at the older teen for at least a full minute before hesitantly accepting the offered hand. As their fingers touched for the first time, Ash shivered at the over-sensitive sphere-shaped tips but quickly pushed through and grasped the other's hand fully. Mewtwo still looked uncomfortable, even a little overwhelmed, but said nothing as Ash nudged the clone to join him on the ground with a gentle pull. The psychic eventually took the hint and ever so slowly lowered himself to the ground so that he was looking up at the blue sky above. Mewtwo lay rather stiffly, feeling uncertain and out of his element, while Ash continued to hold the other's hand in a comforting gesture.

“There, see, isn't this nice?” the trainer remarked making sure to keep his voice low so as to not accidentally spook the other into leaving.

'I suppose.' Mewtwo replied with uncertainty. Ash smiled in slight amusement at how uncharacteristically shy the clone was being but decided to not say anything and let the other enjoy his first sunbathing experience. The two lay there for a while, just basking in the sun's glow and enjoying the peaceful ocean breeze. Eventually, Mewtwo finally relaxed and closed his eyes to enjoy the heat of the day on his skin. Ash watched the clone with a small smile before letting out a deep sigh.

“Hey, Mewtwo?”

'Hmm?'

“Do you think it's a good idea to tell my mom what happened to me?” Mewtwo peeked one eye open to observe his company before shutting it again.

'Shouldn't you be the best judge in that decision? You know your mother best, don't you? Is she one to react violently to unfortunate news?'

“Well no, but this isn't exactly a normal situation to spring onto someone either. I mean I look so different now; what if she doesn't recognize me? Or doesn't believe me when I tell her I'm me?” Ash whispered, the fear in his voice clearly noticeable.

'That is a possibility, humans are quite unpredictable after all, but I'd imagine that if you decide to return home and talk to your mother then your companions will also accompany you. It will be hard for her to dispute all three of you.' Mewtwo answered. Ash looked over to his sunbathing partner and noticed that when the other was relaxed he looked much less intimidating. Something about seeing the “world's strongest Pokemon” nestled into a grassy bed with hands resting on his stomach and his tail lazily flicking under him brought Ash to peace.

“Your right, I should have more faith in my mom. She deserves to know that I'm okay.” Ash's smile turned teasing. “Any chance you can build me some way to talk to her besides a holographic invitation?”

'Keep up that attitude and I'll throw you into the ocean.' the clone warned and the unexpected remark had the teen burst out into laughter. So much so that he failed to catch the smile that came to Mewtwo's lips.

Chapter Text

“I wonder if he's mute?” Misty spoke up randomly as she, Brock, Ash, and Pikachu ate breakfast on an unnecessarily large stone table. Nurse Joy had been taken back to her Pokemon center yesterday afternoon after she verified that Ash was physically doing very well and didn't need her help anymore. Everyone had been sad to see her go, especially Brock who had grown close to the young lady over the past few weeks. Nurse Joy had assured that she would visit again if they stayed on the island or they could visit her whenever they wanted. Handing Brock a small note before departing on a ferry Mewtwo was able to summon.

The other three looked up at Misty's comment with varying levels of confusion, food halfway toward their mouths.

“Who?” Ash questioned with a mouth full of sitrus berry, a food he'd grown fond of lately.

“Mewtwo,” the redhead clarified picking apart her own food, a small loaf of bread covered in jam. “Don't you find it odd that he never speaks physically? He's only communicated telepathically since we've met him. Sure, Brock and I couldn't understand him if he spoke Pokemon, but he also does it with you, Ash, even though you have the ability to understand him now.”

“I mean, I never thought about it, why would it matter how he talks?” Ash responded thoughtfully.

“It's not that it matters, I was just curious.” Misty shrugged before turning towards her other companion. “What do you think, Brock?” The breeder in training crossed his arms and contemplated her question for a moment.

“It is possible. I've never met a Pokemon who couldn't speak before, even the ones without mouths. Mewtwo was created by humans so who's to say they didn't think about something like vocal cords?”

“Maybe he just never learned.” Pikachu hypothesized before nibbling the rest of his own piece of poke food held within his tiny paws. Ash looked down at his best friend curiously. Based on what little Mewtwo had told him about his creation, there didn't seem to be a moment when someone thought to teach the clone anything other than how to destroy. So it was plausible that the other really had never learned to talk physically. Why would he when he could speak just fine with his mind? Actually, now that Ash was thinking about it, had he ever heard Mewtwo make any noise? A grunt, a hum, anything? The legendary was always so stoic and quiet even when in the midst of battle.

“Maybe we should ask him?” Brock suggested.

“I don't want to accidentally offend him,” Ash admitted with a slight frown. Mewtwo had just started to loosen up around them and Ash really didn't want to upset the other and go back to square one.

“Why don't you turn it into a game?” Misty chimed in. “For every question you ask him, he can ask one about you. No one has to answer anything they don't want to.”

“I suppose that could work.” Ash smiled before closing his eyes and focusing his senses. The mewtwo had learned recently that he had the ability to sense auras, it was a newly formed ability so it wasn't as strong as Mewtwo's, but it did give Ash a vague sense as to where the others were in the castle. The familiar feeling of Mewtwo's aura was easy to find, reminding Ash of the ocean; calm on the surface but holding great power underneath. It was currently in the library on the second floor.

“He's in the library. Do you guys want to go up and ask him now?” Ash questioned as he opened his eyes back up.

“I think you'd have better luck getting an answer if we weren't there,” Misty replied and this had the younger of the three furrowing his brow in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Ash, you've had to have noticed that Mewtwo isn't exactly comfortable around us like he is with you.” the redhead pointed out. “It's obvious that he has some trust issues with humans.”

“The way he tenses up, instantly going on the defense when Misty and I are in the same room with him tells a lot,” Brock added unhappily.

“But he seems okay when we-” Ash argued before Misty cut him off with a sympathetic look.

“You are no longer human, Ash. You're now the same species as him.” This had the former human freezing in place before averting his eyes to the empty plate in front of him. Even after three weeks, it wasn't uncommon for Ash to forget about his sudden species swap. Which only made it worse whenever he looked into a reflective surface and reality smacked him in the face once again.

“Hey,” Misty reached a hand out to lay it on atop one of her friends. “This is a good thing. It means you have a special way to help Mewtwo heal from whatever is hurting him. You're one of the kindest people I know and looking like this gives you an advantage in making the other see that not all humans need to be feared.”

“I suppose, but does it really count when I'm no longer....myself?” Ash questioned self-consciously.

“You're still you,” Brock spoke up with a serious look. “No matter how you look on the outside you're still Ash Ketchum, one of the most selfless, stubborn, and driven people I know.”

“That's right!” Pikachu agreed wholeheartedly.

“Aw, you guys.” the mewtwo smiled sheepishly, tail swishing happily behind him. “Alright, I'll go talk to him alone. Maybe I can convince him to start trusting you two.”

“While you're at it, ask him when the next ferry is coming by. Brock and I need to gather some supplies.” Ash gave a nod before standing up from his seat. Pikachu immediately jumped up onto the other's shoulder and nuzzled into his cheek as he always did. The mewtwo chuckled and reached a hand up to pet his best buddy before making his way toward the spiral staircase in the center of the room.

As predicted, Ash found Mewtwo inside the decent-sized library. Standing by a shelf with a book open in his hands while several others floated around the clone, each surrounded by a light blue aura. The legendary paid Ash no mind, but the older teen was fully aware that Mewtwo knew he was there and was just choosing to ignore him and continue with whatever it was he was reading. The behavior did nothing to deter Ash though, and the sand-colored mewtwo entered the room and came to stand beside the room's other occupant.

“Hey, what are you reading?” he asked curiously peeking over the legendary's shoulder.

' A book of ancient Kantonian folktales. I find it amusing to see what humans come up with to explain what they don't understand.' Mewtwo answered before turning to the next page.

“Oh, Professor Oak had a book like that. My mom used to borrow it and read the stories to me for bedtime.” Ash smiled nostalgically at the memory. “My favorite was the one about 9 powerful wizards that had to combine their magic to save the world from an evil spirit.”

'Oh yes, the one that attempted to explain why ninetales were able to summon will-o-wisp. It was definitely a creative explanation.' Mewtwo responded before finally pausing in his reading to turn and look at the teen. 'Did you need something from me? Or were you just bored and sought me out for some type of entertainment?' Ash found himself feeling a little embarrassed under those searching lavender eyes. He was beginning to doubt whether the other would be willing to do something like play a game of 20 questions.

“Well...um...I was thinking maybe, if you're okay with it, we could play a little game?” After Ash's rather poorly executed suggestion, Mewtwo raised a brow and continued to stare at the shorter Pokemon.

'A game?'

“Yes,” Ash nodded before clarifying. “It's called 20 questions. I ask you a question and then you ask me one. You can pass if you don't want to answer a question, but if you do then the other player gets to ask two. It's a way for two people to get to know each other.” The clone continued to study the other mewtwo intently as if trying to decipher if this whole thing was a trick or not. Even Pikachu grew a little uncomfortable at the silence and decided to speak up.

“It's a fun game. Give it a try!” Mewtwo's gaze traveled to the electric mouse before going back to Ash just as quickly. After what felt like an eternity to the newly turned Pokemon, Mewtwo finally let out a telepathic sigh before shutting his book with a snap.

'Very well, I will indulge you with this game for a short time. I can always use more information about human culture from someone who has first-hand experience.' Ash felt a sense of victory at the clone's agreement, a massive smile adorning his face while his tail wagged eagerly behind him. Mewtwo walked over to a set of chairs sitting in front of the massive window outlooking the surrounding ocean, all the books that had been floating about setting themselves back to their places on the shelves. As soon as the legendary was seated he motioned for Ash to join him, which the other scrambled to obey in fear of the psychic changing his mind.

“So, would you like to go first?” Ash suggested once he took his seat across from his companion.

' You clearly have something you wish to ask me by bringing up this activity in the first place so you may go first.' Mewtwo responded and Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly from being called out. Pikachu gave a little giggle at his trainer's embarrassment.

“Oh hush you.” Ash playfully scolded the electric mouse before turning his attention back to Mewtwo. “So my first question is, Can you talk?” The legendary gave a raised brow in return.

'I've been speaking to you the whole time we've known each other.'

“No, I mean, can you physically talk? With a voice rather than thoughts?” the older teen clarified.

“I'm afraid I cannot. During my creation, my vocal cords had difficulty growing, leaving them severely underdeveloped. My creators didn't deem this problem important enough to try and rectify since it could potentially hinder the rest of my growth. It matters not though, I can communicate quite fine without them.” Mewtwo educated looking unaffected at the knowledge.

“Oh, does that mean you can't make any noise, or just can't talk?”

' Does that not count as a second question?' the other pointed out and Ash pouted since he was technically right, which meant the former human would have to wait.

“Yeah, alright, now it's your turn to ask a question.”

'Am I permitted to ask anything? Or are there limits to what can be asked?'

“Anything is fine. If I don't want to answer something I'll let you know and you can ask another.”

'Very well.' Mewtwo thought for a moment before speaking. 'What are your ambitions?'

“Ambitions?”

' Yes, what is it you desire to accomplish in the future? Wealth? Notoriety?'

“Well, my dream was to become a Pokemon master,” Ash replied causing Mewtwo's eyes to narrow at him.

'You wish to control all Pokemon?'

“No,” Ash quickly refuted with his hands up in a defensive position. “That is not what I want! To me, being a Pokemon master doesn't mean controlling all Pokemon. I just want to meet every species of Pokemon there is and possibly either befriend or battle them. To be able to understand them better.” The clone studied the other mewtwo across from him...his gaze felt heavy against Ash.

'Why do you wish to achieve becoming a Pokemon master?'

“I don't know, I just really like Pokemon,” Ash admitted with a small smile and this gave the legendary pause, the wheels in his brain turning as he continued to observe his interlocutor.

' You said 'was' when you answered my question. Does this mean that this is no longer your dream?' The smaller mewtwo's demeanor became somber at the inquiry, causing Pikachu to nuzzle his best friend in an attempt to allay the other.

“I still want that,” Ash said quietly. “But right now it's not really possible while I'm like this.”

'Why do you think that? I see no reason for you to stop chasing your dream.' Mewtwo said head tilted to the side as he tried to understand what the other was thinking. Ash looked up at the clone in confusion.

“Of course, I can't. How would I do gym battles? Or enter the league. I can't even go into town looking like this.”

' From what you described earlier, you don't need to do any of those things in order to become a Pokemon master. As for avoiding humans, it is quite easy to do if one stays in remote areas or travels by night.'

“I don't know, what if someone sees me and attacks me like any other wild Pokemon? I don't have any powers like you.” Ash countered unhappily.

' Yet. I highly doubt that you have been reborn as the same species as me without receiving the same abilities. Your body most likely just needs time to adjust to using such gifts.'

“I don't know how I feel about that. I was already clumsy enough as a human. What if I accidentally blow something up with a sneeze or something?”

' Merely collateral damage as the result of growing pains.' Mewtwo shrugged nonchalantly. This had Ash releasing a surprised snicker before he tried to school his face back into something serious.

“No, Mewtwo, this is serious. I'm really worried about accidentally hurting someone.”

'I can assure you that I am always serious, Ash Ketchum.' the clone remarked stoically. Ash narrowed his eyes at the other in disbelief.

“I seem to remember you making a joke a bit ago after I had woken up.”

'False memory brought on by stress.' Mewtwo easily responded and Ash let out an exasperated breath, but a smile worked its way onto his face as well.

“Fine, live your lie, but now it's my turn to ask a question.” Mewtwo gave a triumphant smirk as Ash began to think of what to ask the other. Now that he had asked the one question he'd originally come for, he now had to come up with some things that might come in handy to know later on. Misty was right, Ash had a clear advantage when it came to potentially becoming friends with Mewtwo, and if there was one thing the former human excels in it was making friends wherever he went.
Deciding not to overthink it and just act as he always did when meeting new people, Ash asked an easy generic question to start.

“What is your favorite food?” Mewtwo gave his game partner a strange look but answered nonetheless.

'I've grown very fond of tamato berries since living on my own.'

“Oh, so you like spicy foods? That's cool! I've never been able to handle too much spice. I prefer sweet things.”

“I like salty!” Pikachu chimed in happily.

“I never would have guessed with your ketchup obsession.” Ash teased, poking his best buddy in the side and tickling him. Pikachu let out a loud giggle before jumping off his trainer's shoulder in order to get out of reach of the assault. The electric mouse stood on the small table between the mewtwos and shook itself out with a trill sound.

'What is ketchup?' Mewtwo asked with intrigue.

“It's a condiment made of tomatoes, vinegar, and salt,” Ash explained and Pikachu hugged his cheeks while licking his lips just thinking about the stuff.

“I thought you two didn't care for tamato berries?'

“Tomato, not tamato. They are two different fruits.” the smaller mewtwo clarified and the cloned legendary hummed before nodding in understanding.

' I see. I'll have to try it at some point.'

“Oh!” Ash suddenly exclaimed. “That reminds me, Misty and Brock wanted to ask when the next ferry will be coming around. They want to go and stock up on supplies.” Mewtwo gave a head tilt, humming to himself as he closed his eyes. Ash watched in fascination as the clone's aura flared out as it always did when the other used his powers. The purple energy gains a galaxy-like quality with swirling colors mixed with star-shaped lights peppered within. It was very beautiful and the older teen couldn't help but stare.

' There does seem to be a ferry about an hour's time from our location. Would you like for me to summon them now?' Mewtwo opened his eyes again, his aura returning to its natural calm state, much to Ash's minor disappointment. The former human felt a little uneasy at the idea that the legendary would be essentially brainwashing the ferry driver to come to New Island but knew he had no right to complain when it was safest for both him and Mewtwo if very few people knew of their existence. So he shook the thought from his mind and gave his companion a smile.

“Yeah, I'll let Mist and Brock know. I'm sure they'll be happy.”

'Very well. Does this mean we are done with our game for now?' Mewtwo asked already levitating up from his seat and heading for the spot he'd occupied before Ash had entered the room.

“Yeah, sure, we can continue another time. Is that okay?”

' I see no reason we can not pick up our conversation at a later time.' At the clone's casual reply, the smaller mewtwo grinned before standing from his seat. Pikachu scrambled back onto his shoulder with a happy chirp.

“Sounds great! See you later!” Ash waved before leaving the room with an extra pep in his step. Mewtwo raised a brow at the departing ex-human, debating if perhaps the other had too much sugar in his diet.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, is there anything special you'd like while we're back on the mainland?” Misty prompted her friend as Brock and she climbed onto the empty ferry. Togepi gave an excited trill as the boat rocked back and forth. Ash thought for a minute before shaking his head.

“Nah, just come back safely,” he said expression falling just a smidgen—something both ex-gym leaders picked up on instantly.

“Hey, we'll be back before you know it.” the redhead assured with a soft look. “Now, don't cause too much trouble while we're gone alright?”

“Who me? I would never.” Ash replied and this caused all three to chuckle before the ferry began pulling away from the dock nestled under the island's rocky base.

“See ya, Ash!” Brock waved and Misty joined in eagerly. Only when the boat was out of sight did the mewtwo's own arm falter and lower back to his side. Ash stood there and watched the foamy path the ferry had left in its wake for a time before Pikachu gave his trainer a questioning pat on his cheek.

“Are you okay?” The electric mouse inquired with a worried frown.

“Just...going to miss them.” The teen admitted woefully. “For some reason, a part of me is worried that they won't come back. Silly huh?”

“No, it's not silly,” Pikachu responded nuzzling his best friend as a form of comfort. The two stood there for a while longer in silence before Ash finally turned around to face the staircase that led back up to the castle's main entrance. The mewtwo gave a tired sigh before making is way forward.

“Ugh, why couldn't Mewtwo have put an elevator in this place instead? All this tech knowledge and yet even a simple moving staircase was too much to ask for?” Pikachu gave a laugh at the others complaining.

“Stairs mean nothing to someone who can fly anywhere he needs to. You just need to fly too!”

“Yeah, let me get on that.” Ash rolled his eyes before begrudgingly making his way up the steps.

When they both reached the dining hall, after what felt like forever, Ash stood by the table to try and think what he could do now. He'd already bothered Mewtwo today and he didn't want to push his luck when it came to potentially annoying his host. Rolling a piece of fruit in his hands for something to occupy himself with, Ash's first instinct was to let his Pokemon out and do some training, but the idea didn't sound as appealing as it had once been before this whole turning into a Pokemon thing. Plus, did his other Pokemon even know what happened to him? Brock had informed Ash a little after he'd first woken up that when his body had begun changing, and he'd been screaming in pain, all his Pokemon had rightfully freaked out so bad that the others were forced to return them to their Pokeballs so they wouldn't be in the way of the teen receiving medical treatment. As far as Ash knows his Pokemon had been in there since, a thought that made him feel horrible. When had he become a person who put his own needs before his Pokemon: his family?

“Hey Pikachu,” Ash began nervously. “Do you know where the others are?” The electric mouse nodded before jumping off his trainer's shoulder and running in the direction of the staircase.

“Come one, follow me!”

“We just came up a flight of stairs,” Ash grumbled but chased after his best friend nevertheless. Pikachu led Ash up to the room that had been his for the last three weeks before pointing to a door on the wall that the trainer hadn't noticed until now. Curiously, Ash pushed a small button located on the wall a little ways from the door and it slid open to reveal several shelves holding items: his old clothes(or what was left of them), his backpack with the straps pulled off, and his Pokeballs.
Ash took a deep breath before grabbing his friend's Pokeballs and walking them back over to the bed.

“Do you think they'll recognize me, Pikachu?”

“Maybe?” The other replied uncertainly. “Don't worry though, I'll vouch for you!” Ash gave his little buddy a small smile before reaching over and petting the space between his ears. Then with a long sigh, the mewtwo threw the Pokeball into the air to release his friends into the room. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charizard all materialized in a flash of red before looking around in confusion. Charizard was the first to notice Ash and gave the other a narrow-eyed stare. Both Bulbasaur and Squirtle followed their partner's gaze and instantly went into defensive positions. Squirtle, being the most assertive of the three, was the first to speak.

“Mewtwo, what have you done with Ash!”

“Yeah!” Bulbasaur chimed in with a growl.

“Guys wait!” Pikachu stepped between the group and Ash with his paws up defensibly. “This isn't Mewtwo. It's Ash!”

“What are you talking about?” Squirtle demanded looking disbelieving. “That is obviously not our trainer.”

“Well, he's obviously not Mewtwo based on his coloring either,” Pikachu argued haughtily. “Ash got turned into a mewtwo when he jumped in between the two legendary's attacks.” Charizard let out an indignant huff, smoke shooting out from his nostrils.

“You expect us to believe this? Humans can't turn into Pokemon.”

“It's true!” the electric mouse announced. “I was there when he changed and I've been by his side while he's recovered!” Throughout the other's argument, Bulbasaur was the only one silently observing the mewtwo standing a little ways behind Pikachu. The earthy-colored Pokemon was staring at the others arguing with an upset frown on his face, hands clenched tensely by his sides and tail flicking in a manner that spoke of unease. The grass type looked for signs that this was indeed Ash, and the only thing that shot a sense of familiarity through him was the mewtwo's pair of chocolate brown eyes. Bulbasaur slowly moved out of his defensive stance before making his way past Pikachu, who was still busy arguing with Squirtle and Charizard.

“Ash, is that really you?” Bulbasaur asked as soon as he stood before the larger Pokemon. The mewtwo gave a hopeful smile before leaning down to the grass type's level.

“Yeah, Bulbasaur, it's me,” he replied before cautiously reaching his hand out into the air in a silent request to pet the other. At the familiar sound of Ash's voice coming out of the larger Pokemon's mouth, the seed Pokemon instead jumped up and tackled his trainer with a hug, knocking the other onto his butt in the process.

“I'm so happy you're okay! I thought you were dying!” Bulbasaur cried out while happily nuzzling his friend's chest. Ash's surprised expression morphed into a fond look before wrapping his arms around the other eagerly.

“I'm alright. A little different now, but I'm alive.” The mewtwo assured before the lack of bickering had him looking up to find Squirtle and Charizard looking in his direction with matching looks of incredulity.

“Bulbasaur, you really believe this is Ash?” Squirtle questioned.

“He sounds like Ash smells like Ash, and has the same eyes.” The grass type pointed out still nuzzling into his trainer's warmth.

“Even if that's true, it could easily be a trick,” Charizard argued stubbornly. “Humans don't just become Pokemon.” Ash could see that convincing the other two was going to take a little more on his part. He didn't blame them since if he wasn't living it he wouldn't believe something like this was possible either. Heck, he still forgot he wasn't human anymore.

Gazing up at the fire-breathing lizard before him, Ash took a deep breath before speaking.

“When you were a charmander,” Charizard's attention instantly zeroed in on the mewtwo at these words. “Misty, Brock, and I found you on a rock both sick and with a small tail flame. When it started to rain, we rushed you to the Pokemon center and found out that you had been abandoned by your previous trainer.” Ash watched as Charizard's expression grew more and more shocked as he talked until finally, the giant lizard took a step closer.

“It's really you?”

“Yeah, it's me. Just a little taller now.” The mewtwo tried to lighten the mood, but his Pokemon only continued to frown unhappily.

“Holy Arceus,” Squirtle breathed as he took his head into his claws, causing Ash to look at him in confusion at the unknown word. “You really are Ash. This...this is...crazy!”

“You can understand us too!” Bulbasaur voiced out happily. “You've always been good at knowing what we were trying to say, but this is much better!”

“I guess that is one good thing that came out of this,” Ash admitted with a shrug before smiling down at the Pokemon still in his arms. “Are you guys okay? You've been in your Pokeballs for a few weeks now. I'm sorry about that, it took a while for me to recover enough to move around like I'm used to.”

“A little nap inside of those things isn't bad,” Charizard replied. “We were more worried about what happened to you. The last we saw you were convulsing in pain on the battle arena floor.”

“Yeah....turning into this wasn't a nice experience.”

“It wasn't great to witness either,” Pikachu added sadly, just thinking about it sent shivers up the electric Pokemon's spine. The gang went silent at the remark until Bulbasaur finally pulled away from Ash's hold in order to look his trainer in the eyes.

“What happens now?” the mewtwo looked away with brows furrowed and hands clenched before slowly returning his gaze back to his party.

“I guess that depends on what you three want. Obviously, gym battles aren't possible right now for us, but I still would like to travel and meet new Pokemon. I'd understand if you guys would like to leave, I won't stop you since I want you to be happy.” All of Ash's Pokemon, even Pikachu, looked at their trainer wide-eyed and stunned.

“You...you would release us?” Squirtle said and Ash nodded.

“If that is what you guys wanted then I would do it in a heartbeat. My life isn't going to be the same anymore, it's going to require a lot of hiding and I wouldn't want to force any of you to live like that.” Everyone fell into another tense silence before Charizard let out a loud huff and slapped his tail on the ground.

“I am the first to admit I love battling strong opponents, but I believe in loyalty above anything else. You didn't abandon me and I won't abandon you, Ash, even if I spend the rest of my life protecting you rather than battling.”

“Charizard,” Ash said emotionally, tears building in his eyes.

“I agree.” Bulbasaur chimed in. “We are partners, a family, and family doesn't leave one another when things get tough.”

“That's right, we don't need gym battles to prove we are the best team out there!” Squirtle boasted chest puffed up pridefully. Ash's tears finally spilled over and he let out a wet-sounding laugh.

“You guys really are the best. I never should have doubted you.” All four of Ash's Pokemon huddled in closer and formed a group huddle to comfort their trainer, their friend, while he cried.

A while later, Mewtwo strolled passed the bedroom and found Ash asleep peacefully on his bed, surrounded by his loved ones. The clone gave a soft look at the scene before him, before it slowly fell into something more somber. Shutting the door behind him, Mewtwo floated silently away down the hall.

Chapter Text

Ash had never felt more nervous about anything in his life. Not when he began his Pokemon adventure, not when he battled his first gym, not even when he'd had to travel through Mewtwo's storm to make it to New Island. None of those came even close to being as daunting as the prospect of finally getting in contact with his mother for the first time in almost a month. Delia Ketchum was not the type of person who tolerated her son not checking in at least once every couple of weeks so she knew he was safe. So Ash knew that even if by some chance his mother accepted that her son was now a Pokemon, he was going to get an ear full about ignoring her for so long.
Misty had volunteered to start the call so that she could explain the situation before Ash actually showed himself. That way Delia could be eased into accepting what had happened rather than being thrust in and less likely to believe them. Ash was thankful for his friend's quick thinking but still felt sick with dread at the entire situation. Seeing how his Pokemon had reacted to his new form with absolute disbelief, even with Pikachu's witness, without solid proof, Ash was not feeling very hopeful about his mom just knowing he was her son based on word alone. What if she refused to believe them? What if he was abandoned by her and thought missing or dead if he never returned to his human form? What if-

'Calm yourself, your frantic emotions are giving me a migraine.' Mewtwo complained as he worked on connecting his monitor to the local phone lines. Ash jumped from his spot against the wall before taking a deep breath to try and settle himself.

“Sorry, I'm just nervous.”

'Letting yourself drown in worry isn't going to help anyone. The worst that could happen if she doesn't believe your friend's explanation. In that case, I could easily persuade her mind into accepting that her child is a mewtwo.' Ash's brows furrowed at the other's attempt at comfort, giving the clone a displeased frown.

“Please don't brainwash my mom. I'd rather her not believe I'm me than to know she only stayed due to psychic magic.”

'Psychic magic,' Mewtwo repeated with displeasure. 'You certainly have a way with words, don't you? It is not as if I would rewrite her personality, just give her a slight nudge in the right direction.'

“You know, you're way too comfortable when it comes to messing with people's minds,” Ash said uncomfortably. Mewtwo paused in his task to look over at the smaller mewtwo hovering nervously around the entrance of the room.

' I do what I must to ensure my safety. As long as I do not harm the one in question I don't see an issue.”

“It's called taking away someone's free will. Isn't that what the leader of Team Rocket wanted to do with you?” Ash pointed out and this had the other's eyes narrowing with annoyance.

' I am nothing like that man.” Mewtwo growled before turning back to his computer with an angry flick of his tail. Ash realized he had gone too far and quickly tried to apologize, only to be interrupted by Misty who chose that time to join them in the observation tower.

“Is it almost ready?” she asked with a smile, unknowing of the conversation that had just happened.

' Yes.' Mewtwo responded curtly before hitting a button that caused the computer screen to light up. Sensing that the clone wasn't in the best of moods, Misty chose not to comment on the other's sudden hostility and instead clapped her hands together happily.

“That's great! Brock will be here in a minute and then we can call Ms. Ketchum.”

'Very well, I will return once you three are finished in here.' Mewtwo announced before floating out of the room in a rush. As soon as the legendary was out of sight, Mist rounded on Ash with a stern expression.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing!” was the mewtwo's gut reaction to avoid the redhead's ire, but then his expression turned guilty. “Well, I might have said something that upset him.”

“Ash,” Misty sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

“I know I messed up, okay. I'm just really nervous about this call and I wasn't thinking.”

“That sounds like you, alright. As soon as this call is over you need to apologize for whatever it is you said. Mewtwo is being more than generous with letting us stay here.”

“I know. I was going to do that anyway.” Ash grumbled, tail twitching with distress. Misty's expression softened and she took her friend's hand before leading them to the computer.

“It will be okay, Ash. You'll see, your mother is a kind person and will definitely listen to our explanation.”

“This isn't exactly a normal situation, Misty. I doubt anyone could just easily accept that their child isn't human anymore.” the teen argued miserably from his spot just outside of the computer's viewing range. “You guys keep telling me that everything will be okay, but what if it's not? I've already lost everything I've worked for, I don't want to lose my mom as well!” Misty watched her friend wrap his arms around himself with an upset expression and swiftly reached over and pulled the other into a hug.

“I keep saying it will be okay because I know that even if your mother doesn't believe us then I'll still be here. Brock will still be here, Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charizard, all of our Pokemon will still be here for you.” Misty pulled back so she could look up into Ash's eyes, hands clasped over his shoulders. “We are your family too. Never forget that.” The mewtwo quickly wiped away the little tears that gathered in his eyes before nodding in response with a confident smile.

“Okay, let's do this.”

“Now that's the Ash I know and love. We got this! Brock can just join in when he gets here.” Misty took a seat in mewtwo's computer chair, quickly signing onto the phone lines of Orange Islands, before putting the contact information in for Ms. Ketchum in Pallet Town. Ash began to twist his hands together in agitation as the phone began to ring until the sound of his mother's voice caused him to freeze entirely, even his breathing.

“Misty, thank goodness, I've been worried sick about you three! Why hasn't Ash called? Is he alright? Is he with you?”

“Don't worry, Ms. Ketchum, we are all fine. We just caught up in an unexpected situation and were unable to call until now.” Misty explained and Delia let out a loud sigh of relief.

“I'm so happy to hear that. Is Ash available to talk now? I've missed my baby boy so much! I want to hear about what he's been up to all this time.”

“Yes yes!” Another voice joined the call and Delia chuckled.

“Mimi also wished to see him.”

“Of course, Ms. Ketchum, but before that I have to tell you something.” Misty began with a serious expression and the line went silent for a moment before Ash heard his mother reply.

“Of course, Dear, what is it?”

“Now I need to reiterate that Ash is fine. He's healthy and is still his same old stubborn self, but he's gone through a little bit of a...change since you last saw him.”

“A change?”

“Yes, he's going to look very different than you're used to, but I promise you this is still the same Ash we've always known.”

“Misty, you're starting to worry me. What's happened to my son?”

“There was a little accident involving two powerful Pokemon. They were fighting and Ash stepped in to stop them, but he was caught in the blast. Something unimaginable happened to him in the process.”

“He was hit with two Pokemon attacks!? Is he okay!?”

“Yes, I told you before, he's fine now and healthy as can be. I just...wanted to warn you before you see him. Please, Ms. Ketchum, promise me you'll keep an open mind. Ash needs you right now.” Again the line went silent before the sound of Delia's deep inhale and exhale echoed through the room.

“Okay, Misty, I promise. Now let me see my son.” This time the words were not a request, but a demand, and Ash slowly made his way to Misty's side. He kept his eyes lowered to the ground, body trembling with fear, as he awaited his mother's reaction. Ash heard the older woman's quick intake of breath, followed by the sound of something clattering to a hard surface. The mewtwo flinched at the noise as Misty took his hand in support.

“Ash?” Delia's voice trembled around the word.

“Hi, Mom,” Ash replied, heart hammering in his chest. He finally dared to glance up, only to catch sight of his mother's white horrified face. Ash's stomach dropped and he felt like he couldn't breathe. His ears rang loudly, blocking off the concerned call of Misty's voice, Everything suddenly felt like too much and the teen wanted nothing more than to get the horrible image of his mother's frightened face out of his head. More muffled noises broke out around him, but Ash just curled into himself and wished for everything to stop.

Something touched his arm and the Mewtwo cried out pushing the offending thing away. The environment around him shook, more loud noises just barely penetrated his still ringing ears, and something that smelled of smoke invaded his nose and lungs, which only worsened his ability to take in any oxygen right now. He needed to leave. Right. Now.

With trembling muscles, Ash forced his legs to move. Rushing in the direction of the exit only to find the way closed off. Panic increasing exponentially, Ash desperately pushed against the door until it was suddenly gone and the mewtwo was stumbling down the hallway struggling to catch his breath. He needed fresh air. How did he get outside? His eyes weren't working right, everything a blurry mess, and this only made things worse! More loud sounds, more of the room around his shaking, just too much!

' I'm scared. I'm scared. Help me. Help me. Help me.'

' Ash.' A voice finally broke through all the deafening noise and Ash let out a desperate noise before blindly reaching out for help. A pair of arms pulled him close before suddenly it wasn't that horrible smoke clogging his lungs, but the salty breeze he'd grown so fond of since living here. Ash tried to take deep breaths in, at this point in dire need of oxygen, but even this clean ocean air gave no relief. Something soft, damp, and slightly itchy abruptly touched Ash's skin causing him to jolt, but the arms holding him kept the teen in place.

'Calm yourself. You are safe. You are going to be okay. Focus not on yourself, but on me. Follow the rise and fall of my chest and copy its movement with your own.' The steady smooth voice instructed and Ash struggled to listen. He wrapped his arms around the other and pressed his face as close as possible to the beating heart beside him. The other's chest did indeed rise and fall calmly as the organ beneath kept a steady calm rhythm. Eventually, another rumbling sound joined into the mix, and Ash found it easier to breathe the longer he listened.

'That's it. You're doing well. Just continue to focus on me.' the voice praised and the teen found it hard to resist as he was lulled into a calmer state.
Ash didn't know how long they remained there, his sense of time completely ruined by his earlier emotional meltdown, but gradually the mewtwo's mind began to clear; before becoming aware of just how utterly exhausted he was. Ash's eyes felt scratchy with dried-up tears, muscles heavy and throbbing with fatigue, and throat raw as if he'd swallowed a whole bowl of tamato berries. With a pained groan, Ash opened his eyes and was face to face with a wall of fine purplish-gray fur.

'Are you feeling better now?' Mewtwo's question flowed painlessly soft through the teen's mind.

“Define “better”,” Ash wheezed in response. “I no longer feel like I'm dying, but now it's more like I was hit by a rampaging rhyhorn.” Mewtwo gave a low hum at the comparison before beginning to caress a hand up and down the shorter Pokemon's back. Ash shuddered at the unknown feeling but didn't pull away from the touch since it felt nice.

'Do you wish to go inside now? It would be best for you to get some rest.' the legendary suggested after a quiet moment while motioning his head toward the direction of the setting sun just touching the horizon. Honestly, the thought of his large pillowing bed sounded really tempting right now, but Ash needed to know what had happened after he started freaking out so he pushed through his exhaustion and forced himself to sit up away from Mewtwo's comforting touch.

“I'll go once I find out what happened. Everything went fuzzy after I saw my mom on the phone call.”

' I see. Well, I can't tell you everything that happened since I was not present when it began, but I'll give you what I know.' Mewtwo promised before continuing. “When I arrived, you had already blasted the door off of the observation room-'

“I did what?!” Ash shouted.

' In your panicked state, it seems you instinctively used your powers to get rid of the thing blocking you from escaping. As well as lashing out at the walls of the hallway.' Mewtwo enlightened rather calmly for someone whose home had just been damaged.

“Oh no! Is Misty okay? I didn't hurt her did I?!” Ash asked fearfully and the clone was quick to placate his fears.

' Your red-headed companion is fine. She was being led out of the room by your other friend as I was tending to you. As far as I'm aware, she has merely a sore backside from you pushing her away.'

“Dammit,” Ash swore burying his face in his hands. “I can't believe I actually hurt her. I destroyed things without even realizing I was doing it. How could I live with myself if this happens again and I did worse?”

' You only pushed her. Hardly a reason to get this upset.' Mewtwo tried to reason only for the other to shoot a glare up at him.

“Shut up! You don't understand! How could you when you've never had someone close enough to care? I could have killed one of my best friends, excuse me for being upset about it!” The former human blew up causing the clone to stare wide-eyed at the sudden verbal lashing. Before his expression fell back into something cold and hard.

' Think what you want, but getting yourself worked up over 'what if' situations that have yet to happen will not get you anywhere. Do you know what wallowing in self-hatred and pity does, it gets you to where I was 9 months ago, but by all means, don't take my advice, after all, I am but a heartless clone.”

Ash felt shame burning up inside him at the other's words. Here he was, attacking the very being who had shown him comfort not even five minutes ago. Who kept him from causing more harm to himself and others. What was he doing?

“I'm sorry.” Ash swallowed heavily, agitating his already sore throat. “You're right, I'm just making things worse. That seems to be all I can do lately.” The sun dipped down lower in the distance, lengthening the shadows of the two lone Pokemon on the cliff side. Only the sounds of waves breaking through the dusk as Ash let himself succumb to his fatigue: both mentally and physically.

' You are not to blame for bad things happening, Ash.” Mewtwo finally spoke up, his tone much softer. 'I also apologize for my words. You are correct that I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to emotions. Things of this nature are foreign to me and I seem to keep offending you without meaning to.'

“Then I must be the opposite, I've never been called calm in any situation. Misty likes to say I'm too emotional for my own good sometimes.” Ash weakly chuckled and this had the other Pokemon give a slight smile.

'Sounds like we have a lot we can learn from one another. I must admit it has been rather...nice having you and your companions stay here. It's a pleasant experience to witness relationships made from mutual respect and not from greedy expectations.' Ash gave a tired smile before reaching up to sleepily poke the legendary's chest.

“You know, that can also include you if you want.” his words caused the other to tilt his head with confusion.

'What do you mean?'

“I mean,” Ash began with a giggle brought on by mental weariness. “We can also be friends. The mutual respect kind.”

'Oh,' the clone responded simply as he caught Ash, who was losing the battle of continued consciousness and quickly falling into slumber. Mewtwo gave an exasperated sigh before lifting the other up bridal style, with a little help from his psychic powers. Ash hummed sleepily and cuddled closer to the source of warmth beside him, his tail lazily swishing back and forth.

'Rest now, Ash. We will continue this discussion when you wake.' Mewtwo promised before flying up toward the upper floors of the castle. Just as the sun vanished below the skyline and plunged the world into a restful summer's night.

Chapter Text

Ash had been called a lot of things in his life: rash, stubborn, clueless, and headstrong to name a few, but one thing he'd never been accused of was being a coward. Yet here the (hopefully) temporarily retired trainer was, hiding in his room under the covers and attempting to ignore the problems that the day promised.

His eyes throbbed all the way to the back of his head from crying and lack of oxygen while the idea of confronting Misty about what happened yesterday made Ash want to throw up. How could he face her or Brock after what he had done? Going into a panic attack over just his mother's expression was pathetic. She hadn't even said anything. For all he knew, she had just needed a moment to clear his thoughts before talking, but now, with the computer most likely destroyed from his little episode, he wouldn't know for sure.

Letting out a pained groan, Ash curled up further under the blankets and decided he was forever going to live in this bed now. Let them try to remove him from his spot. He will fight tooth and nail to defend- Ash let out a startled yelp as he was abruptly lifted into the air and stripped of his protective covering. Mewtwo stood there, arm raised as the legendary used his powers, giving the other a stern look.

'It is nearly 1 in the afternoon. Just how long were you planning to stay in bed for?'

“Um....the rest of my life?” Ash mumbled only seconds before releasing another yelp as he was unceremoniously dropped back onto the mattress. Mewtwo let out an amused huff.

'You really think you can survive like that. With your bottomless stomach, you wouldn't last until tomorrow.'

“Now that's just rude. Why are you being mean? I thought we were friends now.” the sandy mewtwo whined rubbing his eyes tiredly. Mewtwo's tail flickered at the comment before a smirk worked its way onto his muzzle.

'If my knowledge is correct, friends don't let each other become spineless blanket dwellers that avoid conversations they need to have. Is that correct?' Ash gave a pout at the clone's smug expression but was unable to argue with what they said, which the other knew full well. The former human gave an exaggerated sigh before scooting to the edge of the mattress and planting his feet on the ground. He shivered as his foot pads brushed the cold stone floor. Still getting used to that feeling, unfortunately.

“I take it back, you are no friend of mine. You're just a mean pokemon who likes watching me suffer.”

'You have your ways of having fun, and I have mine.' Mewtwo shrugged before heading for the exit. 'Now hurry up before that red-headed friend of yours bothers me about your whereabouts for the 20th time today.' Ash let out a snicker at the other's clear annoyance before proceeding to finally stand up and join the pokemon in the doorway. The former human's expression fell nervously at the prospect of going to join his friends before a touch to the top of his head caused Ash to jump and glance up at Mewtwo's noticeably softer expression.

'Do not fret, she is not angry with you.' he assured and Ash was grateful for the words of encouragement. Giving the clone a small smile before taking a deep breath and moving out into the hallway.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

They found Misty, Brock, and Pikachu sitting at the large stone dining table picking at something on their plates that resembled mush of some kind, possibly oatmeal? As soon as they heard the two mewtwo's entrance, both former gym leader's heads shot up, and before Ash could blink they were in front of him.

“Are you okay?” Brock asked just as Misty was apologizing for what happened yesterday. Ash was confused at the reaction.

“What? Why are you saying sorry when I'm the one who hurt you?” the mewtwo questioned looking down to the floor in shame. Clutching his arm tensely at his side.

“You didn't hurt me, Ash.” Misty quickly assured, even though Ash knew it was a lie. “It was only a little push and it was my fault for touching you when you were overwhelmed. I've been around panic attacks before and I should have known better.”

“That's not an excuse, Misty. Not only did I shove you, but I used psychic powers without realizing it and destroyed things. I could have really hurt you, or worse!” Ash felt the anxiety returning, building up in his chest like a poison that caused his heart to hammer. Mewtwo must have noticed since Ash suddenly found himself freezing in place when a three-fingered hand placed itself on the center of his back. Giving a gentle pressure that helped ground the teen. Taking a deep steadying breath, Ash sent a mental thanks to the other pokemon and turned his attention back to Misty. Who was looking at him with worry.

“Ash, I really don't blame you. I knew you were uncomfortable with calling your mother and I pushed you to do it anyway. I'm so sorry for forcing you and making you experience such an awful thing.”

“I was the one who agreed. If I had really not wanted to talk to her then I wouldn't have. I never expected to react so strongly to just her expression.” Ash shamefully admitted with a grim look. “Did....did she say anything after I left? My memories are a little fuzzy.”

“Well,” Misty bit her lip as if deciding whether to say anything or not. “I heard her say something, but I wasn't paying enough attention since I was more worried about helping you. Then you blew up the monitor so the line cut off.” The mewtwo sagged in both relief and disappointment. Maybe it was for the best he didn't know right now. Ash wasn't sure he could handle another emotional attack like that again so soon, or ever.

The feeling of Mewtwo's hand left his back causing the teen to glance over as the legendary stepped forward to stand beside him.

'It might be best for him to eat something. He's already missed both breakfast and lunch.' This spurred Brock into action, the breeder-in-training swiftly heading for a small opening in the wall a ways away. Brock returned back into the room a little later, holding a flat tray covered in a silver dome.

“Come on Ash, I made you my famous 'chase those woes away' soup. Full of everything to make a pokemon happy and healthy!” The man finished his explanation with a dramatic twirl before setting the tray on the table. At the corny presentation, Ash couldn't help but snicker as he made his way across the space to take a seat. As promised, once the dome was removed it relieved a sizable bowl filled to the brim with a golden broth packed full of multicolored berries, vegetables, and what looked to be some type of potato. The sight of such a hearty soup caused the mewtwo's stomach to remember just how empty it was, giving a low rumble that had Ash's face slightly heating up.

“Thanks, Brock.” Ash smiled thankfully before lifting the provided spoon located next to the bowl.

“No problem at all,” Brock assured looking quite pleased with himself. “I'm actually very happy with the kitchen here. Makes cooking a lot more fun when you're using high-quality bakeware and stoves rather than an old frying pan or dinged-up stew pot.”

“I'm honestly surprised you have such a fancy kitchen,” Misty commented to Mewtwo, who stoically stood a little ways behind Ash's chair on the right side. The clone lifted a questioning brow at the redhead's words.

'Did you take me as someone who would eat only raw plants or magikarp flesh?' Ash nearly choked on his soup at hearing that.

“Oh no!” Misty waved the accusation away quickly. “I just meant I was surprised you cook. Where did you learn?”

'The nurse Joy I abducted taught me what I needed to know. I told you her knowledge of pokemon was quite useful to me.' The atmosphere got a little awkward at the reminder that Mewtwo had kidnapped and brainwashed Nurse Joy for an entire month. Ash took another spoonful of soup.

“I see,” Misty slowly responded. “I'm glad to hear she wasn't doing anything too bad while....working...for you.”

'What task would you deem bad if planning to kill all life on the planet does not qualify?' Mewtwo questioned curiously, which had the former gym leader sputtering for a response.

“Well...I just...I meant..you know-”

'I don't, that's why I am asking.' the legendary corrected with his usual stern expression. Misty looked lost so Brock decided to help her out.

“I think what she means is that you didn't make Nurse Joy do anything that would cause her distress to remember. Like having her hurt someone, or do demeaning tasks.” Mewtwo continued to stare at the two in silence before his eyes narrowed, glowing a light blue, and then widened with understanding. Ash was about to start lecturing the other about reading people's minds without permission, but the clone began talking once more.

'Oh, I see. You meant acts of a sexual nature.' Ash sucked in a shocked breath, causing himself to choke on his own spit, with Misty and Brock both sputtering in varying degrees of embarrassment.

“Guys!” Ash exclaimed red-faced. “What would even make you think about that?”

“Oh come on Ash,” Misty was the first to recover her words. “You can't tell me that hearing him say something like “her knowledge of pokemon anatomy proved most useful.” didn't for a moment make you think about the implications.” At the redhead's attempt at defending herself, Mewtwo merely narrowed his eyes while crossing his arms.

'I don't see how those two things correlate with each other. As if I would have wasted my time with such trivial things during my planning. There is also the fact that I do not find human women to be worthy breeding partners.'

“Mewtwo, please stop talking about it!” Ash begged while hiding his face in his hands. Misty looked ready to flee from the room, only to be stopped by Brock's comforting touch on her shoulder. The legendary glanced at all three thoughtfully for a moment before turning toward Pikachu, who was the only one of the group seemingly unaffected by the topic.

'Is breeding a topic humans don't like to discuss? Seems rather odd considering it is a big part of all living things.' Mewtwo turned his attention to Brock. 'Do you not wish to be a pokemon breeder?' The previous gym leader looked surprised that he'd been addressed by the other but shook that off and instead rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“It's not so much 'breeding' in general, but the topic of human physical relations is considered an uncomfortable topic in our culture.” the other attempted to explain to the cloned legendary. “It's just something that humans feel is a privet matter between the people who are committing the act.” At this point, Ash was more red than sand-colored, face still hidden in his palms and tail twitching uncomfortably. Something Mewtwo noticed instantly and found himself a little amused at how the other was reacting to such a simple discussion about cultural differences. Deciding to tease the other a little, as revenge for the dramatic comment the teen had said shortly after waking up in his new body, the clone walked right behind Ash's chair.

'So, it is perfectly fine to discuss your pokemon's privet matters, but not your own? Hardly seems fair.' Mewtwo commented. 'Tell me, Ash, do you know anything about how your new body works?' Ash tensed at being suddenly called out during the uncomfortable discussion but did lift his gaze to find the legendary standing directly behind him.

“What?” the smaller mewtwo questioned nervously. The feeling only grew when a dastardly smirk made its way onto the other's face.

'It stands to reason that since humans don't really talk about these things then your knowledge of breeding must be quite lacking. This also leaves me to believe you know next to nothing about pokemon relations. Am I wrong?' Ash was giving his best impression of a Magikarp after hearing this and Mewtwo gave a chuckle before deciding to pull back and give his attention back to Brock. Just to find both him and Misty with matching looks of shock. Not only had this conversation taken an unexpected turn, but the two never in a million years thought they would witness Mewtwo, one of the most stoic people they'd ever met, tease their friend in such a manner.

“Um..” Brock began with a small cough in his fist. “To answer your question, we are taught about sex, we just don't bring it up in normal conversation.”

“Hold on,” Misty announced looking rather disturbed all of a sudden. “You said you learned about cooking by reading Nurse Joy's memories. You didn't learn about...other things that way did you?” Brock froze at Misty's words before both looked at the clone comprehensively.

'Of course not.' Mewtwo scoffed. 'What need would I have to learn about such things? It was not necessary knowledge for survival or useful in continuing my plans so what would I have to gain from that?'

“Well, I don't know how mind powers work!” Misty defended herself with flushed cheeks. “For all I know, when you take over a person's mind you see all their memories.”

'That would be ridiculous. I'd end up having to sift through annoying toddler memories if that was the case. I merely have to implant a specific word into another's mind and that will prompt the brain's natural response in bringing up any memory associated with it.'

“That's actually kind of interesting,” Brock admitted with a curious gleam in his eyes.

“Seriously?” Misty expressed incredulously.

“I'm not saying I agree with it, but it's fascinating to hear how psychic powers work from a pokemon themselves. Now that I think of it, I'd love to study both you and Mew since no other has done so.” At the questioning glance at the end of those words, Mewtwo tensed minutely before shaking his head.

'I'd rather you didn't. I've had enough of humans 'studying' me for a lifetime.' Seeing that he had hit a nerve, Brock quickly apologized before attempting to change the topic.

“So Ash, when do you think you'll start trying to learn how to use your new powers?” The sandy-colored mewtwo still looked a little thrown off from Mewtwo's earlier teasing but perked up at being called by his friend.

“I don't know,” Ash replied with eyes focused on the table while his tail flicked back and forth uneasily.

'It would be wise to learn sooner rather than later. The powers you now possess are dangerous if left untrained. As you've learned already.' Mewtwo advised to which Ash just responded by hunching into himself guiltily.

“Don't worry Ash!” Pikachu piped up from his spot on the table. “Learning new moves is tricky, but as long as you keep practicing it will come to you. That's how we've always done it.”

“Yeah, but the difference is that you know how to use your moves naturally, I wasn't born with that knowledge, and the idea of suddenly being able to lift things with my mind just seems so....unreal.” Ash sighed heavily in defeat. “I don't even know I'm capable of learning these things.”

“Ash, you can-” Whatever Pikachu's reply was going to be was swiftly interrupted by an excited shout from above. Mew, seemingly appearing out of thin air, danced around excitedly before floating over to their self-proclaimed 'younger sibling' and plopping themselves on his head.

“I've got some good news!” The small pink mythical exclaimed as Mewtwo tried to bat the other off his body with an annoyed glare. “I spoke with Arceus and they said that Mewtwo is officially a legendary now! Welcome to the family!”

'What are you going on about?' Mewtwo asked confused, which had the other giggling.

“Arceus is my parent, Silly. They are the creator of all legendary pokemon and the universe and they said that they approve of you! Isn't that wonderful!”

'I..have no words for that.' Mewtwo responded and this had both Ash and friends gaping in astonishment.

“Wait, so you spoke to god itself?” Ash asked shocked before perking up with hope. “Did they say anything about a way to turn me back?” Mew grew silent and glanced away with an uncomfortable expression on their face. Mewtwo finally managed to grab the little pink annoyance and held them up by the scruff of their neck.

'Go on. Answer the question.' he urged as Mew hung limply in his hold.

“Well....” Mew began, bumping their paws together nervously. “I did ask them about your predicament, but Arceus didn't seem too worried about it and just said that these things happen for a reason and will work out on their own.”

Ash looked devastated at the news and he stumbled out a reply while trying to comprehend what he'd just learned, “Are you saying that Arceus could change me back but is refusing?”

“I'm sorry Ash, but that's just how Arceus is. They believe that things happen for a reason and the universe has a way of balancing itself so doesn't interfere with reality unless something dire is happening.”

“But..but that's....so unfair!” Ash raised his voice before balling his fists against the table's top. “I didn't ask for this! What possible reason could there be for me turning into a pokemon? To lose everything! To-”

'Ash.' Mewtwo interrupted the other's anger to point out that the surface of the table under Ash's now glowing fists was cracking. Still feeling furious, yet afraid he'd do something he'd regret, Ash growled before abruptly standing up from the table and stomping out of the room. Pikachu ran after his best friend instantly and Misty tried to follow as well, but was quickly immobilized by Mewtwo, much to her annoyance.

“Let me go! I need to-”

'You need to give him space to cool down. Right now Ash has no control over his powers and strong emotions make them unstable. You would only be putting yourself at risk and causing him more unneeded stress.'

“He's right, Misty.” Broke agreed unhappily. “I don't like it any more than you do, but Ash would feel even worse if he accidentally hurt one of us.” Mist deflated with a miserable look on her face as Mewtwo released her from his psychic hold.

'I'm sorry.' Mew apologized to Mewtwo since the humans couldn't understand them. 'I never meant to cause more trouble for Ash. I wish there was something I could do to help.' The clone just gave a sigh before releasing Mew from his grip and glancing in the direction of Ash's departure.

'I can't say I'm surprised by the fact that the creator of the universe wouldn't care about 1 insignificant life amongst millions. Unfortunately, this situation is looking to be permanent and Ash will need to accept that if he wishes to move forward.'

“This isn't right,” Misty said with teeth clenched in frustration. “Ash doesn't deserve to have his life taken away from him. No one does.”

'If there is one thing I've learned since awakening it's that life is unfair.' Mewtwo commented. 'But it is also forever changing and growing with potential. This circumstance might not be what Ash sought out, but it does not have to define him.'

'Yeah!” Mew piped up with renewed energy. 'If Arceus says things happen for a reason then that must mean Ash was always meant to become a mewtwo. Maybe this was the universe's way of making sure you wouldn't be alone, Two!'

'What are you talking about? That's highly unlikely. You act as if the universe is alive itself.' Mewtwo scoffed dismissively.

'Well, if what Arceus says about the universe balancing itself is true then that means it's also possible that in order to compensate for your creation, an artificial pokemon, then the universe would have to create a natural Mewtwo as well.' Mew hypothesized and Mewtwo stared at its DNA parent intently.

'There's no way that's the case. This isn't some children's storybook. For what use could the universe require there be two of my species?”

'So you could have a mate, of course!'

'Excuse me?'

'Doesn't that make the most sense? After all, you two are the only mewtwos so...'

'I will not entertain this foolishness anymore!' Mewtwo snarled before turning around and floating off towards the same exit Ash had left only minutes ago.

“What just happened?” Misty questioned as she watched the cloned legendary storm out of the room.

“I have no idea,” Brock replied equally as confused.

“Mew?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ash found himself in the field behind the castle, a spot he had grown quite familiar with over the last few days. Anger still bubbled inside his chest as Mew's words repeated through his mind over and over. To basically be told that he had no say in whether he wanted to be a pokemon or not. That the literal god of creation was like 'Oh well, the chips fall where they may and that's too bad for you.'

“Damn it!” Ash snarled through clenched fangs, forcing himself to take deep breaths to calm down before he unintentionally blew something up again. Ash could feel the untapped power trapped beneath his skin yearning to burst out at the given chance. A frightening thought that had the former human collapsing on the ground with his head tucked into his arms over his knees. Then the tears started to fall as Ash grieved over the loss of his humanity, the life as he knew it that was never going to return to him.

Suddenly there was a presence beside him and Ash glanced up to find Pikachu at his side, looking up at their trainer with large black eyes filled with tears of their own. Pikachu wordlessly climbed into their friend's lap and tucked himself against their chest. Ash was quick to bury his face into the electric mouse's fur and continued his painful sobs while holding onto his partner like a lifeline.

“Everything will be okay, Ash. You'll see, we'll make it through this together.” Pikachu's comforting words did little to halt the mewtwo's tears, but it did loosen a little of the anxiety mucking up Ash's insides like tar.

“Thanks, Pikachu.” he managed to get out between sniffles. “I don't know what I'd do without you guys.” Pikachu made a happy chirping sound before nuzzling under his best friend's chin affectionately. This caused Ash to give a weak chuckle before petting his little buddy between the ears. The two sat there in the flowery field for what felt like hours before Ash felt calm enough to entertain the idea of going back inside. His eyes now felt even worse than they had earlier when he'd woken up. He was also very thirsty, which most likely manifested due to crying for so long. With a deep sigh, Ash stood from the ground with Pikachu easily situating himself on the other's shoulder.

“Are you alright now?”

Ash gazed up at the blue, cloud-filled sky with eyes swollen red, “Not really...but I think I'm going to have to finally accept that this is my life now. If I don't want to be miserable anymore.”

“No matter what happens, we're partners and nothing will ever change that!” Pikachu vowed with a confident smirk that had Ash giving a small smile in return.

“You're right. I also have Misty and Brock as well as maybe Mewtwo and Mew. I'm not alone.” the former human reminded himself quietly as he looked down at his three-fingered hands. “Even if I'm no longer the person I used to be I still have people I care about beside me.”

“You are still the same Ash!” Pikachu argued with a half-hearted slap of a paw on the other's cheek. “It's just like evolving, you may look different but you're still the same person inside. You don't think of Charizard as a separate pokemon from the charmander he used to be do you?” Ash paused at his partner's words, eyes widening as the meaning behind them sunk in and finally clicked.

“You're right.” his voice was weak and shaky. “It's so simple. It's just like evolving. I'm still Ash Ketchum.

“Ash?”

“I'm still Ash Ketchum!” Ash repeated louder, lifting the small pokemon in the air and twirling around joyfully. “I'm still me!”

“Of course you are.” Pikachu laughed at his trainer's silliness but was very glad that they were feeling much better. The electric pokemon missed this side of Ash and hoped this meant that things could go back to normal soon.

Ash danced around until he was out of breath, and even then the smile never left his face as he hugged his partner close and began heading for the castle entrance. Filled with renewed hope that he could pull through this with the help of his loved ones beside him.

“Come on, Buddy, let's go-” Ash let out an audible grunt as he bumped into something solid and when he opened his eyes found a very angry-looking Mewtwo staring down at him

Chapter Text

Mewtwo could not fathom how he could share DNA with such a ridiculous pokemon. Spouting nonsense about things that could never be a reality. The universe decided he needed a mate. So utterly idiotic! He had no need for such a thing, and even if he did, a male wouldn't fit that role of Arceus' intended purpose of breeding. Mew was a childish fool for believing in something so absurd. The clone refused to even consider the idea that things were supposed to happen no matter what decision one made in life. Was he meant to be born to humans who cared nothing for him? To be used and thrown away on a whim as if he were nothing but an emotionless weapon? No, one created their own destiny by their actions. Ash hadn't been turned into a pokemon out of nowhere, the boy had chosen to run into a fight he had no hope of winning, all for the slim chance he could stop the legendaries battle. Something only someone as stubbornly optimistic as Ash would attempt.

Mewtwo levitated down the halls with no destination in mind, only a need to be by himself for a time. Ash was most likely being comforted by his pikachu so there was no need for the legendary to seek him out at the moment. Plus, Mewtwo felt...odd being near the other after Mew's words. It would be a lie to say the clone never thought about the implications of their suddenly being another of his species around. How his body naturally seemed to gravitate towards the other during all hours. That despite Ash being a former human, Mewtwo felt completely at ease in their presence. There was also the fact that he found the other's new form visually pleasing to look at.

'This is absurd.' Mewtwo chastised himself while pausing to float midair. He was letting that little pink nuisance get into his head, something that the clone really didn't need right now with everything else going on. Deciding a distraction would be the best thing right now, Mewtwo teleported up to his privet library and pulled out a few tombs on Kanto geography. He then began preparing some tea as he sat down in one of the two chairs near the window. Just as the psychic type got comfortable while opening the last chapter he'd left on, a finished cup of tea floated into his hands. Now, time to tune out those annoying thoughts.

Some time passed before Mewtwo noticed that the sun and lowered considerably in the sky and he had yet to be interrupted by any sand-colored pokemon. With a quick psychic scan of the surrounding area, it was easy to find Ash and Pikachu's auras outside, which most likely meant the other mewtwo was still upset and avoiding others.

'Hmm, perhaps I should check on him.' Mewtwo swiftly marked where he was in his book before levitating it back onto the shelf, leaving his tea dishes to be cleaned up later. The cloned legendary teleported himself to the back entrance of his home, about to open the door when a feeling of nervousness thumped in his chest. Mewtwo, feeling perplexed, laid a hand over the area with furrowed brows.

'What is this?' he asked himself. 'Why am I suddenly reacting like this at the thought of talking to him?' Mew's words once again echoed through the clone's mind and Mewtwo let out an angry huff as he finally threw the doors open to the outside. He would not let their words get to him. Nothing had changed between Ash and him since earlier and he wasn't about to start act-

Mewtwo suddenly found the object of his troubles colliding with his chest, short-circuiting his brain momentarily as every inch of skin Ash had bumped against felt both nice yet overwhelming as well. The psychic wrestles with the urge to both pull the other closer and shove him away simultaneously.

“Oh, sorry.” Ash apologized as he stepped back out of the Mewtwo's personal space. Letting the clone get a good look at the other's swollen eyes. He then looked to Ash's shoulder where Pikachu rested to see that the electric mouse also had tear-stained eyes. Mewtwo felt at a loss on what to do in this situation. Did the other need words of comfort, physical touch, or maybe even a distraction as he had earlier?

'Are you feeling alright?' the clone ended up asking and the smaller mewtwo's gaze fell down to the ground below with a small smile.

“I'm not the happiest about what Mew said, but I think I'll be okay.”

'I see.'

“Did something happen after I left? You also seem a little....upset about something.” Ash questioned and Mewtwo really didn't want to discuss what his mythical DNA donor had suggested so instead the psychic just crossed his arms with a shrug. The former human tilted his head in confusion at the other's silence, wondering what could have possibly happened after he'd stormed off earlier. Maybe he could ask Misty or Brock about it later, but for now, Ash was reminded that he hadn't finished his breakfast by his stomach letting out a loud rumble. His face grew hot with embarrassment and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I guess I should go eat something, huh?”

'If you don't wish to pass out from hunger, I'd recommend it.' Mewtwo responded matter-of-factually and this had Ash smiling in amusement before turning to Pikachu.

“Why don't we go see what snacks are left in the kitchen, what do you say, Pikachu?”

“Ketchup!” the pokemon cheered and Ash chuckled before passing by Mewtwo to enter the castle.

“You coming, Mewtwo?” The other seemed to think about it for a moment before shutting the door with a thought and nodding slightly. Ash eagerly smiled before grabbing the pokemon's hand and pulling him along in the direction of the kitchen. Mewtwo instinctively levitated in the air as he allowed himself to be led along by the smaller of the two. The clone's mind otherwise only focuses on the feeling of another's hand holding his own. Ash's skin felt so much warmer than his own, whether that be because of his method of creation or just something unique to the other, Mewtwo did not know. It's not as if he had anyone else to compare the other's touch to. Perhaps that is why Ash's touch felt so overwhelming at times. Mewtwo had never experienced physical contact before this trainer so his senses were unprepared for it. Unlike those born naturally in this world, the clone had never been exposed to the loving touch of a mother. Only the embrace of sterile fluid inside of a tube and then later the cold hard plates of Giovanni's power-repressing armor. How different the sensation of another living being's skin felt.

Deciding to let himself indulge just this once Mewtwo adjusted his hold so that instead of Ash just grabbing the top of his hand their fingers were now threaded together like two matching puzzle pieces. Ash paused in his steps for a second, but said nothing and just continued on towards their destination. Seeing that the other hadn't had a bad reaction to his spontaneous indulgence Mewtwo gave a thoughtful hum before allowing himself to just enjoy the touch for as long as it lasted.

Meanwhile, Ash was trying his best not to react to the sudden feeling of holding hands with Mewtwo. The older teen hadn't given much thought when he'd grabbed the other's hand to pull him along, it was something Ash did quite frequently with others and had never thought twice about, but having the clone suddenly thread their fingers together so casually had the former human's stomach erupting into a swarm of butterfrees. What was happening? Since when did Mewtwo initiate touch when it wasn't required? Was he aware that holding hands in such a way had other implications outside of just leading someone somewhere? If not, should Ash tell him? The smaller mewtwo chanced a subtle glance behind and found the clone looking quite content while staring at their joined hands, a sight that had Ash's face turning a light red. He needed to stop overthinking something that obviously wasn't a big deal to the other.

“So, Mewtwo, what sounds good to eat for you?” Ash questioned, hoping the legendary would take the bait and break the awkward silence.

'Hmmm, I just had tea not too long ago so something light would be good. Perhaps a cucumber sandwich.'

“Isn't that a little bland?”

'I find the taste rather refreshing.' Mewtwo replied. 'Especially, when paired with cream cheese and just a small amount of vinegar on the cucumbers.'

“I'll have to take your word for it. I've never been a fan of cucumbers.” Ash confessed as the two rounded the corner into another hallway.

'Then I shall make you one as well so you may try it.' Mewtwo announced as the pair made it to the main hall of the castle. Misty and Brock were still seated at the table, this time looking to be writing something rather than eating. Ash quickly released Mewtwo's hand just as his friends looked up from their tasks and spotted the two mewtwos in the doorway.

“Oh Ash,” Misty exclaimed as she set down her pen to give him her undivided attention. “Are you feeling better now?”
Now feeling a little embarrassed about how he'd reacted earlier, Ash self-consciously rubbed his neck with a sheepish smile, “Yeah, sorry about storming off before. I was just-”

“No need to explain yourself,” Misty reassured with a gentle smile of her own. “We understand that this couldn't be easy for anyone to go through. Just make sure not to isolate yourself okay?”

“Yeah.” Ash agreed softly before his stomach once again made its protests known resulting in its owner letting out awkward laughter. “I was just going to get something to eat from the kitchen.”

“Good, you haven't eaten much since yesterday morning.” Brock pointed out.

“So...um....I'll be back in a minute.” Ash excused himself with Mewtwo's presence following close behind. The trio of pokemon made their way into the kitchen and Pikachu wasted no time in jumping off his trainer's shoulder and bounding for the fridge. Ash snickered to himself as he joined his partner to scope out what was inside the appliance. Pikachu immediately claimed the opened bottle of ketchup from the door of the fridge and carried it away to find a better place to start consuming the red condiment. Ash rolled his eyes in amusement before going back to looking over his choices for food. Only to pause when the bottom draw began glowing a gentle lilac before opening to allow a single cucumber to levitate out and fly past the former trainer's head.

Ash shot Mewtwo, who was standing casually at the island a few feet away, an incredulous look, “You could have waited for me to move, you know?”

'Yes, I could have.' Mewtwo agreed showing no remorse as he gathered the other tools and ingredients he needed to prepare his sandwiches. Ash mumbled a complaint under his breath as he returned back to his mission. Nothing immediately jumped out to the older teen so he begrudgingly shut the fridge and began rummaging through the cupboard and drawers instead. Eventually, he settled on a bag of Crabby Chips when his stomach decided it couldn't wait any longer. While opening the bag, Ash migrated to stand behind Mewtwo in order to observe what the other was doing over his shoulder. A hard feat considering how tall the legendary was compared to Ash, even with the recently gained growth spurt.

Mewtwo was in the middle of slicing up the cucumber into thin slices. All while using his powers to prepare a small container of vinegar and salt on the side, as well as cutting the bread into perfect crustless squares. Ash watched the other work while munching on his snack. In awe at just how effortlessly the clone moved while completing multiple tasks at the same time.

'You're staring very intently. I thought you didn't care for cucumbers'

“Oh,” Ash chuckled nervously at being caught. “Sorry, just think it's cool that you can do so much with your powers without even looking.”

'My psychic abilities are an extension of myself. They are as natural for me to use as breathing.'

“I thought we could only sense aura? Knives and bowls don't have those.”

'For a beginner, auras are the easiest to sense, but once you grow more advanced in the mastery of your psychic abilities you will be able to have an 'echolocation' of sorts. Your powers essentially become a second pair of eyes.'

Ash looked at the clone with stars in his eyes, “That's amazing! So that means I should never challenge you to a game of hide and seek huh?” At the teasing remark, Mewtwo gave a simper as he emptied the sliced cucumber into the prepared dish of salt and vinegar.

'Only if you wish to lose embarrassingly fast.'

“You know, you're awfully smug for someone who lost to M-” Ash suddenly found a piece of cucumber shoved into his mouth courtesy of Mewtwo's thoughts.

'I did NOT lose to that irksome pest. It was simply a tie brought on by our battle being interrupted.' Ash made a disgusted face at the veggie forced into his mouth and promptly spit it out into the sink before giving the clone a vexed glare.

“For someone who supposedly didn't lose, you're being pretty defensive. You just don't want to admit you're not the strongest pokemon.”

'I am no fool, Ash Ketchum. Now that I have the knowledge that there are pokemon gods it is obvious that I most likely am not the strongest pokemon to exist, but I refuse to believe that I would lose to that pink simpleton.' Mewtwo argued with arms grossed and tail flicking in a fractious manner.

“Aw, come one Mewtwo,” Ash goaded in amusement. “Mew's not all bad. Plus, you're made from the same DNA so it's not hard to believe you two would be evenly matched. There's nothing wrong with that.”

'Are you trying to annoy me on purpose? I will teleport you to the top of the castle and leave you there.'

“No, you won't, you're too much of a softy for that.” The teen stated smugly while poking the psychic's arm. Only to yelp in shock as he found himself suspended in the air upside down, the bag of chips falling to the floor and spilling out. Ash looked up nervously at Mewtwo's face and found the other giving him an evil grin with a finger pointed in his direction. The sandy-colored mewtwo only had a second to regret his earlier words before he was spun in the air like a rolling graveler. This went on for a short time before abruptly stopping and leaving Ash severely dizzy and nauseous.

'Would you care to repeat yourself?' Mewtwo questioned still sneering and the other could only groan in response while trying not to throw up on the floor. The sound of Pikachu's laughter filled the room and Ash had never felt more betrayed.

“Pikachu,” he whined pitifully. “I thought you were my best friend.”

“I am, but you poked the sleeping primeape, Ash.”

“I was just joking around!” the former human tried to defend himself only for Pikachu to continue giggling as he licked up another drop of ketchup. “Come one, Mewtwo put me down.”

'Not even a please? You're not very good at bargaining for mercy.' the legendary replied and Ash grits his teeth in frustration. Eyes widened fearfully when Mewtwo raised his and moved his finger threateningly.

“Ugh! Fine, I'm sorry I said you were evenly matched with Mew. Please put me down.” The taller mewtwo seemed to ponder this for a moment before nodding with satisfaction and lowering the teen back to the ground. Ash, still feeling unstable, sat himself down on the floor with a relieved sigh. Note to future self: Don't mock Mewtwo about his power level.

'The cucumbers should be done now.' Mewtwo announced casually as if he hadn't just spun Ash around like a top. 'Now to spread the cream cheese over the bread and layer the slices on top.'

“Can I try one?” Pikachu asked, abandoning his ketchup bottle in order to move closer and sniff at the ingredients.

'Of course. I'll make a few.' Mewtwo went about assembling the sandwiches while Ash worked on fighting off the nausea still plaguing his stomach. After about ten minutes, the mewtwo opened his eyes and found a triangle-shaped cut cucumber sandwich floating in front of his face.

“Don't want it.” Ash groaned.

'Come now, you need to eat something.' Mewtwo stated before levitating the other off the floor and seating him on one of the two stools at the island. Ash didn't fight it and allowed himself to be propped up in the seat with the now-plated sandwich set right in front of him. He stared at the thing for a few brief moments before slowly reaching out and picking it up. Ash gave the sandwich an unimpressed face before glancing over to find Mewtwo already 2 bites into his own while Pikachu was 3. Deciding to just get it over with, Ash took a small nibble of the unflattering sandwich and chewed silently for a few seconds. It wasn't terrible.....but also wasn't good either. Better than plain cucumbers at least. Ash slowly finished eating, since he was still hungry even if the sandwich wasn't what he would choose while thinking about what was going to happen from now on. Conversations needed to happen and Ash wasn't sure he was ready to have them.

Chapter Text

Ash, Mewtwo, and Pikachu rejoined Misty and Brock in the dining room shortly after finishing their meals. The two humans looked to be done writing whatever they were working on and were now grooming Psyduck and Vulpix on the table. Ash joined the two and sat across from them while Mewtwo continued standing a small ways behind the former human, Pikachu jumped to join his friends on the table. They all sat in a comfortable silence for a short while, at least until Ash began fidgeting in his seat. Attempting to psych himself up to having a serious conversation with his friends. One that he didn't want to have or think about, but needed to be done.

“Hey guys,” the mewtwo finally got out, causing both Brock and Misty to look up at him questioningly. “Can we talk about something?”

Misty and Brock both raised a brow in confusion before setting down their grooming brushes and giving Ash their full attention. “Sure thing, go ahead Ash.” At Brock's confirmation, Ash took in a deep breath and began.

“When are you two leaving?” The other two froze in place.

“What are you talking about?” Misty responded quietly and Ash clenched his hands on his thighs while thrashing his tail.

“I know you guys have been writing letters to people. You obviously don't want to be stuck on this island and after hearing what Mew said earlier.....” Ash's words tapered off and all of the room's occupants went silent. It was all the evidence the sandy-colored pokemon needed that he was correct in his assumptions.

“Ash,” Misty softly broke the silence. “Yes, we have been writing to our families and friends, but that's just so they don't worry. We won't leave you here alone.”

“That's right, Ash, it's not fair to leave you-”

“It's not fair to you either!” Ash exclaimed emotionally cutting Brock off. “I don't want to hold you two back from living your lives. I'm....I'm never going to turn back and....I can't let you sacrifice your dreams for me.”

“We wouldn't be-”

“Yes you would. Misty, do you really want to be stuck on this island for who knows how long?” The redhead looks down at her hands, tightening them into fists unhappily.

“No, but neither do you, Ash. Do you honestly think we could just leave and go on with our lives knowing you are still here? We're a team and we stick by each other until the end.” The sand-colored mewtwo felt himself tearing up at his friend's words but strengthened his resolve to continue.

“You guys are the best friend anyone could ask for, but I'm not letting you do this to yourselves. Plus, it's not as if we'll never see each other again. You can come visit, or once I'm able to control my powers I can come visit you, and we can still talk to each other on the phone.” Ash suggested trying to brighten the mood.

“Ash, are you sure this is what you want?” Brock questioned seriously, giving a quick side glance to Mewtwo before going back to his friend.

"I...I'll miss you guys a lot,” Ash admitted before forcing a smile. “But I'll be okay. I won't be alone when I have my partners and Mewtwo here with me.” The room once again fell into silence as everything sank in for the three friends. They were going separate ways far sooner than they had ever thought. Ash hadn't even gotten to go home to prepare for the pokemon league as they had all planned. He couldn't keep his promise to Richie to meet him in the finals.

“One month.” Misty finally spoke up, her tone full of promise. “We'll go and take care of some things and then we'll come back in one month.”

“Okay.” Ash agreed seeing just how serious the redhead was right now.

“I'll even make sure to some new recipes for you to try.” Brock added with a big smile and the mewtwo couldn't help but return the gesture.

“I can't wait!” Ash exclaimed tearfully. All while Mewtwo watched on silently with a stoic expression.

*********************************************************************************************

Misty pulled Ash into a tight embrace, the ferry behind her bouncing on the ocean's waves ready to take the two humans back to the mainland. The mewtwo returned the hold with just as much strength, willing himself not to cry in front of his friends so they didn't feel even more guilty about leaving. This needed to happen, no matter how much all three wish it didn't.

“We'll both call when we reach our hometowns, okay?” Misty once again assured for the tenth time this morning. Ash nodded regardless of the fact and gave both her and Brock a big grin that showed off his fangs.

“I'll be waiting. Stay safe you guys!”

“Oh please, I think we all know who the most danger-prone of us is.” Brock teased and all of them let out small laughs before the ferry driver, sporting hazy, blank eyes, announced he was heading out shortly. Misty gave Ash one last big hug before finally stepping back and picking her bag, containing Togepi, off the ground and slinging it over her shoulder. The two humans climbed onto the ferry as the driver started up the engine. As the boat pulled away from the dock, Ash felt a pit of anxiety settle like a rock in his stomach. Fears that he would never see his friends again ran through his mind and the attempt to keep his tears at bay was getting harder and harder to achieve. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, and Pikachu were all beside their trainer joining him in waving farewell to Brock and Misty. Even Mewtwo had shown up, he was further away and didn't seem to be upset at all about the two humans leaving, but the fact he was here at all meant a lot to Ash.

Only when the ferry was out of sight did Ash finally allow himself to break down. Sobs worked there way out of his throat as the knowledge that his best friends were truly gone hit the pokemon. All his pokemon immediately cuddled up to him to help console him, but all Ash could do was cry and grieve the last true connection he had with his humanity.

After a long period, Ash was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of soft footfalls walking closer to him. Mewtwo stood beside the smaller pokemon and something warm and comforting brushed against Ash's mind.

'Do not worry, they will return.'

“I know.” Ash sighed tiredly. “Doesn't mean I'm not sad that they're gone.”

“Why don't we train! That always cheers you up!” Pikachu suggested and the other three pokemon joined in with various agreements.

'It would benefit you to at least start practicing your own skills.' Mewtwo added and Ash glanced at the group around him with reluctance.

“I don't know...”

“Come on Ash! It will be fun to train together!” Squirtle said.

“There's a difference between helping you guys train and training myself. I wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.”

'If it will relieve some of your worries, I can always shield you if an attack looks like it will do significant damage.' Mewtwo offered. Ash thought about it for a few moments before nodding to himself.

“Alright, let's try this out.” A smile finally came to the mewtwo's lips. “Maybe I can finally learn to fly!” Mewtwo released a small snicker before turning to make his way to the staircase.

'I highly doubt that since you panicked so much when I carried you out the window.'

“Hey, flying myself and being carried are two different things!”

'If you say so.' the clone hummed with a teasing smirk over his shoulder. Ash gave an annoyed pout before following close behind with his team cheering happily beside him. They all walked through the castle until coming to a very familiar-looking battle field. A weird feeling washed over Ash as he walked into the massive room and it seemed he wasn't the only one since all teen's pokemon suddenly fell into silence. Mewtwo paid no mind to this and, with a flick of his hand, turned on the arena lights.

'Would you prefer the dome open or closed?' the clone inquired as he turned back to look at the group behind him.

“Oh....ah...open please.” Ash stammered out as he tried to shake off the feelings of discomfort that came with the location. It was just a battlefield, nothing more, no need to be weird about it. With a swift hand movement, the ceiling began to separate and natural sunlight lit up the room. The clone made his way to the center of the battlefield before turning to face Ash and his pokemon.

'Based on my observations, you will need more than just instructions on how to use your powers. Each time you've used them it has been instinctive rather then purposely. This leads me to believe further discussion is in order before any practice.'

“What do you mean?” Ash questioned with furrowed brows. Mewtwo crossed his arms and looked at the sky in thought before responding.

'To you, your psychic abilities are something separate from you. Something foreign that you can't comprehend. This is why you can not tap into them consciously. As I explained before, you must think of your powers as an extension of yourself, as you would for an arm or a leg. Until that happens, you can't master anything.”

“Oh come on, I've never had powers before so how am I supposed to just suddenly think of them as something normal for me?” Ash sighed unhappily. “I don't even remember how it felt to use them when I was scared or angry.”

“Ash,” Pikachu grabbed his best friend's attention. “You've always been more of an instinctual battler so you just need to not think about it and focus more on the feeling.”

'An instinctual battler, hmm?' Mewtwo pondered as the former human still looked doubtful.

“Pikachu, there's a difference between commanding you guys to use your powers in a battle and trying to control my own. Especially, since I've never had any before now.”

“No, it's the same!” The Charizard argued strongly. “When we battle together we form a bond and it's like you're right there on the battlefield with me! You just need to thing of your new powers as if they are a new pokemon you've just caught. You need to learn what moves you have and how to utilize them!”

'Your pokemon is quite wise when it comes to you.' Mewtwo hummed impressed. 'You trust your partners do you not, Ash?'

“Of course I do.” Ash immediately replied.

'Then follow what they are telling you. Your powers are nothing for you to fear as long as you can control them.” The legendary flew up and crossed over to the other side of the arena before landing in the opponent's square. 'Now, I will observe and make sure you're protected while you all spar.'

“Wait, already?!” Ash asked nervously.

“Don't worry, Ash!” Squirtle said with a big grin. “We'll go easy on you!” The tan-colored mewtwo's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Why do I feel like that was more of a jab than an assuring promise?” All the pokemon laughed before Bulbasaur stepped forward.

“I'll go first since my vines will cause the least amount of damage if they hit you.”

“Good idea, I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of bruises by the end of the day.” Ash sighed and Pikachu popped up holding a small spray bottle.

“Don't worry, we have plenty of potions!”

“Pikachu, where did you get that?”

“No time for questions, let's do this!” Squirtle cheered while pumping a fist into the air.

“You really are enjoying this, aren't you?” the trainer grumbled before reluctantly getting into position.

Ash let out a grunt of pain as he was once again flung across the arena floor, sporting yet another red mark on his body as he was slapped by a dark green vine. The former human made no move to stand back up and instead lay there unmoving and looking up at the cloud-filled sky.

“I think I saw a spark of something that time!” Pikachu enthused as he leaned over his best friend's face and came into Ash's line of vision. The mewtwo just gave a huff before continuing his impression of a sleeping starmie.

“Perhaps we should work on abilities outside of battle first.” Mewtwo suggested while coming to stand beside the two. “Flying might be easier for you to visualize.”

“That sounds even scarier than letting my pokemon beat me up.” Ash mumbled nervously as Mewtwo lifted him up onto his feet using psychic. The clone then took the other's hands in his own before making eye contact. Ash felt his face heat up at the unexpected physical contact.

“Now, close your eyes and picture yourself floating. As if you were underwater and just letting yourself be held by the ocean's currents.” Mewtwo instructed and Ash pushed passed his embarrassment and did as he was told. Closing his eyes and imagining himself as if he were floating. After a few moments, the former human began to feel something: a warmth steadily growing against their skin like a summer breeze on a hot day. Ash's brows furrowed at the strange sensation before Mewtwo's voice echoed threw his mind.

'Open your eyes, Ash.'

Obeying the other's advice, the smaller mewtwo opened his eyes and was awed to see himself hovering above the arena floor with Mewtwo easily keeping level with him. Ash's expression slowly morphed into an excited grin.

“I'm flying!”

'Actually, you're floating at the moment. Movement is required in order to be called flight.' Mewtwo pointed out with amusement. Ash gave the other a pout before his brows furrowed with concentration.

“How do I move?”

'Just picture yourself going forward. It is similar to how you make yourself walk. You don't think about every step, you just go.'

“Right.” Ash replied seriously before concentrating hard for a moment. Suddenly the former human shot upward, pulling his hands from Mewtwo's and giving a surprised yelp as he rose higher and higher in the sky.

“Wah, how do I stop!”

'Relax.' Mewtwo calmly advised before grabbing the other in his powers and forcing him to a stop. 'Trust in your powers. They will not fail you.'

“Thanks.” Ash sighed before once again trying to move once he was out of the other's psychic hold. This time went a little smoother, the former human letting out an energetic shout as he soared through the air.

“I can't believe I'm actually flying. This is amazing!”

The sound of multiple voices pulled Ash's attention and he found Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Pikachu riding below on top of Charizard's back. All waving at him with equally big smiles on their faces.

“Look at you!” Mew suddenly appeared in front of Ash, twirling around in the air at high speed. “Let's really test those new powers out!” The small pink legendary took hold of one of Ash's hands before pulling him to go faster. As they both tumbled through the air without a care, laughing as they went, Mewtwo watched on as he followed at a slower pace. Only to stop short when Mew teleported in front of him with a giggle.

“Come on, Two! Join us!”

'No, thank you.' The taller legendary declined with crossed arms. Mew didn't take the other's monotone dismissal, grabbing their clone's arm and pulling him towards where Ash was still weaving around in the sky.

“Don't be such a stick in the mud! It's in your DNA to enjoy the wonders of flight! Just let yourself have fun! I'm sure Ash would love to have you fly with him!” Mewtwo began to reply but was interrupted when the brown mewtwo floated before him and grabbed his hand.

“Come on, Mewtwo! Join us!” the former human laughed dragging the clone forward and into a high-speed race against Charizard and crew. After a few minutes, Mewtwo's muzzle broke out into a small smile. Picking up speed to fly beside Ash rather than be pulled along. Before long the two mewtwos found themselves dancing around each other without realizing it. Weaving between the clouds and other flying pokemon playfully. All while Mew watched on with a knowing smile on their face.

The pokemon continued to play in the sky for a time before Mewtwo took notice that the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. With a quick wave of his hand, the others were frozen in place momentarily to grab their attention.

'It is getting late. We should return to the castle and eat.'

“Now that you mention it, I'm starving,” Ash commented as he flew closer to the legendary.

“That's because using your powers uses a lot of energy!” Mew explained as they flew around the two.

“Let's eat!” Squirtle shouted from Charizard's back and the other's chimed in with agreement. All of them then started making their way back to the castle. Mew in the front of the pack and Mewtwo and Ash in the back.

“Hey Mewtwo,” Ash caught the other's attention as they flew. “Thanks for today. I needed it.”

Mewtwo looked at the former human for a moment before giving a subtle nod, 'You're welcome.'

Chapter Text

Mewtwo found himself in the castle library, going over his geography collection once again in hopes of finding more information about locations outside of Kanto's borders when the sound of shushed giggling reached his ears. With a tired sigh, the pokemon slammed the book he was reading shut only seconds before a weight settled itself over Mewtwo's head as Mew released its camouflage.

“Surprise!” The little pink menace exclaimed while draping their whole body over their clone's head and shoulders.

'What do you want now?' Mewtwo questioned with obvious annoyance. Placing the book back to its correct position on the shelf.

“Can't I keep my little sibling company?” Mew smiled swishing their tail happily. Just as said sibling psychically lifted the smaller pokemon off their head and into the air.

'Firstly, I already told you I'm not your sibling. Secondly, you have told me multiple times how “boring” I am so I doubt you just wanted to keep my company.' Mewtwo responded as he grabbed another book from the shelf and began to leaf through it. A frown took over his face as he read.

“That's not true. You can be boring, but that doesn't mean I don't want to spend time with you. We are family after all!” Mew assured breaking out of the other's psychic hold and floating close once again. “What are you reading?”

'If you must know,' The cloned legendary began, 'I am in the process of trying to learn more about the other lands of this world. So far it has been....frustrating finding out just how uninformed Kanto is about foreign knowledge.'

“Oh, if all you wanted was information about other places you could have just asked! I will tell you anything you want to know, Two!” The mythical offered excited to have the chance to bond with their clone. Mewtwo side-eyed the other as he once again shut the book in hand and reshelved it.

'Please refer to me by my full name. As for your offer, I have a feeling you won't know what I'm looking for.'

“Give me a chance! Ask anything you want!”

'Hmm, alright then. Can you name every region and their current champions? What starters each region possesses as well as every pokemon species?'

“Well...” Mew hummed lounging in the air thoughtfully. “I'm not too knowledgeable about humans and their hierarchies, but I can tell you the name of each region and the pokemon there!”

'Is that so,' Mewtwo replied pleasantly surprised as he took a seat at the small table in the center of the room.

“Yup! When it comes to pokemon knowledge I'm the best you could get besides Arceus themselves!” the pink mythical bragged proudly as they flew to hover over the table. “Why the interest in other pokemon anyway? Does it have something to do with a certain trainer turned pokemon?”

At their DNA donor's cheeky grin, Mewtwo scoffed and crossed his arms, 'Of course not. I would just like to know for research purposes. As reluctant as I am to admit it, I seemed to have inherited my creators' interest in genetic knowledge. I find it fascinating and believe it would be of great use in the future.'

“You're not still planning to make clones, are you?”

'Of course not. I see now that subjecting others to feel as I do about their place in the world was cruel. The clones I've already created will be the last.' Mewtwo explained seriously. 'What I'm speaking of is better potions to cure certain diseases or ways to ensure that pokemon recover faster after battling.'

“Ok...and you're sure this doesn't have anything to do with Ash?” Mew questioned causing the other to send them a glare.

'Why are you so insistent that my plans have anything to do with that boy?'

“It's just, I mean, I can't see any other reason you would care about the well-being of other pokemon. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you do care, but besides the fact that Ash adores pokemon and puts their well-being above his own, what other reason do you have for this mindset?”

'What Ash wants has nothing to do with me. I am merely helping him since it is my fault he has to endure his whole life being uprooted. Why would I care about his opinion?'

“Cause you like him.” Mew simply stated and Mewtwo huffed as he stood from his seat and made his way to the writing desk a little ways away.

'That's absurd. I have little more than antipathy for humans after all they've done to me.'

Mew followed the clone with a serious look replacing their normally carefree smile, “Ash is no longer human, though. He is a mewtwo just as you are. This means you can't feel any animosity towards him even if you wanted to.” At the mythical's logic, Mewtwo's hands tightened against his arms and his tail lashed in aggravation. Both grew silent for several moments before Mew flew in front of their clone's line of sight and offered a reassuring smile.

“Ash is a good person. There's nothing wrong with liking him. I know he likes you. I think you should pursue this friendship. That way you can learn what it's like to have someone close to you.”

'If I do as you say and then one day he turns back into a human, what then?' Mewtwo growled glaring down at the ornate rug beneath his feet. 'He moves on with his human life and I am nothing more than a passing memory. Just a false pokemon used by humans for their own selfish desires.'

“Do you truly believe he would do that?” Mew asked softly and the returned silence was answer enough for the pink psychic. “It's ok to be scared, Two.”

'I am not afraid!' the legendary denied harshly, fangs bared and tail thrashing. 'I just refuse to be used ever again!'

“Ash would never use you. He was willing to give his life just to stop us from fighting! Does that sound like something any of the previous humans you've spoken of would do?”

'No!' Mewtwo shouted before taking several deep breaths. 'No, he is different from them.' The legendary's voice grew quiet as he glanced away from his companion and out the large windows across the room. Mew looked at the other for several seconds before placing a hesitant paw on their shoulder.

“You deserve to be happy too.”

'Deserving something and being able to obtain it are two very different things. I have very little hope in that regard. After all, I was only created to be a weapon.' Mew's expression became sad as they moved closer to give the taller legendary and hug.

“You're much more than that, Mewtwo. You just need to let yourself believe that. I believe Ash can help you see it.”

Mewtwo let out a deep breath before speaking once again, 'Very well, I will allow myself to pursue this...friendship with Ash. Although, it is most likely going to end badly.'

“Don't you worry!” Mew pulled away from him, quickly going back to their usual upbeat disposition. “You two are going to be as close as can be. I just know it!”

'How are you still so irritatingly peppy at your age? Aren't you thousands of years old?' Mewtwo grumbled going back to sitting at the library table.

“The real question is how my DNA gave birth to such a serious stick in the mud!” Mew rebutted sticking their tongue out in a childish manner.

'Are you going to answer my questions about the other regions, or not?' The cloned legendary snarled causing the pink mythical to break out into giggles.

******************************************************************************************

Ash was seated at the dining table, finishing off a bowl of oatmeal and nanap berries when all his pokemon went suspiciously quiet and looked at their trainer with varying degrees of hesitation. The former human none the wiser as he was too lost in thought while eating.

Squirtle, the more brazen of the group, was finally the one to speak up on everyone's behalf, “Hey Ash!”

“Huh, what is it?” the mewtwo asked snapping out of his daydreams and giving his full attention to the water turtle.

“We wanted to talk to you about something, but try not to freak out when we do okay?”

“Freak out? What makes you think I'm going to freak out? Is it something bad?” Ash questioned nervously and Bulbasaur was quick to assure their friend.

“No, it's nothing bad. It's just...we know from personal experience that this topic isn't usually something you humans are reluctant to talk about.”

“What topic is that?” the sandy-colored mewtwo asked still looking anxious due to how his friends were behaving.

“Well, “Bulbasaur continued slowly. “You see-”

“Of for Arceus's sake!” Charizard huffed growing impatient with the other's reluctance. “You're dragging this on longer than needed. Look, Ash, we've all noticed you are courting Mewtwo and frankly I don't like it!”

“Wha- courting?!” Ash wheezed looking between all his pokemon in bewilderment. “What are you talking about?”

“It's okay, Ash!” Pikachu assured giving his best friend a smile and a pat on the shoulder. “You don't need to hide it anymore. Even though some of us aren't the biggest fans of Mewtwo after what he did to you and us, we trust your judgment when it comes to picking your mate and only want you to be happy!”

“Speak for yourself,” Charizard spoke up with a loud huff. “I think you can do much better than that arrogant asshole. Just because he's the only other of your species doesn't mean you have to settle for him.”

“Charizard!” Bulbasaur said with a warning glare.

“What? You can't tell me you don't agree.”

“It doesn't matter how we feel. All that matters is that Ash chose him.”

“Hold on!” Ash hollered causing the other four pokemon to pause and look at their trainer. “I'm not courting Mewtwo! What would make you think that?”

Squirtle let out a scoff, “Come on, you made it obvious with that courting dance in the sky a few days ago. Not to mention you two have been pretty chummy since you woke up in your new body.”

“I've been nice to him since he looked like he really needed a friend. Plus, he's not so bad once you get to know him.” Ash defended his actions, face bright red with embarrassment.

“Do you normally hold hands with your “friends”? Because I've never seen you do that with Misty, Brock, or any of us.” Pikachu pointed out smugly causing the mewtwo's face to darken further as he sputtered unable to deny the other's words.

“Mewtwo's the one who held my hand first!”

“Yet, you didn't let go when he did.” the electric mouse countered and Ash found himself burying his heated face into his hands.

“Guys, come one, it's not like that.” the sandy-colored mewtwo groaned lifting his gaze back up. “I don't have a crush on Mewtwo. That would be wrong!”

“How so?” Bulbasaur questioned curiously. “He's not evil anymore.”

“Because he's a pokemon and I'm-”

“Also a pokemon.” Squirtle pointed out, cutting him off, causing Ash to fall silent with furrowed brows. His mind spinning at the comprehension that it wouldn't, in fact, be wrong for him to date a pokemon anymore. The thought had the former human feeling off and a sense of unease settled inside his gut. There was no way he felt any romantic feelings for the cloned legendary! He was just a friend, like all the new people that came into Ash's life. This had never been a worry before he'd turned into a mewtwo, so why would it start now? I mean sure, Mewtwo was a very impressive-looking pokemon, anyone with eyes could see that, but that didn't mean Ash was attracted to him in a non-platonic way. He was allowed to admire the other's piercing lavender eyes, his deep inner voice, his silky soft fur, his rare adorable smiles, the way he sleeps adorably floating in the air with his arms crossed, how warm the clone's hand was in his own.......

“Oh no.” the former human whined pitifully as he buried his head into his arms on the table.

“What's the matter?” Pikachu asked worried, laying a paw on the other's head.

“You guys are the worst!” Ash declared causing the other's to look at him in shock.

“What did we do?” Squirtle questioned slightly offended.

“How could you do this to me? I was finally starting to relax here again without Misty or Brock and then you spring this on me?”

“Wait, did you seriously have no intentions of courting?” Bulbasaur said looking even more surprised. “You've been doing it all this time unknowingly?”

Charizard let out a loud laugh that had the pokemon doubling over, “Are you serious? Leave it to Ash to get his first mating prospect and start courting them instinctively. I can't say I'm surprised.” As the winged lizard continued to boisterous laughter, Ash finally raised his head back up and sent the fire pokemon an annoyed glare.

“Shut up, Charizard, this isn't funny! What am I going to do?”

“Well, now that you know about your body's intentions, why don't you just continue courting but on purpose now.” Pikachu advised.

“Pikachu, there is no way I can do that. How can I even be sure that this is me developing feelings for the first time or just weird instincts from my mewtwo body? I've never had romantic feelings before, especially for a pokemon.”

“Our instincts don't make us develop feelings for others. They merely help us with locating potential mates and guide us on how to court them properly.” Bulbasaur informed calmly. “That's how you knew how to dance in the sky correctly. It's also how you just knew that Mewtwo needed companionship while only knowing him for a short time.”

Ash looked at his friend lost while fiddling with his hands anxiously, “Even if you're right, this isn't going to happen. Mewtwo does not like me in a romantic way and since I was originally human I doubt he ever will. We are friends and that's it.”

“Ash, are you sure? We really do just want you to be happy.” Pikachu questioned in concern and the former trainer gave his first friend a tiny smile before petting him between the ears.

“I don't need a romantic partner to be happy. I have all of you already and that is enough. Now please, don't let Mewtwo know about what was said here. I'd rather not get kicked out of the castle.” Ash chuckled and Pikachu gave an affirmative nod, but still looked unconvinced.

“This is going to be annoying.” Charizard commented lashing his tail on the floor.

“I give it 2 weeks before they start acting disgustingly sappy.” Squirtle smirked while Bulbasaur rolled his eyes at everyone's words. The grass starter really wished his family was a little less emotionally stunted.

**************************************************************************************************

It was later in the afternoon when Ash found himself lying in the grass outside the castle walls. The same spot Mewtwo had shown him when he'd been doing his physical therapy shortly after he'd woken up in his new body. The flowers were still in full bloom and the sandy-colored mewtwo was curled up amongst the grass surrounded by colorful petals of all shades. The setting sun was painting the sky in warm colors while a gentle breeze coming off the ocean swayed the flora around him. A perfect afternoon for a relaxing nap.

Or, at least, it would be if not for the turmoil buzzing around Ash's mind like a nest of angry beedrill.

Unsure of how he was supposed to tackle the situation he unfortunately found himself in. The newly discovered physical attraction to Mewtwo was unnerving, but at least Ash could blame that on his new body and instincts. What had the former human's stomach tying itself into knots was the possibility that he could also be developing feelings for the clone. Despite what his pokemon said, Ash still thought of himself as human (it was hard not to after being one for his entire life up until a few weeks ago) so the idea of being attracted to a pokemon filled Ash with guilt and self-disgust. After all these years, why would it be now that he developed his first crush? Sure Mewtwo had been very helpful while Ash was adapting to his new life and he calmed the former human down when he'd had his panic attack, but was that enough to have him grow attached?

“Ugh! This is so frustrating!” Ash growled to himself while curling up amongst the long grass. Taking a deep breath, the young adult glanced over at a large sunflower growing beside him a few inches away. Reaching over to touch the petals absentmindedly and marveling at the natural energy flowing through the plant.

“Why do things have to be so complicated.”

'What are you doing?' the sudden sound of Mewtwo's low tone caused Ash to jump in surprise before glancing up at the legendary, who stood over him with a curious expression.

“Me...Mewtwo! What are you doing here?” Ash asked nervously while rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact.

Mewtwo noticed the odd actions immediately, but ignored them for now, 'You were supposed to meet me in the arena at noon. When you did not show I came to look for you.'

“Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't realized it had gotten so late.” the sandy-colored mewtwo apologized still unable to look at the one responsible for his recent internal conflict. Mewtwo narrowed his eyes at the other's strange behavior.

'Are you...feeling alright?'

“Yeah!” Ash explained with nervous laughter. “I'm fine. Just...have a lot to think about.”

The legendary continued to observe the smaller mewtwo for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and taking his own seat on the grass a respectable distance beside the other. Causing Ash's face to grow red as he panicked about what to do with the pokemon so close.

'What has you distressed?' Mewtwo hesitantly asked, feeling well out of his depth when it came to dealing with other's emotions. His companion anxiously fiddles with his hands; still seemingly preferring to stare a hole in the ground rather than look over at the clone. Mewtwo observed Ash for another few moments before turning his own gaze to the ground with clenched fists.

'Can I assume that based on your reactions to seeing me that it has to do with me?'

Ash was silent for a moment before leaning back on his hands and tilting his head back to let out a dramatic sigh, “Kind of? I mean, It's nothing you did and it is mostly my problem, but it is about you. I'm also blaming my so called friends for messing with me.”

Mewtwo stared at the other in mild confusion for a spell before giving a thoughtful hum as he turned his own gaze to the sky. Closing his eyes and enjoying the sun on his face.

'May I inquire as to what about me is troubling you? Or how your friends are somehow behind it?'

“If I tell you it will only make it worse.” Ash groaned falling back onto the grass with his hands over his face. The tip of his charcoal-colored tail swished back and forth in agitation. Mewtwo glanced at the appendage before moving on to the other pokemon's face, brows furrowed with puzzlement.

'How so?' the clone questioned leaning closer. 'Have you done something that would cause me anger? Have your pokemon?'

Planning to respond, Ash moved his hands. Only to break out in a dark flush at the sight of Mewtwo leaning over him with those piecing lilac-colored eyes locked on his face. The former human's tongue now doing its best impression of a knot.

“Um....well....no...I mean...”

'Ash.' Mewtwo gently cut off the other's stuttering, 'What is the matter? I promise you that whatever you say I will not be angry.' The legendary attempted to try and ease the other mewtwo's worries, but it only seemed to do the opposite based on the other's reaction. Ash's face had turned a bright red, his eyes shifting to look anywhere but the clone, and his body twitching as if ready to run away at any moment.

Mewtwo didn't understand what had Ash so tense. What could possibly have happened since this morning to make the other act like this around him? The former trainer had assured that it wasn't something the legendary had done, but what other explanation was there and how did his friends fit into it?

Looking the other over, Mewtwo took notice that Ash's breathing had sped up a bit and worried that the pokemon might be working himself into another panic attack. So the clone did the logical thing and joined the smaller pokemon lying on the grass before pulling him into a hug.

Ash sucked in a breath at the sudden embrace while his heart began hammering in his chest, “Mewtwo?” his words trembling as he tried not to notice how soft Mewtwo's short fur was, or how he smelled like the air after a large thunderstorm.

'Follow my breathing and try to focus on the world around you.' the legendary instructed, still under the assumption that Ash was working himself into a panic.

Ash, unsure what else to do, followed the taller pokemon's instruction and focused on calming himself down. Letting himself for a moment enjoy the feeling of being held against Mewtwo's body. Nervously raising his arms so that he could place his hands over the other's chest and marveling at the feeling of the clone's own heartbeat beating steadily under the surface. Mewtwo's aura a calming wave that washed over Ash and lulled him into a relaxed state despite his still troubled thoughts about the very pokemon embracing him.

“Are you hypnotizing me?” Ash questioned sleepily, making no move to pull away from his current position.

'More of a mental suggestion.' mewtwo explained quietly, looking down at the top of the other mewtwo's head tucked comfortably in the crook of his neck.

“Hmm.” the sandy-colored pokemon responded as their eyes slid shut. Their black-furred tail instinctively curling in and entwining with Mewtwo's own purple one. The new touch caused the clone to flinch slightly before he relaxed once again and allowed his own tail to return the gesture. An unknown, but not unpleasant, feeling filled the legendary's chest for the first time in his short life.

'Perhaps it would be best for you to go to your room to sleep?' Mewtwo suggested only for Ash to let out an unhappy grumble. The smaller mewtwo curling up tighter against him in protest.
Mewtwo let out a sigh, but let the other do as they wished and resigned himself to his fate as a living pillow. In no time at all Ash began letting out small purrs and the legendary found himself fighting off his own body's urge to join in.

Hours later, Pikachu went out to look for his best friend when the other never showed up for dinner, only to stumble upon the sight of both Mewtwo's slumbering under the late afternoon sun. Tails still entwined even while unconscious. The electric mouse just stared at the scene for a few long moments before giving a small smile and leaving quietly back to the castle to make sure no one else disturbed the two's rest.
As well as to inform a certain mythical the new development.

Chapter Text

Ash stared intently at a glass of water in the center of the kitchen island. His tail tip twitched back and forth as his eyes flickered blue occasionally. After a couple of minutes, the pokemon let out a frustrated breath before leaning over the island with his head atop his arms.

“This is so frustrating.” Ash huffed.

Pikachu moved closer to his friend and patted his head, “Don't worry Ash, you'll get it soon!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pikachu, but I'm starting to think I'm not cut out to be a psychic type.” Ash thought of all the times Misty pointed out how naive or stupid he was during curtain situations and he was now starting to think she was right.

“Don't think like that. It's hard to learn new moves when you're so young, but it doesn't mean you are a failure.” Pikachu argued and Ash gave the electric mouse a confused glance.

“Young? Pikachu, I'm 16 years old.”

“You've only been a mewtwo for a little over a month so in pokemon years you're pretty much a hatchling.” The pokemon giggled and Ash gave him an unamused look before scoffing. He then reached over and dragged his best friend in before noogying his head. Or at least noogying the best he could with his now three-fingered hands.

Pikachu gave a surprised shriek as it tried to pull away while laughing, but Ash held on strongly and continued his playful revenge.

“What's the matter Pikachu? Can't escape from a hatchling?” the mewtwo smirked and the other renewed his efforts to escape Ash's grasp.

'What are you two doing?' Mewtwo questioned as he entered the kitchen levitating a teapot and cup behind him. 'Ash, you're supposed to be practicing your psychic.'

Ash finally released Pikachu from his hold before rubbing behind his neck bashfully, “Just taking a small break.”

'I see.” the clone said as it placed the pot and cup into the sink. 'Then this must mean you successfully moved the cup over to you?'

“Well....” Ash began looking away guiltily.

'Ash.'

At Mewtwo's disappointed tone, Ash groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Come on, Mewtwo, I just can't do it! I'm too stupid to be a psychic type.”

'Insulting yourself will not help you learn how to use your powers. Intelligence has nothing to do with psychic powers and even if it did you are not too stupid to learn them.'

“You're talking to the person who ran into the middle of two powerful legendary pokemon fighting,” Ash argued unhappily.

'Being reckless and being unintelligent are two different things.' Mewtwo pointed out as he came to stand behind the former human. 'Now let's try again.'

“Fine.” Ash sighed before looking over at the cup again with an intense stare. His brown eyes flickered blue for a couple of seconds, the cup wiggling for just a moment before the light faded once again.

'You're still thinking about it too hard. Do as you did when you flew the other day and just let your instincts guide you.'

Ash gave a nod of acknowledgment before taking a calming breath and looking at the glass once more. This time trying not to think about how he was moving the cup and more of thinking that he wanted the object to move closer to him. To Ash's surprise, the cup did indeed slide over to him, but unfortunately, it didn't move as gently as the mewtwo had hoped and instead flew at him at fast speed.

Ash moved out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit in the face before Mewtwo easily grabbed the flying object in his own psychic hold and stopped it mere inches from hitting the legendary's chest.

'Congratulations in finally getting it to come to you, but perhaps now would be a good time to learn control over the amount of power you use.'

Ash let out a loud sigh just as Pikachu released a giggle into his paws.

“Hi everyone!” Mew's enthusiastic greeting caused everyone to look up and find the pink mythical floating above their heads.

“Hey Mew, where have you been the last few days?” Ash questioned curiously-internally thanking the other for interrupting his practice time.

“Oh, just traveling around and having fun. Did you know that the Wind Festival is coming up soon? Lugia must be very excited!”

“Lugia?” Ash repeated confused.

“Oh yeah, you haven't met them yet! They are the keeper of balance between the legendary birds and the guardian of the seas. They are very friendly and I'm sure they'd love to meet you, Ash!” Mew informed the former human.

'What balance does Lugia maintain?' Mewtwo, ever the curious pokemon, questioned his DNA donor.

“Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno are the guardians of ice, fire, and electricity and all three keep the Earth's seasons in harmony. If they ever somehow got into a fight then Lugia would be in charge of calming them down.”

“That's awesome!” Ash exclaimed with stars in his eyes. “Can I really meet them?”

“I don't see why not. They are located on deserted islands, and not a lot of locals go there since it is seen as disrespectful to the legendaries,” Mew explained. This caused Ash to stand up and turn to Mewtwo, who was taken off guard by the sudden movement.

“Mewtwo, will you go too? It will be fun if we all can go together!”

'I'm not so sure.' Mewtwo began, crossing his arms. 'It seems risky to travel to some foreign islands while you're still such a novice at using your powers.'

Mew giggled landing between Mewtwo's ears, “Come on, Two, I think between the two of us we can fight off anyone who would try to harm Ash.”

“The others and I will also be there!” Pikachu piped up from his trainer's shoulder. Mewtwo let out a thoughtful hum and gave the idea some thought. It would be nice to leave the island and explore more of the planet he had been born into. On the other hand, Team Rocket is surely still out there and who knows what Giovanni would do if he discovered that not only that Mewtwo was still in Kanto, but also that there was now another of his species existing.

Was it fair to Ash to keep him locked up here when he longed to explore as he did before Mewtwo doomed his future with his doomsday plans?

After a long exhale, Mewtwo nodded to the trio staring at him, 'Very well. We shall go see these islands and meet the legendaries. On the condition that if it looks like we will be discovered, then we must leave immediately.'

“Field trip time!” Ash announced as the other two pokemon cheered loudly before they all ran out of the room to tell the rest of the gang.

'This is going to be a long trip.' Mewtwo said tiredly to himself.

************************************************************************************************************

The ocean was calm and the weather pleasant as the group's ferry sailed towards the islands that were home to Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Mewtwo stood at the front of the ship-staring out at the ocean stoically as his tail swished back and forth, Ash, Pikachu, and Squirtle were all playing a game of cards to pass the time while Charizard and Bulbasaur were napping in the warm sunshine. Mew had gone ahead of them all to announce their arrival to the legendaries so they wouldn't think them a threat.

The ferry driver, a young lady with eyes glazed over from Mewtwo's mind control, called out to everyone's attention, “We will be arriving to our destination in another 20 minutes.”

“Alright, I can't wait!” Ash enthused before hopping up from his game- that he was losing anyway- to go stand beside Mewtwo. “Isn't it exciting! It's your first time on a boat, right?”

'Yes.' the clone responded shortly without taking his eyes off the horizon.

Ash gave the other a slight pout before poking his arm, “You can at least try to enjoy yourself, Mewtwo.”

'Forgive me for not being comfortable being out in the open when I'm wanted by a criminal organization who could be anywhere.'

“I'm not saying your worries aren't valid, but I'd like it if you could just let yourself relax for at least as long as we are on the islands. You deserve to have a good time too.” the smaller mewtwo advised giving the legendary an encouraging smile.

Mewtwo gave a small sigh before returning his own subtler smile along with a nod. The clone watched Ash's face turn slightly pink before the teen seemed to shake himself out of it and took his hand to pull him back to the card game still going on.

“Great! Now maybe you can beat these guys in a game and end my losing streak.”

When the ferry finally pulled up to Fire Island Mewtwo had managed to win 2 games and Squirtle 3. Pikachu claimed the others must be cheating somehow, but Ash quickly stopped any fight from happening.

Each of them stepped onto the sandy beach of the island and Mewtwo sent off the ferry to go her usual schedule until they were all ready to go. That's when Mew appeared before them looking downright giddy.

“Come on everyone, Moltres is waiting for you all near their alter. Luckily they seem to be in a good mood today!”

“What would have happened if he was in a bad mood?” Bulbasaur questioned nervously, to which Mew only giggled before flying off towards the interior of the island. Everyone followed the mythical at various speeds while enjoying the untouched nature of Fire Island. Tropical plants and rocky cliffs as far as the eye could see. Along with lots of fire, rock, and ground type wild pokemon going about their day- sparing only short curious glances at the visitors to their island.

“This place is really pretty.” Pikachu commented as they climbed up a steep incline using a natural rock stairway.

“Yeah, it's nice to see pokemon living comfortably without having to worry about humans.” Charizard added also looking around the landscape appreciatively.

“Come on guys, humans aren't that bad,” Ash defended his species-well his past species.

“Some of them are.” Squirtle argued factually. “We're not saying all humans are bad, just that it's nice to see somewhere that's just for pokemon for a change.”

Mew turned around in the air and kept floating along as they spoke. “There are a lot of those actually. It's just most of them are protected and kept secret.”

'Sounds nice.” Mewtwo stated as the group finally reached the top of the cliff. There they spotted a small altar with a glowing orb at its center-with a large bird pokemon with flaming wings perched upon the top.

The orange-feathered pokemon stared at the group with intelligent black eyes before it spread its wings wide in a sign of pride.

“Greetings, small ones, I am Moltres, guardian of Fire Island. Welcome to my home.” the legendary proclaimed in a powerful voice that had Ash staring up in wonder.

'Thank you for allowing us to visit.' Mewtwo returned with a polite nod. 'I apologize for the sudden intrusion.'

“No need for apologies,” Moltres assured looking over towards Mew with a stern look. “I'm quite used to this one barging in with little to no regard for my privet time.”

“Oh, you love me. I make sure you don't get bored here.” Mew chuckled as it flew over to hover around the legendary's head flame. Moltres merely swiped a wing at the mythical causing them to start laughing as they easily dodged the attack.

“This is so amazing!” Ash gushed moving closer to the alter. “I'm seeing a real legendary pokemon and you're huge!”

Moltres looked down at the mewtwo with a thoughtful expression before speaking, “You must be the former human. I must say, I almost didn't believe Mew when they told me, but looking at your aura it is clear you are different than a normal pokemon.”

“Ash is special.” Mew agreed as they hovered around the sandy-colored mewtwo.

“I wouldn't say that.” Ash grumbled bashfully looking at the ground with a warm muzzle.

“A new species born on this world, truly a rare occurrence,” Moltres said with intrigue before they glanced at Mewtwo. “I suppose I must congratulate you on obtaining legendary status. Our creator doesn't hand out the title flippantly.”

'I am not sure why they would bestow this onto a creature not natural to this world.' Mewtwo responded and Ash couldn't help looking over at the clone with furrowed brows in worry.

“Arceus always has a reason for everything they do. We just usually are unaware of what those reasons are.” Moltres explained before Mew spoke up in a more upbeat manner.

“I'm sure everything will work out in the end! Now, I think it's time for everyone to explore the island some more! Everyone grab a partner!” the small mythical then proceeded to put a paw on both Ash and Mewtwo's backs and began pushing them back down the stairs. “You two can be travel buddies so make sure the other stays safe!”

“Wait-”

'Stop touching-' both Mewtwo tried to protest, but were just ignored by the other who just kept pushing them forward.

“Have fun!” Mew waved before both Mewtwo's, as well as the rest of the pokemon, found themselves encased in giant pink bubbles and pushed over the side of the cliff in different directions.

Ash gave a fearful scream as his bubble was flung into the canopy of tropical trees, but before the bubble hit the ground below Mewtwo easily grabbed it in his psychic hold and lowered it safely before bursting it.

'That little pest!' the clone snarled glaring up in the direction they were thrown from.

“That was scary.” Ash breathed shakily as he sat on the grass. “Mew didn't have to send us off a cliff!”

'Now do you believe me when I say that they are a nuisance?' Mewtwo questioned coming to stand next to the shorter pokemon. 'I'm assuming you forgot you can fly now?'

“Oh yeah.” Ash bashfully smiled while rubbing the back of his neck. This had Mewtwo smiling in amusement before he watched the other levitate himself back to his feet. The two pokemon then looked at their surroundings: one with a look of contemplation and the other with intrigue.

A group of vulpix and magby ran passed them while playing and Ash grew excited at the sight of a new pokemon.

“What is that?” he questioned to himself. A little frustrated that he no longer had his pokedex.

'That pokemon is known as magby. They are the pre-evolution to magmar.' Mewtwo informed casually and the other looked at him with amazement.

“Magmar has a pre-evolution?! That's amazing! We should go meet them.” Ash suggested and before the clone could respond the former human had grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the young playing pokemon. As expected, the magby and vulpix looked a little nervous at the sight of two unfamiliar pokemon, but Ash paid no mind to this and eagerly introduced himself.

“Hello, my name is Ash and this is Mewtwo! What are you guys playing?”

One of the magby hesitated for a moment but did step forward to speak, “We've never seen a pokemon like you before.”

“Well, it's kind of a long story, but we are technically legendary pokemon so that means there's only two of us.”

“That's so sad.” one of the two vulpix replied before smiling hopefully. “Maybe you two can make an egg like Mama and Papa and make more of you!”

At the young pokemon's words, Ash's muzzle turned bright red and he shakily laughed in embarrassment, “I don't think that is possible We are both male.”

'Technically speaking, I am physically genderless.' Mewtwo corrected causing Ash to whip around in shock.

“Huh?! What do you mean? You sound like a male and everyone has called you he.”

'While I do identify as male I am physically neither male nor female. Mew is the same and has referred to both Moltres, Lugia, and Arceus as they, which leaves me to believe that all, if not most, legendaries are genderless.' Mewtwo explained and this had Ash going quiet as he thought about something. An uneasy frown finds it's way to his muzzle.

“Does...does that make me also genderless now?” the sandy-colored mewtwo questioned quietly and Mewtwo gave a hum.

'Wouldn't you be knowledgeable of that fact?' Mewtwo raised a brow in question. 'Our bodies look nearly identical structure-wise, but you started out as a human male so I'd guess that you are still male since you haven't noticed anything different until now.'

The former human flushed at Mewtwo's observation, “Well, I wouldn't say I haven't noticed anything different....but I'm sure I'm still a boy.”

“So you two can't make an egg?” The young vulpix who had started the current topic asked confused.

'No, we are unable to create an egg.' Mewtwo clarified since Ash was still trying to work the red out of his face.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” the little fox pokemon apologized before perking up. “Do you want us to show you something amazing to cheer you up?”

“Amazing?” Ash questioned and all the young pokemon nodded in confirmation.

“Come on!” one of the magby beckoned before running in a random direction. “Follow me!”

The other young Pokemon followed their friend before Ash and Mewtwo glanced at each other and then followed after them.

Chapter Text

The amazing thing the young pokemon had mentioned turned out to be a large waterfall that emptied into a crystal-clear lake. Hundreds of pokemon were either swimming or lounging at the water's edge soaking up the sunshine.

Magby and Vulpix took off towards the water, yelling out in excitement as they jumped into it. Seconds later, they came up and laughed loudly as they began splashing each other.

“There's so many pokemon here.” Ash stated with wonder as he and Mewtwo walked closer to the lake's edge. The former human lowered down so he could dip a hand into the water. Pleasantly surprised that it was quite warm to the touch despite not being near any heat source.

'I suspect that is because the pokemon here don't feel the need to hide since humans do not step foot on the island often.' Mewtwo hypothesized casually, watching his companion playfully make small circles in the water with his fingers.

Ash gave a hum of acknowledgment before retracting his arm and looking out at the water before him thoughtfully, “Do you think I can still swim in this body?”

'I don't believe normal swimming will be easy seeing as you learned the skill as a human and not as your current species. It will be less hassle if you simply propel yourself through the water using your powers.' Mewtwo suggested and this had Ash lighting up with excitement.

“That's a great idea! Misty will be so jealous!” the mewtwo snickered before standing up and taking a deep breath to help himself concentrate. A soft blue glow surrounded Ash's form before he began to float several inches off the ground. Then, in the blink of an eye, the sandy-colored pokemon shot forward into the lake with a big splash. One that Mewtwo had to block with a barrier before he got wet.

After a few short moments, Ash's head resurfaced with a deep intake of breath, before the pokemon gave Mewtwo a wave. “You should come in, Mewtwo! The water is so warm!”

'No, thank you.' Mewtwo responded tersely.

“Ah, why not? I promise it's fun.”

'I don't have the best memories when it comes to being submerged.' the other explained looking to the side with furrowed brows.

Ash noticed how tense the legendary's body was suddenly and decided not to push the subject any further. Deciding instead to give a shrug and a smile.

“Suit yourself. If I find something cool underwater I'll bring it back to show you!”

“Do what you want.” Mewtwo replied before watching the other dive back under the surface. The clone then looked around and spotted a rather flat and smooth-looking rock nearby with several pokemon already sunbathing on the surface.

With a thoughtful hum, Mewtwo began making his way over to the rock at an unrushed pace. Enjoying the feeling of fresh wild grass underneath his toe pads and the warm breeze against his fur. The artificial pokemon couldn't help but think that this island truly was a beautiful place. Perhaps a little crowded for his liking, but still quite enjoyable to experience for a brief time.

Mewtwo finally reached the large rock. Finding a spot away from the other pokemon occupying it before laying face up and letting himself relax while soaking up the sun rays breaking through the trees above.

Meanwhile, Ash was exploring the underwater world of Fire Island's lake, enjoying himself immensely. The young adult watched several goldeen, magikarp, and seaking swim gracefully around him in circles, seemingly curious of the unusual new pokemon sharing their space. Ash gave a large smile and wave before playfully zipping threw the water with them.

'Wait until I tell Misty about this.' Ash thought absently before the need for air became uncomfortable and the mewtwo began heading straight up. As soon as his head broke the surface Ash took a large gulp of air before noticing that Mewtwo was not in the same place as before. He surveyed the surroundings briefly before the color purple caught his eye and Ash found the legendary a small ways away laying on a large rock at the lake's edge. Inquisitively, the former human slowly swam closer until he was beside the sizable flat rock housing his companion as well as multiple other pokemon.

Ash was amazed to find Mewtwo's face completely relaxed in slumber, his chest rising and falling with every even breath, while his hands rested comfortably on his darker purple stomach.

'I've never seen him sleep without floating before.' Ash mused while observing the clone with a soft smile. The smaller mewtwo then gave a mischievous look before crawling closer and laying down on his stomach, face inches from the slumbering pokemon. Very slowly, careful not to make a sound, Ash lifted one of his round-tipped fingers and poked Mewtwo's nose. Subconsciously, the clone's muzzle scrunched at the sudden touch while his brows furrowed. The sight caused Ash to stifle a laugh as he watched Mewtwo's expression smooth back in peaceful slumber. After a few moments the sandy-colored mewtwo repeated his teasing touch and once again broke out into silent giggles.

'Mewtwo really is cute sometimes.' Ash thought between laughter before freezing in place with a massive blush taking over his face. He quickly jumped up and backed away from the still-sleeping legendary before covering his face and letting out an embarrassed groan.

“What am I doing?” Ash whispered to himself. He took a deep breath before looking back up at Mewtwo, still sleeping away without a care under the dappled sunshine. Never before had the former trainer felt so conflicted with his emotions about a single person. Ash wanted so badly to be Mewtwo's friend, the other deserved to have one after everything he'd been through, but he could no longer ignore the less-than-friendly feelings he seemed to be developing for the pokemon. Not after his friends had so clearly made him aware of them almost a week ago.

What was he to do in this situation? Ash had never before dealt with these types of emotions. Sure he'd found several girls pretty while on his long journey with Misty and Brock, but it never went beyond physical attraction. Not to mention those had been human girls not a male genetically modified clone with piercing lavender eyes.

Now not only did Ash have to get used to the fact that he was no longer a human, but also the idea that he found himself falling for not only another male, but a pokemon as well. Not to mention, he wasn't naive enough to believe that there was a chance that Mewtwo would ever develop feelings for a former human who constantly bothered him.

“Ugh! This is so annoying!” Ash vented while rubbing his head in aggravation.

'What are you doing?' Mewtwo's sleepy voice suddenly cut through the other pokemon's thoughts. Causing Ash to jump in surprise before looking over at the legendary who was now awake and looking at him with a raised brow.

“Oh, Mewtwo!” Ash smiled awkwardly. “How was your nap?”

The clone silently stared the other mewtwo down for a moment before replying slowly, 'Fine.'

“That's good. Great even! Well, I'm just going to go um....back to swimming and find a present for Misty. Yeah, so I'll-”

'Ash.'

The sudden mental stern statement of his name, had Ash Ketchum freezing halfway from turning around before he reluctantly looked back and found Mewtwo now sitting up and watching him with a serious expression.

Ash gulped as he gave another strained smile, “Yes?”

'Why are you acting unusual? Did something happen while I was asleep?'

“No! I mean nothing weird happened. I'm fine.”

'Do you take me for a fool? I may not have known you for long but even I can see that you are forcing yourself to smile right now.' Mewtwo huffed slightly annoyed at his companions lying.

Ash's fake smile fell after being called out for his dishonesty and a heavy silence fell over the two as the sandy-colored pokemon fiddled with his hands and noticeably avoided making eye contact with the other mewtwo. After several long minutes of this Ash finally let out a deep sigh before going over and plopping down next to Mewtwo on the rock.

“Do you think it would be weird for me to have a crush on a pokemon?” the smaller of the two asked softly and Mewtwo looked down at him with surprise. His brain trying to wrap around the unexpected question.

'Excuse me?'

“Never mind! Forget I said anything!” Ash backpedaled before standing to walk away. Only to find himself frozen when Mewtwo picked him up in a psychic hold before placing him back down on the rock.

'You do not have to run. I will answer your question without judgment.' Mewtwo assured in his usual calm way that had Ash relaxing somewhat beside the other. Though he still wouldn't make eye contact with him.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that. I know it's weird.” Ash groaned into his hands. Only to flinch when he felt one of Mewtwo's hands touching his back in a comforting way.

'I must admit it wasn't something I had expected, but I don't find the question odd. Or your situation either.'

“Wait, hold on, you don't think it's wrong for me to like a pokemon?” Ash questioned skeptically. “As in romantically?”

Mewtwo gave a brief shake of his head, 'Why would it be? You are no longer human so it would make logical sense that you would now find pokemon more desirable when it comes to finding a potential mate.'

Ash's mouth hung open in shock before he started stuttering around his words, face flushed red, “But...but I'm...it feels so-” The former human gave up on speaking and instead closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in and out.

'Ash?' Mewtwo voiced, slightly worried at the other's sudden silence. Only to pause when something brushed against his right hand resting on the rock between the two's bodies. Ash moved his hand so that it now lay gently over Mewtwo's before slowly grasping it in a loose hold so that the other might move it if they desired. The clone did not remove the other's hand and instead glanced up questioningly resulting in lavender meeting brown.

Ash swallowed heavily and licked his suddenly dry lips, “I...I've never felt anything outside of friendship for anyone before. It's so confusing and bothers me that it suddenly happened after I'm no longer who I used to be. I didn't even realize until my friends pointed it out, and now I just.....I'm scared.”

Mewtwo tightened his grip on Ash's hand as an onslaught of emotion crumpled the former human's face. The clone's tail moved to weave with the other's without conscious thought.

'What are you scared of?' Mewtwo carefully asked resulting in Ash's breath hitching before a shuddering breath released from his lungs.

“That you won't want to be around me anymore.” The air went heavy as the confession sank in for the clone. A feeling he couldn't identify settled into his chest and a warmth began growing across his muzzle. Mew's words about mates echoed through Mewtwo's mind and suddenly everything fell into place. Why the pink menace was so insistent about growing closer to Ash. Why the other had been acting so strange around him that day outside of the castle. Why Mewtwo would find Ash observing him so often when the two were in the same room and then quickly look away with a pink muzzle when he would return the look.

Mewtwo suddenly pulled away from Ash's touch, floating up and then backing away from the smaller pokemon while muttering to himself.

“Mewtwo?” Ash spoke fearfully, hand halfway stretched out to the other.

'You don't have feelings for me, you can't!' The legendary argued, eyes lit up with psychic energy and tail thrashing with emotion.

Ash's heart nearly broke in two at the other's harsh words. Until Mewtwo continued to speak with a snarl on his muzzle that bared his sharp canines.

'I'm not a real pokemon! I'm merely a clone that failed at the one reason I was created! I was never meant to love, to be loved! You can't possibly-' Mewtwo was suddenly pulled into an impressively strong embrace, cutting off his self-deprecation and causing his fur to stand on end.

“Stop,” Ash ordered curtly. His grip tightened when he felt the other attempt to break free. “If you don't feel the same way about me then that's fine, but if you think I'm going to be rejected just because you don't think you deserve to be loved, then sorry to say that I'm not letting that happen.”

'Ash-' Mewtwo began angrily only for Ash to once again cut him off.

“I like you. A lot. You make me happy whenever we're together, and I really want to cuddle, to hold hands, and sometimes, when you actually let yourself laugh at something funny, I want to kiss you.”

Ash felt Mewtwo's struggles die down as he spoke and finally pulled away enough that they could make eye contact one again. The clone's expression was pinched with negative emotion even as his muzzle was painted a deep red.

'You...you can't mean that.'

“Why can't I? I know what I feel, and even my pokemon have pointed out how obvious my feelings are.”

'What does it matter if you turn back into a human eventually?'

“What?” Ash replied quietly.

'If we were to pursue this courtship and you became human once again, where would that leave me? Pokemon mate for life. You could return to your life as if nothing happened, but I would never be able to move on.' Mewtwo explained negatively.

Ash looked at the other pokemon sadly as he took the other's hands in his, “Do you really think I would just abandon you if I did turn back human?”

'What choice would you have? As you are most likely quite aware, humans and pokemon can not be in a romantic relationship.' Mewtwo pointed out, but Ash's grip only tightened as he looked the clone straight in the eye.

“I'd make it work. Even if I had to lie my whole life that you were just a friend or a partner pokemon, I would not abandon you. Ever.” Ash promised with such finality that Mewtwo's anger faltered before he turned away, clearly conflicted.

Ash watched his companion for a moment before grabbing his attention back with a slight tug on their clasped hands, “What do you feel about me, Mewtwo? This whole conversation means nothing if you don't feel the same way.”

Mewtwo gave the question some thought before slowly replying with a sigh, “I find your presence enjoyable. Your touch can be overwhelming at times, but also comforting. You have never treated me as something unnatural or a thing to fear. I don't know if that means I wish to court you, though.”

“Well....um...do you find me attractive?” Ash smiled bashfully, and the sight caused the clone's expression to soften.

'Yes, I find your pokemon form pleasing.'

The smaller mewtwo's face grew bright red as his smile grew. Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd held before then growing serious again.

“Would you be willing to give this a chance? We can go slow and see where it goes, and if it doesn't work out, I promise I will still stay by your side as a friend.”

At the offer, Mewtwo gave a thoughtful hum before nodding once, 'Very well. Ash Ketchum, I accept your courtship. I can't promise I will be any good since I am not the most knowledgeable about things such as romance or love, but I will attempt it to the best of my ability.”

“We can learn together!” Ash beamed before pulling the taller legendary into a brief hug. “Thank you for giving me a chance. I promise I'll try to make you happy!”

Mewtwo gave a small chuckle as he returned the hold

'I look forward to it.'

Chapter Text

After Ash and Mewtwo's discussion-and official courting plans were made- the two pokemon decided it was time to locate the rest of their group. They would have to head out soon if they wanted to visit the other islands before the day was through.

Mewtwo seemed fairly normal as the pair traveled side by side, the legendary floating while Ash walked since the former human was still more used to using his feet rather than his new powers, making several observations about the flora and pokemon living on the island. Ash, on the other hand, couldn't stop himself from fidgeting and glancing at his companion every few seconds. He still couldn't believe what had just happened a short time ago. Ash Ketchum, a starting trainer from Pallet Town, was officially in a relationship with Mewtwo, a human-created Mew clone that had tried to destroy the world.

It felt so surreal.

Like those stories his mom used to tell him at bedtime. Fantastical tales that couldn't possibly be true, given how much crazy stuff happened. Now, though, Ash couldn't help but wonder if any of those old Kantonion tales were at least partially true. If God themself was a pokemon then surely anything could be possible.

'You seem to be thinking quite hard over there.' Mewtwo's sudden statement caused Ash to stumble a little as he was knocked from his thoughts. Causing the mewtwo to rub his neck in embarrassment as they continued going forward.

“Sorry, just have a lot on my mind. I'm still in disbelief that you agreed to dat- well, um, court me. I didn't think I had any chance of you ever feeling about me that way.” Ash admitted with a tense, slightly nervous chuckle.

Mewtwo tilted his head in thought as he watched the other, 'As I said, I'm not very knowledgeable about what things such as affection or love feel like, so I can't give you a definitive answer about whether I feel that way about you. I can certainly say that I enjoy spending time with you and find your form very pleasing to look at. This seems like a good place to start when it comes to finding one's mate.”

Ash once again stumbled as his face was overcome with a pink hue.

“Mewtwo, you can't just say things like that so seriously. My heart won't be able to take it!” At the dramatic complaints from his newly acquired courting partner, Mewtwo couldn't help but snicker in amusement.

'You find my truthful words flustering?'

“Be quiet! You did that on purpose just to mess with me.”

'I can assure you I did not, but I won't say I'm not entertained by the unexpected result.'

Ash let out a grumbled reply while pouting, which only served to amuse Mewtwo all the more.

Eventually, the mewtwo duo were able to pick up their others' auras- based on how they suddenly popped up out of nowhere, led Mewtwo to believe that Mew was somehow hiding them until now, and they quickly flew over to where they were conjugated. There they found Bulbasaur and Squirtle arguing over what looked to be a pecha berry, Charizard lounging a ways away in the sand looking bored, and Pikachu watching the whole thing with an anxious smile and sweat drop.

As soon as both mewtwo touched down on the beach, Pikachu immediately ran over with an excited call before jumping into his best friend's arms.

“Pikachu, good to see you too, buddy! Did you have fun touring the island?” Ash questioned the yellow electric mouse, causing Pikachu to give an excited nod before climbing on the other's shoulder.

“Yup, we found a grove full of berries! They were delicious! We tried to bring some back for you, but ran into a pack of rhyhorn and lost most of them. Bulbasaur and Squirtle have been fighting over the last one for a while.” At his friend's sullen look, Ash gave him a pat between the ears.

“Aw, don't worry, Pikachu. We still have two whole islands to find fruit on.”

'It's more likely that only one of those two will have berries growing on it. I doubt a place named Ice Island will have much of anything besides bitter cold and slippery surfaces.' Mewtwo countered the former human's claim, which had Ash grinning bashfully.

“Oh yeah, you're probably right, haha.”

“Hello, everyone!” Mew suddenly appeared before the group, twirling energetically through the air. “Are we ready for the next island?” The pink mythical barely got the question out before dodging a large shadow ball thrown its way.

'I should toss you in the volcano for what you did!” Mewtwo snarled, hurling another black ball of energy at his DNA donor.

“Oh, come on, Two! All I did was make the trip more interesting. I even put you in a protective bubble so you wouldn't accidentally get hurt.” Mew said, seemingly unthreatened by the attacks being hurled their way.

'I know very well what you were doing!'

“Mewtwo, let's just calm down. Sure, Mew could have been less...pushy with how they went about splitting the group up, but nothing bad came of it, right?” Ash tried to mediate between the two incredibly powerful pokemon. The larger of the two looked down at Ash angrily for a moment before taking a deep breath and crossing his arms.

'Very well, but if they try that again, I'm going to tie them in a knot.'

“Love you too, Little Brother!” Mew giggled before flying in the direction of Lightning Island to announce their arrival to Zapdos.

'I'm going to kill them before the day is over.' Mewtwo grumbled before rubbing his forehead tiredly. Ash gave the other an encouraging smile before bumping his shoulder into him.

“I'm pretty sure they mean well. Just got to get used to having someone with so much energy around.” Ash tried to reassure the clone, only for them to shoot back an incredulous look with a huff.

'I will never get used to that menace. The sooner they get tired of bothering me, the better.'

Ash opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the sound of Squirtle giving an angry shout. Mewtwo, Pikachu, and Ash both looked aver to find Bulbasaur triumphantly eating the last pecha berry while Squirtle stomped his feet in clear aggravation.

“Come on, guys, couldn't you have just shared?” Ash questioned in exasperation.

“With how much this one eats? I don't think so.” Bulbasaur responded, causing the nearby water pokemon to rant even more.

“Give it up, Ash. These two are like oil and water.” Charizard spoke up, finally standing and stretching his muscles. “As long as they keep it to a minimum when it's important, then just let them tire themselves out.”

“What are we hatchlings?” Squirtle complained, crossing his arms over his shell-covered stomach.

“You act like it most of the time.” The fire type replied before then turning to start heading for a large boulder on the beach. “I'm going to take a nap before the ferry arrives.”

'They'll be here in half an hour.' Mewtwo informed, and Charizard gave a nod before curling up on top of the rock. Ash gave a troubled exhale as his friend's behavior and Pikachu gave him a comforting pat on the cheek.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Turns out Lightning Island was very similar to Fire Island. At first glance, it seemed the only differences were the lack of volcanoes and more rocky cliffs, but closer inspection showed that the pokemon inhabitants were different. Consisting of mostly grass, electric, and normal types rather than fire, ground, and rock.

The ferry once again dropped the group off before leaving to continue its normal rounds, and Ash was eager to begin making their way up to the island shrine so that he could meet the next legendary Pokémon.

Mew reappeared before the party with a big smile. “Zapdos is excited to meet you! Hurry, let's go up the stairs!” The mythical called as they flew ahead. All of them followed after Mew at a slightly hurried pace, except Mewtwo, who floated a calmly as ever, until they reached a similar-looking shrine to Fire Islands. The only difference was that the orb at the center glowed a bright yellow and flashed every so often like a thunderbolt.

Zapdos was just as magnificent as Moltres. With sharp yellow and black wings that crackled with each tiny movement, a long, intimidating orange beak, and two powerful-looking talon-tipped feet.

“Friends of Mew, welcome to my island!” the legendary bird spoke in a deep, echoing voice that reminded Ash of the sound of thunder rumbling.

'Thank you for having us.' Mewtwo returned the greeting politely.

“It's nice to meet you!” Ash added with a big smile. The rest of the group gave their various greetings to the powerful bird.

“You are welcome to tour my island as long as you do not disturb the native pokemon while you do so,” Zapdos told them with a tint of warning to his tone.

“Don't worry, Zapdos!” Mew giggled, flying close to the thunder bird's head. “They will be on their best behavior.”

“It's you I'm most worried about,” Zapdos claimed straight-faced. Ash and his friends fought to hold down laughter.

The group began making their way back down the shrine steps. Pikachu and Squirtle ran in the front, Bulbasaur behind them, Charizard flew overhead, while Mewtwo and Ash took up the back with Mew hovering above them. From this high up, Ash had a good view of the rocky cliffs and thick fur trees that made up the island's habitat. The former human found himself grateful that he was able to fly now. As much as rock climbing could be fun now and again, having to do so all day would be a nightmare.

“So~” Mew began with a cheeky look as it hung upside down in the air. “Did you two have fun by yourselves on Fire Island?”

“Yeah, it was really nice. The lake we found was so clear you could see the bottom!” Ash enthusiastically informed with stars in his eyes and tail flicking back and forth. “My powers make swimming a lot easier now.”

“I bet! What about you, Two? Did you have a nice time with Ash?” Mew questioned, giving their clone a mischievous smirk. Mewtwo gave the other a narrow-eyed stare in return.

'I keep telling you not to call me that.'

“That doesn't answer my question~” Mew pointed out with great amusement. The mythical then flew over and landed on Ash's head, peering down so they made eye contact.

“Tell me, Ash, did anything interesting happen between you two?” At the knowing look he was being given, Ash found his face turning red as he avoided eye contact.

'Leave us alone, you little pest.' Mewtwo ordered using his psychic powers to fling the small mythical a ways away in the air. Mew immediately teleported back to the two and giggled.

“Come on, Two, I just want to congratulate you on your courting.”

'Keep your voice down! We don't need the others pushing into our business!' Mewtwo quietly hissed, thankful that the rest of the party was a ways ahead out of earshot.

“How did you know?” Ash questioned, covering his red cheeks behind his hands.

'They were obviously spying on us the whole time.' Mewtwo clarified with irritation, clear in his voice. 'Does privacy mean nothing to you?'

“Oh, come on, Two! I just wanted to make sure that everything went okay.” Mew defended themselves. “Pikachu and I just wanted to see you two happy.”

“Oh no, Pikachu was in on this?” Ash groaned, hiding his face completely.

“Well, he is actually the one who came up with the plan. Once he saw you two cuddling outside, he knew you were going to need a little push.” Mew explained, which had Ash groaning with embarrassment. How was he ever going to live this down?

Mewtwo watched his courtship partner shrink with humiliation and slowly brought a hand up to set on his shoulder. Causing the red-faced mewtwo to look up at the clone questioningly.

'There's no need to be embarrassed. Although I would prefer to keep our courtship between us for the moment, I am not ashamed to admit our relationship to others if they inquire about it. I understand humans seem to be reluctant to discuss such things, but from what I understand, you should be happy to share the news.'

“I am happy,” Ash mumbled, face growing even hotter from both Mewtwo's words and his admittance. “I'm just not looking forward to the teasing I'm going to get from everyone when they find out.”

'Shall I threaten them to stop it from happening?' Mewtwo suggested, and Ash thought the other was joking at first, but his expression showed that this was a serious offer.

“Please don't threaten my friends. They mean well, even if it drives me crazy.”

'Hmm, if you say so.'

“Don't you worry, I won't say anything until you are ready to tell them yourselves,” Mew promised sincerely before flying lower so that they could grab one of Mewtwo and Ash's hands in their tiny paws. “Congratulations on your courtship! You have my blessing, and I wish you many times of happiness!”

Ash's face still held a pink hue as a small smile came to his muzzle, “Thanks, Mew. That means a lot.”

'Not that I needed your blessing, but I suppose I am grateful for it.' Mewtwo replied, looking quite put out by having to thank the small pink mythical. Both Ash and Mew broke out into laughter at the other's attitude before the sound of shouting caught all three legendary pokemon's attention.

“Hurry up, you three! We're burning daylight!” Squirtle hollered, waving a hand in a 'come here' motion.

“Coming!” Ash yelled back before giving Mewtwo a beaming smile. “Ready for some more fun?”

'As I'll ever be.” The clone sighed, causing Ash to start giggling again as he grabbed the other's hand to pull him forward.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lightning Island turned out to be a great place to explore. With all the cliffs around, there were an abundance of caves to traverse and find interesting objects within. Pikachu stumbled upon a cave filled to the brim with glowing amethysts that was also the home to a family of sandshrew and sandslash. Luckily, they were very docile to a bunch of strange pokemon wandering into their den and even offered for them to take a few stones as souvenirs. Ash was quick to jump on the offer and found a small, perfectly smooth chunk of gem. Admiring how it reminded him of the eyes of a curtain pokemon.

Next, it was Charizard who found another large cave near the base of a steep cliff. This one was mostly empty, save for a few Zubat sleeping overhead. The gang quickly vacated the cave without making a single noise.

Ash found a smaller cave a short way away from the last. The group needed to crawl into the entrance, but a short way in, it opened into a larger chamber where a beautiful underground lake sat. Its waters were so clear that it almost resembled a mirror. Ash was amazed to find that under the surface were blue and yellow pokemon that the former trainer had never seen before.

“Those are Chinchou and Lanturn.” Mew informed Ash when he inquired about them. “They are part electric type, so they are drawn to the natural electromagnet waves that the island gives off.”

“That's so cool! I didn't think water and electric-type pokemon were possible.” Ash said, leaning over the edge of the water, trying to get a closer look. Several of the smaller chinchou swam closer, curious about the new pokemon in their home.

“Hello!” one of the little ones, with green lights instead of yellow, greeted by sticking its head out of the water.

“Hi!” Ash returned happily. “My name is Ash, what's yours?”

“I'm Twinkle! I've never seen a pokemon like you before.” Twinkle told him before swimming closer so that she didn't have to raise her little voice too much.

“Well, Mewtwo and I are kind of the only two of our species,” Ash admitted as he leaned on his belly and reached a finger out to pet the young chinchou on her head. Twinkle giggled at the friendly touch before looking behind Ash to the other pokemon that resembled him.

“You're even bigger than Ash!” Twinkle observed enthusiastically before turning to her two sisters and mother, a few feet away. “Mama, I made some new friends!” The lantern tilted her head at her youngest child's words before swimming over to join her by the side of the lake.

“Twinkle, you know you're not supposed to interact with strange pokemon unless I meet them first.” The mother chastised, causing the hatching's smile to drop into sadness.

“Sorry, Mama.”

“I didn't mean to get her in trouble.” Ash frowned guiltily, and the lanturn looked over to the mewtwo with a sigh.

“My apologies, it is nothing against you.”

'No need to explain. Being wary of strangers is the best way to stay safe, especially for young ones.' Mewtwo assured.

“My name is Blitz. These are my other daughters, Sparkle and Blip. You've met my youngest Twinkle.” the lanturn introduced before the other two hatchlings came rushing over to join their sister. “We don't usually get new visitors to our home.”

“I'm Ash and these are my friends Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Mewtwo, and Mew.”

Everyone gave a short greeting to the family before Twinkle jumped up from the water and splashed back down with a giggle.

“Ash, do you and your friends want to play tag?” She asked with excitement, clear in her voice.

“Well, I wouldn't mind, but....”

“Let's do it!” Squirtle agreed, chest puffed up. “I'll show you who the fastest swimmer is here.”

“Count me in!” Mew piped up.

“I'll pass.” Charizard declined to go over to explore more of the cave.

“I'll go!” Pikachu chirped before cannonballing into the clear water. Ash laughed before joining his best buddy under the ripples.

'You haven't had enough swimming today?' Mewtwo questioned the former human, only for the other to shake his head.

“Nope. Come on, guys, let's start. Not it!”

The game of tag lasted for a while before Mewtwo spoke up and let everyone know that it was getting late and they needed to leave if they wanted to stop at Ice Island before it got too dark to head home. Ash and the gang gave their new friends farewells, promising to come visit again soon, before they all left the cave and started making their way back to the beach where the ferry had dropped them off.

While waiting for their ride to show up, everyone decided to stop at a small orchard a little ways from the beach to eat some lunch before heading to an island that most likely wouldn't have many food options for the visiting group.

There was a great variety of berries on Lightning Island. Trees and bushes filled with so many colors that Ash didn't know which ones to go for first. Mew and Pikachu found a bush of mago berries and were seemingly trying to see which of the two could fit the most fruit in their mouth. Bulbasaur settled on a tree where dozens of passho berries had fallen on the grass below. Squirtle and Charizard both picked a bush of figy berries and were both trying to find the biggest ones on the top and bottom of the plant.

Ash was looking to find any sign of oran berries in the orchard, but got distracted when he noticed Mewtwo floating up a tree to reach a bunch of tamato berries that were hanging heavily on one of the branches.

The former human quickly joined his new mate and observed the legendary as he psychically plucked several of the bright red fruit before snatching one out of the air and taking a bite.

“I'm still surprised you like those so much. Usually, fire and flying types are the only ones who can handle those.” Ash stated as he poked one of the remaining floating berries.

'I could say the same about those oran berries you've been eating by the truckload. Far too sweet.' Mewtwo expressed with a small scoff. Taking another bite of his tamato.

“They aren't that sweet.” Ash protested. “Those mago berries that Pikachu and Mew are eating are way worse.”

Mewtwo's eyes followed the other's finger to find that the electric mouse and pink mythical were stuffing their mouths in such a grotesque way that it would make a snorlax raise a brow. The sight was enough to have the clone's muzzle crinkling in distaste before he turned back to Ash.

'I've never tried those, but based on your critique, I don't believe I ever will.'

Ash chuckled at the legendary's displeased expression before floating closer, “Anyway, have you seen any oran or sitrus berries at all?”

'I have not. Though I haven't been looking for them either.'

“That's alright. I'll go look somewhere else.” Ash replied before flying away from the other in a separate direction then the rest of the group. The smaller mewtwo navigated around tree after tree as he kept an eye out for any sign of blue or yellow. Only to give an enthused smile when he spotted a rather large bush drooping heavily from being full of oran berries.

“Finally!” Ash called out while lowering back to the ground to reach his prize. He plucked one of the bigger fruits he could see, and the first bite had Ash humming with delight. These were some of the best oran berries he'd ever tasted!

Ash quickly finished the first one and grabbed for a second. Licking the spilled juices from his lips and fingers as he ate. Only to pause when a quiet sound reached his ears. Ash went silent in hopes of identifying what it is he heard, only to not hear anything now.

“Hmm.” Ash shrugged before going back to his food. His tail was swishing back and forth with pleasure.

“Those berries look good!” A sudden voice caused Ash to jump in surprise, and he looked down to find a golden colored pidgey sitting on the ground by his feet.

Ash swallowed the bite of oran in his mouth before smiling at the small bird pokemon, “You want one?” The former human squatted down and placed one of the fruits in front of the other pokemon.

“Thank you!” The pidgey chirped excitedly before pecking the flesh of the berry. “So good!”

“I'm glad you like it.” Ash chuckled as he watched them eat. “My name's Ash. What's yours?”

The tiny pokemon paused in its eating to observe the larger pokemon with a contemplative head tilt.

“My name is Pip. I've never seen a pokemon like you before. What are you?”

“Well....I'm a mewtwo. You wouldn't know what that is though, since there are only two of us in the whole world.” Ash explained scratching his cheek sheepishly.

“Mew...two?” Pip repeated before perking up. “Oh, I know Mew! They are really fun! You don't look like Mew, though.”

“That's because I'm not a mew. I'm a mewtwo.” Ash explained once again in amusement while pointing at himself. “I'm like Mew, but bigger and less pink.”

“I see! Mew evolves into Mewtwo, just like I will evolve into a Pideot like Mama and Papa.” Pip exclaimed and Ash just smiled at him before petting his head.

“Something like that.”

“Ash!” A loud yell caused both the mewtwo and Pip to turn and look in the direction of the sound. Seeing Pikachu running towards them excitedly.

“Ash, the ferry is here!” The electric mouse informed only to pause and tilt his head curiously when he noticed the small pidgey beside his best friend. “Who's this?”

“I'm Pip!” The small bird pokemon chirped.

“He was keeping me company while I ate.” Ash explained before standing up to full height. “Sorry, we have to leave now, Pip. We'll come visit again soon, though.”

Both Ash and Pikachu began walking away while waving back at their new friend.

“Bye bye Ash!” Pip yelled after them, waving his own tiny wings in the air.

“It's about time you showed up, Ash.” Charizard huffed as the sandy colored mewtwo and Pikachu returned to the group.

“Sorry about that,” Ash apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. “It took a while to find oran berries.”

“Of course, you were looking for oran berries. You've been obsessed with them ever since you became a pokemon.” Squirtle scoffed before turning to the ferry behind them.

“Next stop, Ice Island!” Mew cheere,d flying towards the boat as well. The rest of the group followed along with Mewtwo and Ash in the back, walking side by side.

'I didn't think they would all be so excited to visit a frozen landscape,' the clone said before Ash gave the other a toothy grin.

“Life is about having a good time wherever you are. I can't wait to show you the art of snowman making.”

Mewtwo gave a scoff, but smiled as well. 'I have a feeling you all are going to keep me busy.'

Ash's smile grew in size before he grabbed the other's hand and began pulling him faster onto the boat. Excited to introduce the legendary to many more life experiences.