[Pokémon] Sasha's Story: After the Ashes

[Twilight-kun]

15.1

Arceus gazed into the tangled time steam that encompassed the Alola region, tail flicking idly as it worked.

"I know you're in there, and I will find out why you remind me so much of myself."

Arceus paused in its work, mind slowly going over potential fixes and workarounds to speed up the process.

"...No, sending someone back in time to fix a problem before it becomes a problem never works. That's what got us into this mess and I do not want to deal with another Time Crash any time soon..."

It sighed gustily and got to its feet.

"I need to relieve some stress...CELEBI!" the Creator called, which caused the diminutive legendary to come flying over. "Feel free to tell the others I shall be giving out belly rubs for the next few hours."

Celebi let out a squee and vanished.

A few minutes later saw the majority of legendary pokémon sprawled all over the floor of the Hall of Origin out in bliss as Arceus put its thousand hands to work.

-

15.2

Mewtwo and Sasha sat across from the lucario who had been pursuing them since they'd entered Orre.

Between them, sitting on a large flat rock were two goblets filled with fresh berry juice.

The lucario stared at the goblets closely, eyes narrowed. "You think to trick me with this kind of ploy? What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"A resourceful one," Mewtwo replied. "A simple game of the poisoned chalice. Plus, I went out of the way to pick a toxin that wasn't lethal. It's merely a sleeping solution. Once ingested, the target falls into a deep sleep for a while. Plenty of time for you to take us wherever your master wants us or plenty of time for Sasha and I to hide."

The lucario stroked its chin slowly as it stared at the cups. "Common sense says mine is the poisoned one. But that'd be too easy and predictable. The old guessing game. How many steps ahead did you plan for me to think? It's ultimately a fifty-fifty chance, which is better than most. However, you are a psychic type and thus can create illusions. Maybe there's only one cup and the other is a trap. Perhaps both of these cups are poisoned and there's a third one hidden that you'll swap with yours once we commit to a cup."

Mewtwo arched an eyebrow. "Well, you are correct in one thing. There are three goblets. One for me, one for you..." He waved a hand and there was a brief shimmer before a third goblet materialized. "And one for Sasha."

Sasha blinked in surprise and looked at it warily.

The lucario crossed its arms and frowned. "Well, that does make things interesting. From a fifty percent chance to thirty-three. But since the new cup is the freshest of the batch, that could mean it's not poisoned."

"And how sure of that are you?" Mewtwo asked.

"Not enough to choose it."

Mewtwo grinned. "If only one cup is poisoned, that means unless both Sasha and I drink the tainted drinks, one of us will be able to stop you."

The lucario sighed and picked up the glass in front of Mewtwo.

Mewtwo retrieved the one from the lucario's side of the table and held the other one to Sasha's lips.

"Down the hatch then."

All three drank deeply.

Mewtwo watched as both Sasha and the lucario fell off their seats.

"The perks of being a psychic-type is having subtle ways to negate status afflictions," Mewtwo said wryly, body briefly glowing green from the effects of Safeguard.

He scooped Sasha into his arms and cradled her close before teleporting away.

-

15.3

"Do legendary pokémon have their own unique names?"

Mewtwo carefully measured some seasoning before adding it into the pan he was tending to before answering Sasha's question.

"Some of them do. Usually the lower-tier ones, such as the elemental birds, regis and the lati. I know some celebi and mew give themselves names to tell themselves apart as well."

"Do you know any?" Sasha asked, curled up on the couch, head resting on the arm as she watched him cook.

"I know a mew named Citlali who had an annoying tendency to poke his nose into my romantic life."

"You said had," Sasha noted.

"Funny how finding a romantic partner tends to shut them up. Last I heard he was in Sinnoh doing some research on Arceus' behalf," Mewtwo said, putting the pan on a low simmer before joining Sasha on the couch.

His paws kneaded through Sasha's fur and she nestled close, purring contentedly.

"Before you ask, no, I have not ever given myself a unique name. Oftentimes people assign their own nicknames to me. Cass and Sabrina usually gave me cat-themed ones and Rei simply called me Mewtwo while she was my dove."

Sasha pushed her head into Mewtwo's caresses and opened an eye. "How'd Rei take the fact you found someone else?"

"She shipped me with you long before you told me about your feelings, so she was happy I'd found someone else,"

"I know the feeling," Sasha muttered. "Some of the pokémon from the abandoned apartment building did the same."

"Same for some legendary pokémon," said a new voice.

Mewtwo and Sasha jumped in surprise as a mew popped into view with a cheery grin.

"Heya Mewtwo. Nice to see you back among civilization. How was your sojourn?"

"Citlali," Mewtwo said neutrally. "I had a feeling you'd show up. You always did have the most interesting sense of timing."

"What'd you expect from the oldest pokémon species?" the mew said with a grin.

Mewtwo snorted and moved Sasha off his lap to go check on the food.

Citlali hovered around Sasha, who followed the legendary with her eyes.

"I've heard quite a bit about you. News of you had spread all the way out to Sinnoh. Pokémon taking the league challenge always stir up more interest than some trainer from a random town."

The mew stilled his movements and crossed his arms. "Meanwhile, you also have the advantage of having Mewtwo as a friend. That's...surprising."

"How do you know him?" Sasha asked.

"I come from a different dimension where Giovanni regained his memory of Mewtwo and sent his old girlfriend to kill him. Good times..."

Citlali's eyes wandered around the room and he pricked his ears. With a frown, he teleported, startling Sasha. The mew reappeared, holding a familiar necklace.

"...Strange that he still has this," the mew remarked. "I'd have thought he'd gotten over collecting strays." The necklace jerked itself from his paws and flew into Mewtwo's as the clone brought in two dishes.

"You have overstayed your welcome," Mewtwo said quietly. "Have a good rest of the evening."

Citlali stared at the clone for a moment before he smiled, nodded and vanished.

Mewtwo sighed heavily and shook his head. "Still as irritating as ever. No sense of personal space or privacy."

He stirred the thin noodles in front of him absently before staring at Sasha, who had a sauce mustache from her eager eating.

She licked her face clean.

"You don't sound like you enjoy his company," Sasha said.

Mewtwo nodded. "We've never really seen eye to eye on some things. He believes in the superiority of original pokémon back while I was cloning pokémon. The only reason he puts up with me is because I'm carrying mew genes. Were I just some amalgamate of pokémon, he'd probably have killed me without batting an eye."

Sasha frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Mewtwo waved a paw dismissively. "He's matured a lot over the past two decades."

"Sounds like he has some interesting stories to tell about your childhood," Sasha mused.

"From a timeline that is no longer relevant," Mewtwo said.

"…Very well."

-

15.4

Sasha peered over Mewtwo's shoulder as the clone flew over the Orre desert.

"So all we've got is the word of a semi-murderous lucario that Wes may be somewhere out here. Any particular reason we're risking our necks?"

"Because Arceus asked us nicely to go check since the rest of his Chosen were tied up with other matters," Mewtwo replied, scanning the ground with his eyes, ears, aura and psychic abilities.

Sasha sighed and shook her head. "Things are never dull around you, are they?"

"Believe me, I've had some months that absolutely dragged on with no excitement in life."

"Oh? Did your harem ignore you?" Sasha asked dryly.

Mewtwo almost fell out of the sky and he craned his head to stare at her incredulously.

"My what?!"

"Well, before I met you, you had Amber Fuji, Sabrina and Cassandra as your partners, so I didn't think you'd be lacking in company," Sasha said.

Mewtwo rubbed his head. "Problem with that idea is Amber and Cassandra were both from alternate realities. In this timeline, I've never...actually had a physical relationship before Rei and you. Sabrina was a friend, nothing more."

"Oh? So you didn't have sex with her before I got my badge?" Sasha asked, tilting her head.

"No. We just helped each other clear our minds and come to terms with conflicting memories."

Sasha went silent, ears flicking in the wind.

Mewtwo returned to scanning the ground and slowed. "I found something."

Landing, the duo approached an opening leading into a small canyon. As they entered it, Sasha's fur rippled uneasily.

"You sense it too?" Mewtwo murmured. Sasha nodded.

"We're being watched," she replied, looking around.

Mewtwo closed his eyes and rested a hand on the wall. "What is this pressure...?"

"There!" Sasha yiped, moments before the walls exploded. Mewtwo had already leaped backwards, hands blazing with energy as shapes shrouded in shadow surged forward.

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes and Sasha jumped off his shoulders, giving him room to maneuver. The eevee glanced back, then up, seeing movement at the top of the canyon. The ground shook and the walls collapsed, closing off the entrance.

"Not entirely useful since we can fly or teleport, but certainly intimidating, I guess," Sasha remarked. She turned and saw Mewtwo holding several shadowy pokémon in the air with his telekinesis.

"I'd heard of Cipher's Shadow Pokémon project, but I thought they had all been purified," Mewtwo said, gazing at the pokémon closely. He perked up at a sound further down the canyon. "Show yourself."

A man wearing a long blue coat with silver hair came into view, palms outward. Mewtwo relaxed and gave him a nod.

"Wes. We've been looking for you."

Wes smiled slightly. "Thanks for your concern. I'd been tracking down Cipher's remaining caches of Shadow Pokémon and was purifying them when they went into a frenzy."

Sasha gazed up at the pokémon curiously. "What's a Shadow pokémon?"

"Pokémon whose hearts have been closed through artificial means," Wes replied. "Emotionless fighting machines."

Sasha glanced at Mewtwo with a raised brow and he rolled his eyes.

"Don't even think about comparing me to them," he grumbled. Wes returned the pokémon to their balls and sat down. An umbreon and espeon poked their heads out from a pile of rocks.

"Ah, I thought I heard voices," the umbreon said, coming out and rubbed against Wes's leg. The espeon curled in his lap and licked at his face worryingly.

"Are you alright?" she asked fretfully. Wes chuckled and rubbed her ears.

"I'm fine. These two came along and sorted things out," he said.

"There were a few other pokémon who collapsed the walls," Sasha said. "Not sure what happened to them."

Wes rubbed his temples and sighed deeply. "Probably some of the local pokémon hunting. Most likely fled once things settled down though; they've never been too terribly brave. Rui has better luck talking to them than I do though."

"And where is Rui now?" Mewtwo asked.

"With Michael and Jovi, helping with the purifying process."

"There's different ways of purification then?" Sasha asked curiously. Wes nodded.

"I usually purified them by spending time with them, helping them reopen their hearts. Got help from a celebi a few times and then there's a technological way to do it...Orre has gotten much busier as of late and it's hectic at times."

Sasha nodded before glancing up at the sky, which was slowly turning yellow as the sun neared the horizon.

"So we've established Wes is alive and has things under control, so...is our work here done?" she asked.

"The business, certainly, but that hardly means our time in Orre is over," Mewtwo said. "There's plenty of sights to see and events to check out. It's not like you have anything else planned, right?"

Sasha nodded and jumped onto his shoulder. Mewtwo turned to Wes.

"Care for a lift?"

Wes shook his head. "Nah, I've got my bike."

"Very well. Perhaps we'll see you around," Mewtwo said with a nod.

They left, clearing the canyon entrance on their way out and teleported to Phenac City to clean up and rest.

-

15.5

"How are you feeling?"

Sasha blinked as Mewtwo's voice cut through her wandering thoughts and guided her back to reality.

"Nervous," Sasha admitted. "This is the league, after all. The best of the best are gonna be here and on top of that, I get to face full teams of six pokémon."

"They do have rules about that. Depending on how well the battle goes, you can be healed after every two, three or four pokémon. Or if you're really sure of yourself, none."

"And it's not really unfair since all the pokémon you're facing are rested while constant fighting will wear even the best trained pokémon down," Sasha reasoned. Mewtwo nodded as he looked around the crowded venue of Indogo Plateau.

"Ah, there's Ash. Shall we go say hello?"

They made their way over to the trainer from Pallet who was deep in conversation with another man.

As they neared, the conversation ended and Pikachu tapped Ash's head before pointing towards Mewtwo and Sasha.

"You made it!" Ash said excitedly. "I was stoked to hear you'd gotten your last badge."

Sasha's ears warmed and she dipped her head. "It was fun and I'm looking forward to seeing the matches." She hesitated before glancing around at the competition. "And participating myself."

"I'm sure you'll do great," Pikachu said. "I was nervous about my first league too."

"Did you win?" Sasha asked.

"Before Cyrus screwed with time...no. The second time around, yes," Pikachu said with a wry grin.

"Sounds like you had fun," Sasha replied, turning her attention back to Ash, who had been talking with Mewtwo.

"You're not using Mega Evolution?" Mewtwo asked in surprise.

Ash shrugged. "Didn't feel like using something that causes my pokemon to go berserk and hurt themselves in the process."

"Fair enough. Good luck with your matches."

Ash turned his attention to Sasha. "See you down the line. Don't forget to have fun."

"I will," Sasha replied, relaxing. Ash turned with a wave and walked off.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(16.1)

Sasha ran through the forest, breath exploding from her lungs as she dodged, rolled and leaped to avoid the attacks of her pursuer.

Chancing a glance behind her, she saw a brief flash of pink in the trees behind her and she bit back a whimper.

The ground beneath her feet suddenly wasn't there anymore and she screamed as she was dragged backwards. Her body moved of its own accord, bringing her face-to-face with her tormentor.

"Hello," the mew said cheerfully. "As fun as this has been, I'm getting tired of it."

The creature's blue eyes bored into the eevee's. "How odd for a simple shiny pokémon like yourself to have Arceus' blessing. No, I'd say that's impossible."

Its grip tightened around the eevee.

"Tell me how you got this power!"

Sasha squirmed uselessly in the powerful telekinetic grip.

"I-I don't know!" she mewled, panting for breath. The mew narrowed its eyes with a scowl and growled.

"Well, in that case, I'm fine with-"

Sasha's body then flashed a blinding white and the mew let go of her with a shriek of agony.

"You little-!" Pawing at its watering eyes, the mew glared around, looking for the distinct coat of its prey.

"If that's how you want to play…" the mew said with a sigh, lifting a paw.

The ground trembled, the trees shaking for a moment before the entire forest was torn from the ground, sending thousands of bug, grass, normal and flying-type pokémon into the air in surprise.

Among the roots of a tree, Sasha braced herself. Glancing around, she couldn't see the pokémon that had started this whole mess and she grimaced. Leaping down amid a shower of dirt, she rolled on the ground to mask her silvery coat before she picked a direction and ran, hoping to distance herself-

"There you are."

Sasha froze before turning to see the mew shaking its head.

"Really, you never stood a chance. While I can't take our Lord's blessing from you…I can certainly do…"

The mew's voice trailed off as its brow furrowed. "…Yeah, I like that idea."

Sasha stared at the pokémon blankly, confused.

Darting forward, the mew touched her forehead.

"Remove these memories and then…"

There was a flash of light and Sasha found herself bombarded by freezing water. It took her a moment to realize she was paw-deep in snow.

Looking around, she wondered where she was, and how she'd gotten here. Her head felt heavy and she had trouble recalling what had happened in the last hour. Shivering in the cold, she looked around for some form of shelter from the harsh weather and was soon swallowed by the snow.

-

(16.2)

"Hmmm..."

Sasha pricked her ears and looked up at Mewtwo from her position against his side, head resting on the psychic's leg.

"What's that noise for?"

Mewtwo turned a page in the book he was reading and stroked her ears absently. "Says here that there's a number of pokémon where the male/female ratio is seven to one respectively. Pokémon such as bulbasaur, charmander, squirtle, lucario and...eeveelutions."

Sasha arched an eyebrow. "Is there a point to this train of thought?"

"Well, given how rare female eevee apparently are, wouldn't it make sense to have multiple partners to maximize the chance of keeping the balance?" Mewtwo asked, eyes gleaming.

Sasha's face went blank for a moment before her ears heated up and she looked away. "W-what, like a harem or something?"

"Precisely."

Sasha frowned and shook her head. "While I'll admit that I've had my fair share of partners over the years, the thought of settling down with one has never crossed my mind. Never mind...multiple partners."

Mewtwo closed his book and rested his cheek on a hand, gazing down at her. Sasha gazed at her paws to avoid looking at him.

"I take it you detest harems because of your treatment by Team Rocket and Team Flare?" Mewtwo asked gently. Sasha flinched before nodding.

"On top of that, the horror stories I've heard about some breeders," Sasha replied. "I'd much rather be with one single partner who understands and accepts me, flaws and all. I...could maybe accept having two, but only if they loved one another like they loved me."

"An equal relationship, then," Mewtwo replied, stroking over Sasha tenderly. "Not one built around a domination and submission."

"Pretty much," Sasha said. "I'm comfortable with what we have, little as it is. I don't mind you going off with Sabrina or Rei now and again since I can't...ah..."

She was cut off by Mewtwo's fingers pressing into her sides and she squirmed. Mewtwo lifted her into his arms and nuzzled her ear.

"You and I are both well aware there's other kinds of intimacy and you've shown no hesitation in exploring other avenues of love," the feline teased, breath warm on her sensitive ears before his lips darted in to nip affectionately at them.

Sasha giggled and turned in his grasp so she could place her paws on his cheeks.

"You're right," she purred.

Mewtwo's lips explored her face before she pulled away and smiled at him.

No more words were needed as they closed the distance between themselves.

-

(16.3)

Sasha and Sabrina's green-eyed espeon wandered the streets of Saffron, taking in the sights.

The espeon glanced at his companion and flicked his tail against Sasha's side gently to get her attention.

"You're drifting," he said. "Something bothering you?"

Sasha took a moment to get her bearings, stepping out of the way of some people who stared at her coat curiously before moving on.

"I was just..." Sasha hesitated before continuing on. "You remind me of an old friend from my childhood in Unova. He also had green eyes. He was an eevee at the time, of course, but eye color usually carries over during evolution, so I thought..."

Espeon's ears drooped. "I am sorry, but I have no memories of ever going to Unova, or ever knowing an eevee with your coloration."

Sasha sighed and nodded. "Figured as much. He was...very kind and caring. My first love, actually."

Espeon frowned before looking away. Sasha flattened her ears.

"Look, I'm not...projecting him on to you or anything," she said awkwardly. Espeon laughed.

"I believe you. It's just that I'm not used to being mistaken for someone else. Even if most pokémon of a species look alike; we have ways of telling each other apart, whether it's by name, height, age, smell or scars..."

He sighed. "It does get rather lonely around here though. Don't meet a lot of eeveelutions around these parts. Funny, considering the traffic that passes through and the gym battles I've had."

"If you want to screw, you only have to ask," Sasha replied bluntly.

Espeon tripped over his paws and faceplanted into the ground. Cheeks and ears burning, he stared at the shiny eevee who met his wide-eyed stare with an amused one of her own.

"I...uh...that's...erm...but...Mewtwo-" he squeaked.

"-Doesn't mind," Sasha said with an amused tail-flick. "Neither of us are in a closed relationship. We're just...close friends. Really close. Besides, we're not...exactly...intimacy with him is hard due to size difference. I mean in terms of body size, not...ya know..." she added hastily.

She made a crude gesture and Espeon meekly nodded.

"So?" Sasha asked, flicking her tail.

Espeon stared at the brazen eevee who leaned forward and gave his nose a kiss.

"Alright," he said. "That's doable."

Sasha purred and they teleported from the middle of the sidewalk.

-

(16.4)

Sasha was lying on her back in front of the fireplace, warming herself as the wind and snow howled outside the window.

Mewtwo knelt by her and placed a bowl of cocoa beside her. Sniffing the warm drink, Sasha then blew on it gently with Frost Breath to chill it before taking a sip.

"It's cold enough inside without you doing that," Mewtwo chided her gently, giving her ear an affectionate tweak. Sasha batted at him with her paws and grinned.

"Well, when you insist on serving me boiling water, then I see nothing wrong with preserving my tender lips and tongue from its hotness," she replied. Mewtwo arched an eyebrow and chuckled, taking a sip from his own drink.

If he felt any discomfort from the steaming beverage, he didn't show it outwardly. The clone then waved a hand, bringing an armchair and blanket closer to the fire.

Sasha watched in amusement as the clone promptly bundled himself in the blanket and took a seat.

"Now I know how a metapod feels," the replica said with a content sigh. "The weather outside is quite frightful, but inside is most delightful."

Sasha stared at him strangely before she jumped into his lap and curled up, enjoying the warmth from the genetic pokemon and fire.

"So this is...what, almost a year that we've been together?" she asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I'll admit I didn't glance at the calendar when I first picked you up from Mount Silver, but that feels about right," Mewtwo replied, telekinetically stroking the eevee's fur.

Sasha relaxed and purred drowsily. "And what a maybe-year we've had, hm?"

Mewtwo snorted. "That's one way of putting it, yes. Not nearly as many life-and-death situations as I'm used to, actually."

The shiny pokemon gazed at him with a frown and Mewtwo shrugged within the confines of his cocoon.

"Trouble tends to find me whether I like it or not. Whether it's some evil team or an idiot trainer who thinks to add me to their collection or even a legendary pokemon who thinks man-made pokemon are inferior to natural-born pokemon."

Sasha's frown deepened and she nestled close. Mewtwo closed his eyes and freed an arm to touch her head gently, stroking her cheek.

"It's nothing you need to trouble yourself with, Sasha. There's nothing for you to worry about as long as you're with me."

Sasha sighed and rubbed her cheek against his fingers, red eyes locked on violet.

"And what of the day when I'm not?" she asked. "What if I do settle down with someone and raise a family?"

"Then find someone who you can protect and can do the same for you," Mewtwo replied. "Find someone that can make you laugh and smile; someone who can evoke emotions from in you even when they're not there with you. A mere thought can warm you as much as a touch. I've...had things like that before and the feeling is something I can't put into words."

"Then show me," Sasha replied, uncurling to stand on her hind paws, front paws resting on the blanket as she lightly nuzzled his face.

Mewtwo's lips twitched in amusement as he pulled Sasha into his cocoon, wrapping her in his arms as he rested his chin on her head, mind brushing against hers as he poured his affection into her. Sasha shivered and closed her eyes with a happy sigh.

-

(16.5)

Sasha snuggled into Mewtwo's arms and sighed, nuzzling his chest.

The replica stroked over her soft fur and kissed the top of her head.

"Something on your mind?" he asked.

Sasha shook her head and gazed up at him. Kneading his chest with her paws, she then nuzzled his cheek and purred.

"You two are not easy to find."

Mewtwo let out a hiss as Sasha tensed, fur standing up as her claws sank into his arm and chest. Petting the spooked pokémon, the clone turned to see Arceus rising towards them.

"Interesting place you chose...not a lot of pokémon can even fly this high, aside from my children and I," Arceus said, looking around.

"I find the upper Mesosphere quite soothing, since you're away from the light and noise of civilization," Mewtwo replied evenly as Sasha fretted over his minor wounds.

Arceus chuckled and nodded, looking around. "And the view is quite lovely too."

"Why are you here?" Sasha asked, tail flicking in irritation.

"I'd like you two to go to Alola," Arceus said simply.

"Any particular reason why?" Mewtwo asked.

"I'd rather not bother my Chosen with it and you two seem like you could use a vacation after your League venture," Arceus said.

"Hm...I've heard interesting things about Alola. It's not like any other region and while it does have an Elite Four, it's not set up like a gym challenge," Sasha mused.

"Someone has been reading traveling brochures again," Mewtwo teased. Sasha stuck her tongue out at him.

"So you'll go?" Arceus asked.

Mewtwo and Sasha exchanged glances before they both nodded.

Without another word, Arceus vanished and Mewtwo gazed up at the field of stars and planets that littered the vast open space above them.

"There's something Arceus wasn't telling us," Sasha murmured.

"I noticed that as well. Guess we'll find out what's going on when we get to Alola."

"I can't wait."

 

[Twilight-kun]

(17.1)

Cyrus floated in a void, arms crossed over his chest as he went over the events of his defeat.

Every time he went back and tried to enact his plan, something came along to disrupt it, whether it was one kid, two kids, a pokémon or divine intervention, his dream of a perfect world never reached fruition.

There had been one time, countless repeats ago, where he had succeeded, but soon after, everything had shattered and he had found himself stuck in an endless loop of failures.

"So how do I get out of this?" he asked aloud.

"You know the answer to that."

"Accept that the world is fine as it is and give up my dream? Never gonna happen," Cyrus growled, before blinking and composing himself.

"Emotion, yet peace, which is a lie," he said, closing his eyes.

One day, he knew he would break this cursed loop. Everything would work itself out in the end, as he had foreseen.

"Through knowledge, I gain wisdom. Through wisdom, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken...yes...the chains...red as my blood and clearer than crystals. One to bind time, one to bind space..."

Giratina watched the rambling human from the shadows before flitting away to report to Arceus.

-

(17.2)

"I have a question for you."

Sasha flicked her ears, eyes closed, to show Mewtwo she was paying attention from her perch on his chest, purring as his hand stroked through her fur.

"Were you ever put into a poké ball? When Team Rocket captured you, or afterwards?"

Sasha opened her eyes and frowned, thinking back.

"No, I don't think I have ever been in one. Why?"

Mewtwo sat up, seamlessly transferring Sasha to his lap as he rolled his head, sighing as the bones popped. "Well, since we're heading off to Alola, where neither of us are well-known, odds are we'll have some idiot throwing poké balls at us for some reason or another."

Sasha's brows went from low to high. "Speaking from experience?"

It was Mewtwo's turn to scowl and even though the ire wasn't directed at her, Sasha was keenly aware of his fury.

"I've had some experience, yes," he said simply. "Now then, back to you...I was wondering if maybe you'd consent to being at least registered in a poké ball so you couldn't be captured by one."

Sasha nodded after a moment. "I don't see a downside, even though most of the times I've been captured usually involve drugs or good old fashioned nets instead of convenient things like poké balls."

"Any particular type you'd like?" Mewtwo asked, waving a hand as several dozen poké balls suddenly popped into view. Scanning them, Sasha eventually settled on what Mewtwo called the Cherish Ball.

The other balls vanished and Mewtwo gently tapped it against her forehead.

The ball snapped open as Sasha dissolved into silver energy and was sucked in. Closing with a click, the ball shook once before letting out a confirmation beep.

Mewtwo stroked the ball tenderly before releasing Sasha, who wobbled a bit before shaking herself.

"That was...interesting," she said. At Mewtwo's inquisitive stare, she elaborated. "It felt like I was sleeping, or in some kind of barely-aware state. I knew where I was and how I got there, but didn't really have a desire to leave."

Mewtwo smiled as he then opened the ball to stare at the interior. "I've been inside a poké ball a few times. Never in this timeline, but I have memories of being held in a Master Ball when traveling with Red on his journey."

With a flick of his fingers, a red device popped into view.

"And now I can register you to my pokédex."

Sasha watched curiously as Mewtwo flipped open the device and placed the poké ball on a screen, which glowed briefly before a picture of a shiny eevee popped onto the screen with a small list of technical details, such as height and weight, below it.

"About what I was expecting," Mewtwo said. "Never really gained back the weight you lost when you were recovering from being frozen though, even after all this time."

"Is that bad?" Sasha asked, stomach clenching uncomfortably.

"In your case...I don't think so. Height and weight obviously varies among a species, and the 'dex only ever provides an average for each."

"I see," Sasha said, staring at the Cherish Ball.

-

(17.3)

Brock and Misty were chatting about the League matches when Misty suddenly went silent and then grinned.

Brock turned to see a man and woman walk up to them. Two kids were holding onto the male's hands, giggling and chattering rapid-fire, to which the male replied with soft replies.

"Well, well, can't say I imagined running into you here," the woman said as the male freed his hands to remove his sunglasses.

"Almost makes me want to burst out into our motto for old times' sake," he said.

"Jessie, James," Brock said politely. "How's life been treating you?"

"Well enough. Where's the twerp?" Jessie asked, keeping one eye on the kids.

Brock waved a hand towards the field, where Ash was in the middle of a battle.

"Still using the classics," James said with a tsk. "You'd think he'd be using the newer 'mons instead of having them on ranch duty."

"And how would you know where they are?" Misty asked suspiciously.

"Just because we're no longer active members of Team Rocket doesn't mean we don't have access to their databases," Jessie said. "Jim, pay attention, this is important."

One of the kids pouted before sighing and swinging their arms.

"Ah, so you've officially retired?" Brock asked in surprise.

"Gotta pass the torch and all that," James said, leaning on the railing with the other child to watch Ash send Pikachu put against a Mawile, which promptly Mega Evolved. "And that is what happens when a trainer shares a bond with their pokémon, Miller."

"Still gym leaders?" Jessie asked.

"I take turns with my sisters," Misty said.

"Most of the time, although I'm showing the ropes to my siblings as well," Brock said.

"Definitely reminds me of old times," Jessie said, stretching her arms above her head. "If only Meowth was here..."

"Where is he?" Brock asked.

"Got a promotion," James said dismissively. "Giovanni's persian died some years back, and he jumped at the opportunity."

"Uh...congratulations?" Misty said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, that's just how things are nowadays," James said. "Times change, and so must we."

"And it's time for us to find the betting stalls and lay it all on Ash," Jessie said, rubbing her hands together. "Come along, Jim, Miller."

"You and everyone else," James muttered with a shake of his head.

"What was that?" Jessie growled.

"Nothing, dear Jessie," James said meekly.

Misty watched them go and chuckled. "Wow. They really haven't changed, have they?"

"Old habits die hard," Brock agreed.

-

(17.4)

"So, how do you deal with people who want to catch you?" Sasha asked as Mewtwo brushed her fur.

"Laugh at them before wiping their memory and teleporting them to the nearest pokémon center," the replica said. "There's been a few times where I've done that to pokémon who stumbled across me by accident as a knee-jerk reaction."

Sasha gazed at him, head tilted as he scratched her ears. "Have you ever done that to me?"

"There were a few close calls back when I first met you, yes, but I grew out of that within a few days," Mewtwo replied, massaging her paws.

Sasha thought back to that period and remembered Mewtwo had sometimes hesitated whenever seeing her.

"Was that something Sabrina helped you with?"

Mewtwo's face went blank for a moment before he nodded slowly. "Back then, I was doing it subconsciously and the Kanto League took issue with that and dispatched Sabrina to deal with it."

"Before or after you met Ash?" Sasha asked.

"After," Mewtwo said, stroking her tail. "It had become a defense mechanism so that I wouldn't be used by people like Giovanni."

"And the reason he's still walking around without a care in the world doing evil deeds is...?"

"Nobody can prove anything and he's got everything so deeply buried it'd take years to unravel his role in it," Mewtwo said with a sigh.

"And the reason you don't forcibly extract a confession?" Sasha prodded.

"Manners, Sasha," Mewtwo said dryly. "It's what separates us from the animals."

"Hm...I'm sure some day he'll slip up and get destroyed."

"I await that day most eagerly."

-

(17.5)

Mewtwo woke up to an unfamiliar weight on his chest and he frowned before craning his head to see what had decided to use him as a pillow in the middle of the night.

His eyes swiftly adjusted to the gloom and he frowned at the sight of the eevee he had rescued.

Part of him wanted to shove her off, but it was tempered by the fact he knew she wasn't fully recovered and he took a moment to marvel at her stubborn nature.

Laying his head back, he sighed silently, dragging a hand over his face. He had initially dismissed the possibility of the eevee getting attached to him, but as the days passed and her body healed, she revealed herself as the type of pokémon who thrived with a companion.

Her mind was as sharp as her tongue and he found himself amused by her antics and how she acted like a maiden around her crush. He idly examined that thought before dismissing it.

The mere thought of the two of them in a relationship was as absurd as the likes of Giovanni or Ghetsis turning over a new leaf and using their organizations for the betterment of the pokémon world.

Comforted by the thought, Mewtwo drifted off to sleep and when morning came around, the eevee was noticeably absent from his bed and didn't bring it up in their conversations.

Over time, she became bolder and started coming into his room before he had fallen asleep, curling up against his side without a word and Mewtwo couldn't find the strength to push her away.

By the time they had admitted their feelings to one another, they spent more nights together than alone and had been inseparable ever since.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(18.1)

Sasha stared at the snorlax that was blocking the eastern path out of Saffron.

Granted, it wasn't much of an issue to go around it for pokémon trainers, but for the average citizen, it caused problems.

Turning her attention from the snorlax, she idly watched Mewtwo interact with Sabrina, who had come with several of her students and a Nurse Joy to help with the problem, and she took note of the various expressions that crossed the clone's face as he chatted privately with the gym leader.

They seemed to be arguing over something - likely how to remove the snorlax and Mewtwo didn't seem happy with Sabrina's solution.

The eevee's jaw then dropped as Mewtwo flicked his wrist, tossing the snorlax bodily through the air and off the path.

"Mewtwo!" Sabrina barked. "That was uncalled for!"

"You would be here until mid-afternoon if we did things your way," Mewtwo replied patiently. Sasha blinked in surprise at Mewtwo's inclusion of her in the conversation and she trotted closer. "I merely accelerated the process."

Sabrina's face had gone stony and Sasha glanced worriedly at Mewtwo.

"Come on," the eevee said, startling the two psychics as she bumped into Mewtwo's legs. "What's done is done. Don't make it worse by saying anything more."

Sabrina rubbed the bridge of her nose with a growl and directed a few of the students and Nurse Joy to make sure the snorlax was okay.

"Just leave," she said tiredly. "We'll take it from here."

Mewtwo scooped Sasha into his arms and the duo left the outskirts of the city.

"You gonna tell me what that was about?" Sasha asked after a few minutes.

"I stand by my actions," Mewtwo said.

"Yeah, but maybe you could've been a little nicer about it? How would you feel if someone kicked you out of bed?"

Mewtwo was silent and Sasha took mild satisfaction from the look of guilt on the replica's face.

"Did Sabrina have a different idea in mind for dealing with it?" Sasha asked.

"Something something leverage, blah blah physics," Mewtwo said airily. "Typical human thinking."

Sasha's paw met her face with a slap.

-
(18.2)

"Mewtwo, what do you do in your free time?" Sasha asked as she followed the clone from their bedroom.

"Eat, sleep, read, knit, go outside and brood for unhealthy lengths of time..." Mewtwo said, ticking off his fingers. "And then there's the usual things any lonely male without any female company does when they're alone. What about you?"

Once she'd gotten over her sudden coughing fit, Sasha answered. "When you're not around, sometimes I sleep. Other times I go for walks. I also made friends with the pokemon living below the apartment you had when you first found me."

Mewtwo made a face as he entered the kitchen and opened the freezer to pull out a loaf of bread. "Ah, so you met Aiedail and his mate?"

"You know them?" Sasha asked in surprise.

"Not as well as you, I suspect. But we have crossed paths now and again. There's more to that pair of absol than you'd think, but they're exceptionally vague about their pasts."

"From your tone, I can tell that bothers you a lot more than you let on," Sasha noted.

"Just feels weird seeing myself from another perspective," Mewtwo grumbled, catching the bread as the toaster spat it out.

"Can't imagine why," Sasha replied, nibbling on her toast.

-
(18.3)

"What's all this?" Sasha asked, weaving through a stack of papers littering the floor of the apartment.

"Catching up on my manuscripts," Mewtwo replied, typing on no fewer than three different computers.

Sasha blinked in surprise. "You're an author?"

"On and off," Mewtwo replied.

Sasha found a short stack and started reading. "There's a typo here. And here…and there…goodness, this is almost unreadable…"

The papers were snatched from her and she glanced at Mewtwo to see a faint blush on his face.

"Well, since you seem so eager, you can be my editor," the clone said. "You can start with these."

He irately dropped a stack of pages in front of the eevee, completely obscuring her from view.

-
(18.4)

Sasha and Mewtwo occasionally sparred, the former using it to relieve stress and practice using her ability while the latter used it to keep himself from going stir-crazy.

During one of their sessions, Sasha suddenly started glowing.

"Uh...Mewtwo?" the eevee asked, fidgeting. "What's going on?"

"You appear to be evolving," he replied, stepping closer to her.

"But I don't want to evolve!" Sasha squeaked.

"Then don't."

Sasha glared at him before closing her eyes and furrowed her brow in concentration.

The glow dimmed, but didn't vanish and she gritted her teeth, her fur starting to ripple.

Mewtwo flexed his fingers before gently placing them on either side of her head.

"This might sting a bit..."

He then knocked her unconscious with a quick mental bolt and was pleased to see the glow fade entirely.

"I am so glad that worked," he muttered before picking her up and teleported away.

One quick stop at the Celadon Department Store to pick up an Everstone later, Mewtwo then reappeared in their Saffron apartment and laid Sasha on the couch. He stroked her ears lightly before removing her collar and sat down at his writing desk, moving things aside to give himself room to work.

He turned the Everstone over in his fingers before he levitated it and started picking at it carefully with Aura-infused fingers, breaking it into evenly-sized pieces.

He took Sasha's collar and laid it out before resting the pieces of the Everstone on it, evenly spaced. The clone then used his power to fuse the stones to the collar.

Examining his handiwork, he perked up as Sasha stirred behind him with a groan.

"What happened?" she asked groggily. Mewtwo turned to see her looking around, holding a paw to her no-doubt aching head.

"I knocked you out," Mewtwo said, getting to his feet. Sasha looked at him in surprise, then at the collar in his hand. Her paw unconsciously darted to her neck and she grimaced.

"This should help," Mewtwo said as he clipped her collar back on and Sasha relaxed with a contented sigh.

"I can definitely feel the difference," she said with a smile. "The evolution energy felt like...a pressure building in my chest, seeking an exit, but now..."

She gazed at him and lifted her paws, wiggling them. Mewtwo rolled his eyes and picked her up. Resting her paws on his chest, she gave his nose a kiss and smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

-
(18.5)

Sasha wandered around Malie Garden, taking in the sights of the various bridges running over streams and the small hills dotting the landscape.

She idly noted the streams had been manipulated into the shape of a gyarados and she wondered if it was a natural or artificial phenomenon.

Pricking her ears at a sound, she then froze as a large shadow fell over her.

Slowly turning, she found herself staring at a pair of oddly-clawed green feet. Following them up, she found herself face-to-face with a strange helmeted pokémon.

"Er...hi?" she said slowly, mentally cursing the water at her back.

The beast didn't say anything, merely tilting its head to the side. Sasha took in the design of the helmet and her mind started puzzling it out.

There's massive power lurking inside this thing...is that device some kind of...limiter?

She watched carefully as it lifted one claw towards her and it touched her fur. The beast let out a sound Sasha couldn't quite confirm - somewhere between a growl and a purr before it abruptly turned away and trotted off, its fish-like tail waving happily.

Sasha let out a shaky breath and sat down, doing her best to calm her racing heart with slow, deep breaths.

The beast's touch seemed to linger and it had felt familiar, but Sasha couldn't place her paw on where she had encountered it before.

Shaking herself, she got to her paws and went to find Mewtwo.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(19.1)

From her perch on Mewtwo's shoulders, Sasha stared down at the four islands of Alola.

Well, five, if one counted the large white object in the ocean as an island.

"Looks artificial," Sasha said, squinting at it.

"It is. Probably privately owned as well, so we won't barge in unannounced," Mewtwo said as he descended towards one of the islands.

"Look at you, being all mature and stuff," Sasha teased.

"We're quite a ways in the air," Mewtwo said casually. "Sure would be a shame if you fell."

Sasha stuck her tongue out at him and watched the island below grow in size. Soon, she was able to pick out things such as cities, towns and roads. Mewtwo angled for a large city and they landed at the sea port.

"Malie City," Sasha read off a sign. "Of...Ula'ula."

"I'm quite surprised you got the pronunciation right," Mewtwo said, stretching his limbs as Sasha jumped down.

"Do you know how to pronounce it?" Sasha asked, flexing her paws and shaking herself.

"Not a clue," Mewtwo said cheerfully. "And here come some locals. Although judging by their dress..."

Sasha turned to see a group of people ranging from early to late teens walking towards them, decked out in black and white, gesticulating oddly as they moved.

"Heyo, welcome to Malie City of Ula'ula Island. This here's Team Skull property and any visitors must pay a fee," one said.

"Hold up, C. They're pokémon. So odds are they don't have any money," another said.

"Huh, fancy that. Well then, what do we do, D?" C asked, scratching his head.

"Well, the boss ain't gonna be happy if we don't come back with something," a female said, pulling out a poké ball. "So I guess that means we capture 'em."

"Or you could not do that and let us pass," Sasha said.

"Hold the bone, did that eevee just talk?"

"Sure did, V."

"Before we do something we all regret," Mewtwo said, locking the Skulls' poké balls with a twitch of an eyebrow. "Let's get introductions out of the way. My name is Mewtwo, my companion here is Sasha, and you lot are blocking the way and being a nuisance."

"Dang, C, what do we do?" D asked.

C stroked his chin before sighing. "Let 'em go. Odds are if a pair of pokémon are wandering around, that means they're strong. Tell Plumeria and the boss about them and let them handle 'em, I say."

"Fair enough," D said. "Welcome to Malie City. I hope you enjoy your stay."

As swiftly as they had appeared, the Skull members vanished.

"An…interesting welcoming committee," Mewtwo said.

"I was more amused by the fact they had letters for names," Sasha said. "Do you think N was a Skull member at some point?"

Mewtwo chuckled before peering at a map of the city on a nearby billboard. "Well, since we're here, may as well look around. Shall we split up and meet back somewhere in a few hours?"

Sasha perused the map before nodding slowly. "There's a garden that looks interesting. I'll go give that a look. I'm sure you'll find your own way around?"

"I shall do my best," Mewtwo said as they parted ways.

-
(19.2)

Mewtwo and Sasha hovered above the Orre region and gazed at the barren landscape below.

"Doesn't seem very inviting, does it?" Sasha murmured.

Mewtwo's eyes swept over the land, from the bustling port cities, to the few fertile areas, to what appeared to be the half-melted ruins of an artificial tower in the middle of the desert.

"Mewtwo!"

At Sasha's alarmed yelp, Mewtwo instantly dropped, narrowly avoiding a blue sphere of energy.

"Below, there's more!"

Mewtwo spun around, hands glowing with energy as a veritable swarm of blue spheres shot up at them.

"Aura Spheres," Mewtwo said. "Keep an eye open behind us, will you? This may get a little rough."

He felt Sasha shift around on his shoulders and he flexed his fingers before catching one of the spheres in his hand and swiftly analyzed the aura composition.

"We're dealing with a lucario," Mewtwo said, hurling the sphere at another, causing both to detonate. "But there's something off about his aura. Shall we go introduce ourselves?"

"Not particularly enthused by the idea," Sasha admitted. "But since they're attacking us, it only seems polite to find out why."

Mewtwo chuckled before turning his attention to the oncoming Aura Spheres. With a thought, he simply teleported past them.

"They're coming around," Sasha warned.

"Splendid, they're locked on to our aura signatures," Mewtwo said with a sigh.

"That's possible?" Sasha asked in surprise.

"I have no idea."

Sasha rolled her eyes before firing off a Shadow Ball at the spheres, causing a chain reaction and causing several to explode.

"They seem unstable," the eevee mused. "Does that have anything to do with what you said before?"

Before Mewtwo could answer, a large shape suddenly materialized in front of them and punched the clone in the chest, knocking them out of the sky.

Mewtwo recovered swiftly, body twisting around to land hard on the ground feet-first. Mewtwo lifted one hand, touching Sasha to make sure she was alright as the other formed a psychic barrier between them and their opponent.

"The heck is that?" Sasha said as she got a good look at their opponent. "You said lucario, but-"

"Mega Lucario, calling forth the dormant power of a pokémon to grant a tremendous boost in ability, but..."

The lucario screamed at them before shattering the barrier with its fists and lunged forward.

Mewtwo caught the strike with his hand before blasting it away with Psychic.

"That scream sounded...painful," Sasha said softly as she watched the lucario skid across the ground.

"A poorly executed or - even worse, forced - Mega Evolution is agonizing for a pokémon. It's why there's not a lot of pokémon who can Mega Evolve and the Pokémon League is exceptionally strict about letting trainers use it in battle," Mewtwo said grimly.

"Do you think we can help him?" Sasha asked. Mewtwo blinked in surprise before he narrowed his eyes.

"I...don't know," he said, striding forward. The lucario had vanished and Mewtwo couldn't sense the pokémon's aura in the immediate area.

"Well, that's disappointing," Sasha said, sniffing the ground. Mewtwo gazed around before extending an arm for Sasha to jump up on to.

"What don't we look around a bit and see if anyone else knows about Wes. I'm sure this lucario will track us down again and we can try getting some answers then," Mewtwo suggested. "Plus, it'll give us time to prepare."

Mewtwo stroked Sasha's ears before they teleported away.

-
(19.3)

Mewtwo paced the length of a bookshelf before turning and paced back, eyes glued on the set of books in front of him.

After arriving in Malie City, Sasha and Mewtwo had split up to explore the area before meeting back at the port around noon.

Asking around for information, Mewtwo had been directed to the library by the locals, who hadn't seemed all that surprised to see a giant psychic cat talking into their minds.

Once ensconced in the library, Mewtwo had started reading up on whatever piqued his interest and he had found several books on Alolan culture and began to read.

He sensed Sasha's psychic signature enter the library and he sent the books he had been reading back to their places in the shelves before going downstairs.

The eevee gave him an amused glance before gazing around the place.

"Of course you'd head to the library," she teased. Her face then became serious and she went on. "I ran into something quite interesting in the local garden-"

Before she could continue, the doors to the library burst open and a blonde-haired boy wearing an abundance of black clothing appeared, before doubling over, panting.

Mewtwo and Sasha (as well as the vast majority of everyone else in the vicinity) stared at him, waiting for him to catch his breath.

Eventually, the boy straightened, brushing his hands on his pants before clearing his throat.

"Sorry about that. I'm looking for something - a friend of mine has gone missing. He's about six feet tall, quadruped, wearing a giant wooden helmet and likes to drive me up the wall."

The boy blinked in surprise before pointing at Mewtwo.

"You there! You look strong, and my friend is attracted to strong presences. Have you seen him?"

"Uh...no. I've been here for the past-" Mewtwo glanced at the clock and did a double-take. "Much longer than I anticipated. Sorry, but I haven't seen your friend. Besides, I'd think I would have noticed a creature of that description, as would anyone else here. Especially if it's six feet tall."

"I met him," Sasha spoke up. "In Malie Garden. Didn't say anything, just touched me and ran off."

The boy ran a hand through his hair before sighing heavily. "Of course he did. Sorry to inconvenience you, but do you mind if I tag along with you? Null is sure to track you down again, although...I am quite confused as to why he went to you...a mere eevee."

Sasha narrowed her eyes before Mewtwo placed a hand on her bristling scruff, stroking soothingly over her as she relaxed.

"We will gladly help you find your friend," Mewtwo said. "But you have yet to introduce yourself."

The boy straightened up before striking a rather bizarre pose. "My name is Gladion and my lost friend is named Null."

"Why do we always attract the weird ones?" Sasha muttered to Mewtwo.

"Be nice, Sasha," Mewtwo said. "Now then, Gladion, you said Null is attracted to power, yet for whatever reason he went after Sasha here instead of the strongest psychic legendary in the world-"

"And very modest," Sasha added dryly. "And in no way boastful or egotistical."

"If you are quite finished, I think we can find Null easily enough," Mewtwo said. "With the two of us, we should be enough of a beacon to get Null's attention."

The trio moved outside before Gladion spoke again. "So how does your plan work?"

Mewtwo smiled before turning to Sasha. "You said Null touched you, and I feel his energy on you, so..."

Mewtwo's eyes glowed briefly before he let out a mental psychic pulse, which ran through the entire city.

"The hell was that?" Gladion asked. Mewtwo looked surprised.

"You could feel that?"

Gladion nodded and Mewtwo stroked his chin.

"Hm...well, I was hoping to trace Null's energy back to the source, but he doesn't appear to be in the city. Guess we'll have to try again elsewhere."

"If you're so strong, can't you do it again with a stronger pulse?" Gladion asked.

"I'd rather not turn everyone's brains into pudding," Mewtwo said. "Besides, this gives us an excuse to explore the island and see the sights."

Gladion's face went blank with disbelief.

"You are of course welcome to look for your friend on your own," Mewtwo said, crossing his arms. "I'm just doing this the best way I know how."

Gladion waved his hands dismissively. "No, no, you're right. Compared to searching normally, your way is probably faster. Shall we go?"

Mewtwo, Sasha and Gladion strolled up Ula'ula Island's Route 17, searching for Type: Null.

The sky was a dark gray and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Anything?" Gladion asked, hands in his pockets.

"Yes, actually," Mewtwo said, pointing at a large object in the distance. "The trail leads there."

"What business do you have in Po Town?" asked a new voice, startling the group.

They turned to see a man sitting under a tree, an Alolan meowth curled in his lap.

"We're looking for my friend, Officer Nanu," Gladion replied.

"That giant dog of yours finally come to its senses?" Nanu said with a grin. Gladion narrowed his eyes before jamming his hands into his pockets and walked away, grumbling under his breath.

"Not the nicest one on the force, are you?" Mewtwo asked.

Nanu laughed, a harsh sound. "More like the only one on the force. Nobody else is crazy enough to live near those yahoos holed up in Po Town."

"Yahoos?" Sasha asked.

A look of surprise crossed Nanu's face. "Hunh...don't see many talking pokémon round these parts. Or else you're an exceptionally weird eevee."

"The latter part certainly applies at times," Mewtwo said with a snicker. Sasha rolled her eyes at him before going after Gladion.

"Mhh...I can tell you're strong. I hope you'll keep an eye on those two," Nanu said, leaning back and looking up at the sky. "Especially with that storm brewing."

"They're both stronger than they look," Mewtwo replied.

"Your pet, maybe, but Gladion's always been a weak kid, always relying on others to help him instead of doing things himself. Probably why he joined Team Skull - they're mostly harmless, but they do care for one another, in their own way. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Good luck," Nanu said, getting to his feet as his meowth stood by his side.

"And to you as well, Officer Nanu," Mewtwo said with a salute.

-
(19.4)

"My lord?"

Arceus turned to see Citlali floating upside-down as it worked on the Kanto timeline.

"Is there any particular reason your Blessed can speak the various human languages?"

"It is simply a convenient side effect of unlocking their potential," Arceus said.

"Due to the whole humans evolved from pokémon thing?" Citlali asked, not even trying to hide its disgust. "That was not what I imagined would happen when we first made pokémon to populate the world you made."

"I understand your discomfort with humans. It is why I have many Chosen and Blessed so that they won't do stupid things like make your creations fight and destroy one another," Arceus said, folding its limbs under itself as it sat down.

"I don't really have an issue with that; it's just the evolutionary side of things that I didn't expect. Take dragonair, for example. It goes from beautiful sea dragon to...dragonite."

"I think it's cute," Arceus said defensively.

"You think everything I make is cute," Citlali grumbled, blushing.

"I'm only stating the obvious," Arceus replied. "Now go check on Ash. He's gotten lost again and he needs to be at Cherrygrove by tomorrow or else we'll have a paradox on our hands."

"Can't we put a bell on him? Or a GPS tracker? Or something?" Citlali grumbled.

"It's more fun this way."

"Your sense of humor still needs some work."

-
(19.5)

Arceus paced the length of the Hall of Origin, deep in thought.

It sensed a familiar presence enter the hall and it turned to see a pair of absol standing at the far end.

One had the regular absol coloring of dark blue skin and white fur with white eyes while the other had dark red skin and pale pink fur with striking blue eyes.

"Lord Aiedail," Arceus greeted politely. "What news do you bring?"

"I keep telling you to drop the formalities," Aiedail replied with a long-suffering sigh as he strode down the hall. Arceus' eyes glimmered with amusement and the absol rolled his own in response.

"I regret to inform you that I have lost track of Sasha," he said sheepishly. "It was shortly after she encountered Citlali, who eventually wound up teleporting her."

Arceus grimaced. "That is…unfortunate, but not…catastrophic. Citlali isn't known for murdering his prey. Could you get a general sense of the direction she was teleported?"

Aiedail ducked his head. "I was trying not to be crushed amid the forest Citlali uprooted during the chase."

"Citlali always did have a flair for the dramatic approach," Arceus mused. "Well, I'm sure that wherever she is, she's fine. I don't choose my Blessed willy-nilly and I know she was chosen for a reason."

Shaking its head, Arceus turned its attention to the other absol. "So who is this lovely creature?"

"My mate, Songbreeze," Aiedail said, going to her side and giving her cheek a nuzzle. She smiled slightly before she glanced at Arceus and averted her eyes.

"Come now, my dear, there is no need to be so shy," Arceus said gently, lying down to bring its head down to her level. "We are equals here."

Song took a few breaths before turning a glare on her mate. "When you said you knew someone important, I was expecting a salamance or lapras. Yet here we are with the Creator itself…what else haven't you told me? That you're from another universe or something?"

"Er…" Aiedail mumbled. "I do believe I mentioned that when we first met?"

Song blinked before nodding. "Alright, fair enough." She gazed at him with a scowl that softened when he kissed her nose and she pushed him away lightly before dipping her head to Arceus.

"You'll have to forgive my mate. He's an idiot," she said with a flick of her her blade-like tail, which Aiedail eyed nervously before taking another step back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, uh…Lord Arceus?"

"Just Arceus will do," the amused Original One replied, not quite hiding a smirk.

"Just Arceus it is, then," Song said. "As fun as this has been, I'd rather go somewhere a little less…barren for our next stop, if you'd be so kind, sweetie?"

Aiedail did his best to ignore Arceus' raised eyebrows as he nodded.

"That can be arranged. Perhaps Ecruteak City will be more to your liking? It's quite lovely this time of year, or so I've heard."

"So you've heard," Song said in amusement. "So you've never been there yourself?"

"I have been a little busy keeping an eye on one of Arceus' Blessed," Aiedail pointed out.

"Ah yes, but you've never actually talked with her either, so if we find her again, we'll have to do that."

"Of course, dear."

Arceus watched them teleport away before chuckling and turned back to its work.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(20.1)

"I blame you for this," Sasha said as she and Mewtwo hovered above the burning remains of the Reborn Neo Team Plasma Aerial Frigate.

"You told me to free the pokémon, so I did," Mewtwo said. "How was I supposed to know that would trigger the self-destruct system?"

"Because it's in practically every work of fiction involving giant flying ships!"

"Except this isn't fiction," Mewtwo pointed out. "Neo Reborn Plasma or whatever they're calling themselves nowadays literally installed it and thought it was a good idea."

"Well, at least the pokémon got out alright," Sasha murmured before pricking her ears. "And the police and fire department are on their way to investigate the hullabaloo."

Mewtwo did a quick psychic scan to make sure none of the Plasma members who were still alive were in mortal danger before he and Sasha made themselves scarce.

-

(20.2)

"Only sixty-four trainers made it through the gym circuit?" Sasha asked as she drank some lemonade that had been served by a surly sandslash. "That feels awfully low."

Mewtwo shook his head. "The tournaments are every six months or so and are held in different places to prevent overcrowding. That also gives plenty of time to set things up and space battles out accordingly."

Sasha nodded slowly and curled in Mewtwo's lap.

"Not gonna lie, I was scared at first, but once the battles started, I was able to focus on those and put the fact I was being watched by thousands of people out of my mind."

"More like a little over ten thousand, and that's not counting the additional people watching from home or online," Mewtwo corrected, smoothing her ruffled fur. Sasha rolled her eyes and flicked her tail.

"I don't have a problem with that, since they're not here."

Mewtwo stroked her ears. "I'm glad you had fun."

"Fighting a slaking, slowking, seaking, nidoking, kingler and kingdra is hardly what I'd call fun," Sasha replied, stretching her sore limbs.

"What matters is that you won. Since your next match is tomorrow, shall we depart, or would you like to see the other matches?" Mewtwo asked.

Sasha shook her head. "I'd rather have Ash's team be a surprise. Let's go."

"If that is what you wish."

-

(20.3)

Well...this could be going better.

Sasha hung in the grip of a very angry hydreigon and was silently thanking Arceus for giving her alternate forme greatly boosted stats all across the board. Mewtwo had called it something like Evo Boost and she'd accepted the moniker for the boost without comment.

Wrenching her mind out of the clouds, Sasha gritted her teeth and triggered Flash, causing the dragon to release her. All it really did was anger the dragon even more and she then found herself on the receiving end of Solar, Charge, and Hyper Beams.

Pokemon with multiple mouths, she decided, sucked.

Enveloping herself with a Mirror Coat, she tanked the trio of moves before firing them back at the dragon, sending it crashing through the copse of trees that dominated the middle of the field.

She winced as the dragon kept going, crashing through the wall of the stadium.

"And the winner of the quarter-finals by ring-out is Sasha!" came the announcer's voice, cutting through the roar of the crowd.

Sasha peered after the hydreigon worriedly. "Do you think it's okay?" she asked Mewtwo as the clone scooped her into his arms, giving her a light squeeze.

"Believe me, hydreigon are some of the most durable dragons out there. They're considered pseudo-legendary for a reason."

Sasha nodded and watched as the trainer called out his swanna to chase after the dragon-type.

"Sorry!" she called as he flew past.

"Did that trainer seriously only have five pokemon?" Mewtwo asked, shaking his head. "Sloppy."

"That's why they made the opening round a two versus one battle," Sasha replied. "Which was a good way to keep the match somewhat fair by mixing it up from the usual six versus one it would've been otherwise."

Mewtwo nodded. "You did well against his lucario and ferrothorn. you didn't even use Fire or Fighting moves, even though that would've made it much easier."

He ruffled her ears. "Very clever of making them hit each other to preserve your energy though."

Sasha purred and nibbled on his fingers. Mewtwo pulled them away and she pouted.

"Come along, little one. Let's get you healed and then we can go home for the day."

Stroking over her fur, the clone exited the field and made his way through the league's halls, swinging by the Nurse Joy on duty to treat Sasha before heading out onto the road.

"Mewtwo!"

The duo jumped in surprise at the booming voice and Mewtwo looked around, not seeing anyone.

"Up here."

Looking up, the duo was greeted with the sight of Arceus striding down from the sky as if descending a flight of stairs. On his back, a mew and celebi waved to them.

"Lord Arceus," Mewtwo greeted. "What brings you here?"

"I - we - were in the area and decided to come see Ash battle. Did we miss anything?"

"Just the first two rounds," Sasha replied.

Arceus and Mew stared at Celebi.

"...Seriously?" Celebi deadpanned. "Seriously?!"

"I wanna watch Ash fight," Arceus said stubbornly, closely chorused by Mew.

With a long-suffering sigh, Celebi waved farewell to Mewtwo and Sasha before all three vanished in a flash of light.

"Did you see them during your first match?" Mewtwo asked.

"Nope. Did you?"

"Nope."

"My winnings says they ended up at least five weeks off target," Sasha said with a grin.

"I will double that and put it on a month exactly," Mewtwo replied, kissing her nose to seal the deal.

-

(20.4)

Mewtwo watched as Sasha tested out her power.

The duo had traveled to the desolate land to the north of Mt. Moon, the site of a great war or something eons ago. Off in the distance, a palace loomed; and beyond that, a large tree.

"Hold this for me, would you?" Sasha asked, carefully removing the Eviolite from her collar and undid her scarf. Mewtwo wrapped the orb in the material and teleported it away.

"You are capable of retrieving things you teleport, right?" Sasha asked. Mewtwo simply held out a hand, scarf reappearing before it vanished again.

Smiling slightly, Sasha then tapped into her power. Shaking herself, the umbreon examined herself, flexing her paws and limbs with a frown.

"Feels different without the Eviolite?" Mewtwo asked.

"Oddly enough, not as much as I was expecting," Sasha murmured. "If anything, it feels...lighter?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not the right word..." Stamping a paw in frustration, she then shot into the sky with a shriek of surprise.

Mewtwo rose with her, arms crossed, face carefully blank as she flailed and twisted in midair.

He carefully leveled the changed eevee, reorienting her so she was level again and she relaxed before staring down.

"Right...randomization...eheh...think we could go down and try again?"

One quick flash later had them on the ground again and Sasha took a break before flicking the imaginary Metronome.

A hole opened up in the air in front of her and she poked her head in curiously.

"Hi Palkia," she said cheerfully to the baffled legendary pokémon before she pulled her head back as the hole closed.

Using the move again, Sasha briefly glowed pink before she unleashed Secret Power.

Another use had her use Sharpen, which turned her fur spiky like a Jolteon's, yet metallic.

She then went through it several times in quick succession, unleashing Fire Plume, Earth Power, Dazzling Gleam, Metal Burst, Screech, Toxic - she had to stop to throw up the bitter substance to prevent being poisoned herself - and one last use had her unleashing a massive ring of fire that turned the ground to glass and had Sasha wheezing for breath as it took its toll on her.

Mewtwo watched the proceedings carefully, senses monitoring Sasha's vitals and he was surprised she was able to do so much in a short amount of time and once he'd made sure the fire wouldn't cause problems, he knelt by her side and stroked the back of her neck gently as she drank the water he had pulled from the ground.

"You have improved quite a bit since that time you blew up," Mewtwo said.

Sasha licked her lips and shook herself. "Odd thing was, I could feel the type of the move I was going to use before choosing to actually use it."

Mewtwo tilted his head, gaze thoughtful. "Well, it's not like you have to use Metronome when you transform."

Sasha shrugged. "It's more fun when you're not entirely sure what you're gonna do next and I can understand in some situations it's probably wise to not leave things to chance…so…"

Mewtwo nodded and they resumed training.

-

(20.5)

Somewhere on the Kanto mainland, Sasha wandered aimlessly.

Blood ran down her body from various cuts and scratches she'd accumulated over the past several hours. Further adding to her misery, the sky was black with rain clouds and the water poured down as if it was determined to wash away everything below.

"You'll catch your death out there."

Sasha barely registered the voice and she looked around blankly, ears perked.

"Over here, little one."

Through the deluge, Sasha saw an opening to a cave or grotto of some kind and she staggered into it before collapsing on her stomach, panting as her weariness caught up with her.

"Goodness; rarely do I encounter young ones out on their own. Have you no parents?"

Sasha's eyes adjusted to the gloom and she made out the faint shape of an absol curled up in a nest of dry grass against the far side of the enclosed space. His eyes were milky white and Sasha realized with a start the pokémon was blind.

"Ah, so you've noticed."

Sasha averted her eyes and got to her feet.

"Sorry," she said. "I'll just be on my way then."

"So eager to rush to your death?" the absol asked, tilting its head.

"…"

"Didn't think so. I apologize for the lack of a fire or warmth. You may want to find some way to dry yourself before you catch a chill," the absol said, flexing its paws.

"I'd rather not cause a mess," Sasha said, discreetly flicking her back paws free of moisture. The absol laughed.

"It is no problem," the absol said as a Protect barrier shimmered to life. "Go ahead."

Sasha shook herself hard, sending water flying everywhere. Relaxing with a sigh, she shivered and fluffed her fur against the cool air.

"So, how did you come to be wandering out here on your lonesome?" the absol asked.

Sasha hesitated and the absol nodded.

"Fair enough. You are, of course, not obligated to tell me anything. But do you mind if I make some educated guesses?"

"Go ahead."

"There's blood on you – you're quite hardy for one so young. Most pokémon your age wouldn't have dared travel with such wounds, so you're running from something. They were received long enough ago that they've healed somewhat, but the weather has reopened a few of the larger ones."

Sasha nodded before chiding herself for doing so – the absol couldn't see the motion. "Yeah, that's right," she said.

"There's something else…you have a…feeling about you. You're one of his, aren't you?"

Sasha frowned. "What do you mean?"

"A Blessed, picked by Lord Arceus."

"A what?"

"That is not for me to say," the absol said.

"But how do you know what a Blessed is?" Sasha asked.

"I've been around a long time. Wasn't always blind – I've seen a lot of things in my time before I was given a new course in life. Now I spend my time listening."

"You're not making sense," Sasha said.

"I'm old. I'm allowed to be vague and cryptic," the absol said with a grin. "It's one of life's few joys the older generation gets to experience. One day, you'll understand."

"Right," Sasha replied before lifting and shaking her paws at a time with a grimace.

"Rest," the abol said gently. "You're young, but not immortal. Stay here until the rain lets up, at least."

"…Thank you," Sasha said. A glance around the space revealed a second nest and she settled down in it carefully before she gently licked her wounds before curling her tail around herself and drifted off to sleep.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(21.1)

Mewtwo jerked awake as something warm, soft and wet abruptly burrowed into his chest in the middle of the night.

Months of living with Sasha kept him from flinging the intruder off of himself and he gently touched the trembling bundle of fur, tracing over the familiar contours of the eevee's small body.

"Another nightmare?"

He felt her mind brush against his own and he embraced it tenderly, taking in her recent memories.

Sitting up, he wrapped Sasha in his arms and gently kissed her head as her body twitched, likely from her attempts not to sob aloud.

"Hush now, little one. That will never come to pass. I will not leave you as others have before."

Even as he said the words, he wondered if he could keep that promise. It wasn't the first time he had made such a claim.

But he had been younger then; naive, unsure. Now, with over twenty years to hone his ability, he wondered if he'd finally be able to keep it.

His tender touches eventually calmed the terrified eevee and she spent the rest of the night nestled against him.

-

(21.2)

Ash Ketchum scaled Memorial Pillar alone.

It was called such to honor those that had fallen during the battle to keep Cyrus from destroying reality and even now, Ash had to wonder if they had truly succeeded in doing so.

Yes, Cyrus had been stopped, but it had been exceptionally costly to do so. Even with several different versions of some of the most powerful trainers and pok?mon from all over the multiverse, they had struggled against the leader of Team Galactic and his dream.

Reaching the top of the pillar, Ash took a moment to catch his breath and looked around.

The top of the pillar had walls to keep the wind out and on those walls were etched countless names of pok?mon and humans.

Reaching into his backpack, Ash took out a wrapped package and opened it as he walked to a section of the wall. Reading over the names, he gently traced them with his fingers.

"Sorry I'm late," he said quietly. "I've been busy this past month with the League."

He smiled. "But I met some amazing new friends. I'm sure you'd have gotten along."

For the next several hours, Ash talked to the dead, telling them about his latest adventures.

Sometimes, he felt like he wasn't alone, that the ghosts of the departed were there with him, also sharing their own stories with him. Not with words, but in their own way.

As the sun started to set, he set the package he had brought with him down at the base of the wall.

"Thank you for everything," he murmured before rising to his feet. Casting one last glance around the room, he took his leave.

The dark flower he had placed stirred in a non-existent wind before dissolving into ash and blowing away.

-

(21.3)

Red and Green walked down one of Pallet Town's roads towards their homes, swapping stories of their adventures.

Green was doing most of the talking while Red was a little more conservative with his words; a habit he'd picked up as a child where he had spent more time with pok?mon than with humans, learning how to convey more through gestures and body movements than speaking.

Green stretched his arms above his head and dropped them with a sigh.

"Another day, another battle. Well, several of them, actually," he said. "While I don't mind having several leaders for Viridian's gym, having to cover when someone is sick is always a pain."

Red arched an eyebrow inquisitively.

"I was covering for Seth, the Dark-type leader. Someone came in with a team specifically designed to negate that type and apparently that type only, which meant a lot of Bug and Fighting types."

Red winced and Green nodded.

"Didn't even have moves to counter their own weaknesses so none of them were able to lay a hit on pidgeot. I offered to switch pok?mon to something they could at least have a chance of taking out, but some sense of pride kept them from accepting."

Red snorted and Green blushed.

"Oh come on, I was never too prideful to accept when I was in over my head!"

Red then proceeded to flail his arms, mouth open in a silent scream, eyes wide with mock fright and Green scowled at him.

"Lavender Town doesn't count," he said stiffly. "Besides, didn't you react similarly when that girl noticed that hand on your shoulder?"

Red dipped his head sheepishly, conceding the point.

The duo came to a fork in the path.

"Take care, Red," Green said. "See you later. I'll tell my sister you said hi."

Red rolled his eyes and the two trainers parted ways.

-

(21.4)

Deep within Cerulean Cave, a few years after the cataclysm at Spear Pillar, Mewtwo opened his eyes.

Someone had entered the cave system.

He had chosen the cave due to the League declaring it off-limits to anyone without at least eight badges and made it to the top sixty-four or its equivalent in a League, which meant he rarely ever got visitors and the labyrinthine nature of the cave system meant he could meditate and organize his thoughts in peace.

Taking a shortcut, Mewtwo soon found himself staring down at a trainer who, from a casual glance, seemed woefully unprepared to venture beyond the entrance.

Mewtwo kept to the shadows, watching carefully. The pok?mon here usually avoided humans, but there were always exceptions. On top of that, some humans chased down pok?mon relentlessly, not realizing some pok?mon did not want to be caught and by doing so could set the entire population of the cave against themselves.

Mewtwo watched dispassionately as the human stumbled into one of the psychic's many traps, which promptly turned the human around and sent him right back out of the cave.

Renewing the trap, he went to check on the rest before disappearing back into the depths.

-

(21.5)

"Have you ever considered learning how to dance?"

Sasha looked up from her steamed dumplings at Mewtwo's question before looking away, ears warming with embarrassment.

"I used to dance for a friend of mine before Team Rocket ruined my life," she said. "He was the one who taught me, actually."

"That green-eyed eevee friend?" Mewtwo asked.

Sasha twitched in surprise, eyebrows rising before she nodded and nibbled on her food so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"Any particular reason you haven't picked it up again?"

"Never found the time," Sasha replied.

"You and I both know that isn't the case," Mewtwo countered neutrally.

"What use would being able to cavort around like a loon?" Sasha asked, bitterness coloring her words.

"Throwing off your opponents in battle, for one," Mewtwo said. "It's also a good way to relieve stress and refocus yourself."

"Speaking from experience?" Sasha asked dryly.

Mewtwo placed his silverware down, wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

He then proceeded to flow through a series of moves that involved his entire body that had Sasha's jaw hanging open in disbelief.

Mewtwo finished with a slightly mocking bow before resuming his meal.

"I'm sure you'll find some use for dancing if you feel so inclined," the clone said. "I'll be happy to help you find a teacher as well."

"Couldn't you teach me?" Sasha asked.

"Bipedal doesn't translate well to quadruped and you'd look quite silly if you tried," Mewtwo pointed out.

"Isn't one of the sayings 'Dance like nobody is watching'?" Sasha asked. "Most dancing looks quite silly anyway so whether it's on two paws or four shouldn't matter. Besides, I could probably adapt it to four legs if I wanted to."

Mewtwo stroked his chin thoughtfully before inclining his head. "Very well. I will teach you the basics and your homework will be adapting them to your own style. Eventually, we'll incorporate actual attack moves and move on from there."

"You've been planning this," Sasha accused.

"I have," Mewtwo said.

"...Why?"

"Because I was bored and thought it'd be an interesting idea."

"You'd make a dangerous mad scientist."

"You forget who created me."

 

[Nah]

Dancing now? Mewtwo's quite the multi-talented man, er, 'mon {XD}

 

[Twilight-kun]

Dancing now? Mewtwo's quite the multi-talented man, er, 'mon {XD}

As long as you don't ask him to sing...

Amusingly, despite that, I'm reasonably sure Sasha could dance circles around him without too much effort

Spoiler:

 

[Twilight-kun]

(22.1)

"Fancy meeting you here."

Mewtwo looked up from his drink of vanilla, cream, vodka and strawberry to see Sabrina slide into the seat beside his.

She ordered a cherry wine and gave his drink an amused glance.

"Still drinking that swill I see."

"I could say the same for you," Mewtwo said, moving his drink out of her reach so that she wouldn't be able to dump hers into it. "What brings you here?"

"Felt cooped up at the gym, so I decided to get out and clear my head," Sabrina said.

"Dressed like that, I'd imagine you're looking for something completely different," Mewtwo said dryly, taking in the form-fitting bare-shouldered lace-trimmed violet cocktail dress she was wearing.

"Judging from your lack of clothes, I'd say the same about you," Sabrina said, matching his tone.

"Au contraire, ma chère, I am merely expressing myself."

Sabrina chuckled and sipped her drink. "It's nice having you around," she said warmly. "Feels good to have a like-minded individual around I can debate with."

"Feels less like a debate and more like a lecture," Mewtwo muttered into his drink.

Sabrina's lips twitched slightly and she scowled playfully at him.

"That aside, how have you been?" she asked. "You basically drop off the face of the planet for a decade and now you're looking after an eevee who can one-shot experienced gym pokémon like it's nothing. What's changed?"

Mewtwo hesitated, hands tightening around his drink before he sighed. "She just reminded me of an old friend," he said.

"From that tone, I'd say that old friend was a bit more than that," Sabrina said.

Mewtwo watched the bubbles in his drink, idly manipulating them with his telekinesis.

"True," he said after a few moments. "Weird thing is...sometimes she feels very familiar to me, yet other times she's a complete stranger."

Sabrina blinked slowly before she set her drink down. "Have you gone through her mind?"

"Skimmed, yes. In-depth...no."

Sabrina leaned back, arms crossed. "Then I suggest you do that sometime soon. If you want to know more about her...well, the best way to do that is talk."

"I know how socializing works, thank you," Mewtwo said with a roll of his eyes.

"I mean talk about the parts of her that don't feel like...her. Kinda like how I've got memories of several Sabrina and Natsume rattling around in my head. I know which ones are my own and which were gifted to me after that event a decade ago."

Mewtwo finished his drink and paid for it before standing up. "I will do that. Thank you."

"Don't be a stranger," Sabrina said with a wave of her hand. "I miss our nights together."

"Those weren't our nights," Mewtwo said, "But...maybe someday we could...revisit them."

Sabrina's eyes met his own and Mewtwo reached out to gently cup her cheek, stroking her face softly.

"I look forward to it."

-

(22.2)

Mewtwo stared at Giovanni as if he had grown a second head.

"Oh, don't look so shocked. I merely want a battle with your friend," the leader said.

"And why would she accept?" Mewtwo asked, crossing his arms, fur rippling angrily.

"I think that answer lies with her, no?" Giovanni asked, eyes moving from the clone to the eevee by Mewtwo's side. "Well?"

Sasha hesitated, red eyes flicking back and forth between Mewtwo and the Rocket Leader.

"I don't see why I couldn't battle," Sasha said slowly. Mewtwo gritted his teeth and then relaxed, shoulders slumping as his uncrossed his arms.

"Very well. Are we to battle here then?"

Giovanni gazed around the flat land thoughtfully. "I don't see why not. I merely want to test something. And before you say anything, I chose you as my test subjects because you...interest me."

Sasha headbutted Mewtwo's leg and the clone glanced down at her before he nodded. "Very well. Any particular rules?"

"One vs one," Giovanni said, pulling a poke ball out of his trench coat pocket. "This shouldn't take long."

He threw it into the air. "Rhydon, let's go."

The Rhydon appeared in a flash of light and landed heavily, causing the ground to quake. It let out a roar and spun its drill with a high whir.

"You may attack at your leisure," Giovanni said, removing his gloves.

Sasha hesitated before firing off a Swift at the dual-typed pokemon, who didn't even twitch as they bounced harmlessly off its thick hide.

Rhydon then stomped on the ground, sending a wave of rocks at the eevee, who leaped over them, kicking off them to gain height. Once she reached the apex of her leap, she fired off an ice beam.

Giovanni's eyes gleamed.

"Dodge," he ordered.

The Rhydon blurred from sight, causing Mewtwo and Sasha's eyes to go wide in surprise.

It reappeared above Sasha and slammed her into the ground with a Hammer Arm.

When the dust cleared, there was no sign of the eevee, aside from a pile of dirt and a hole in the ground.

"Dig's not going to save you," Giovanni said, rubbing his wrist. "Earthquake, then Horn Drill."

The ground warped under the powerful Earthquake and a white shape shot out of it. Rhydon's horn spun up and it lunged forward.

Sasha twisted in midair to avoid the deadly horn before cracking the Drill Pokemon across the face with an Iron Tail.

Giovanni nodded as his pokemon hit the ground. "Let's call it there, then. You're fast on your paws. Dainty though, which may trouble you down the line. But your species is all about adaptation, so I suspect that won't be much of an issue."

Sasha frowned. "But that was hardly a battle!"

Giovanni shrugged. "Had it kept going, you'd have transformed and gotten faster, which would've put me at a disadvantage."

"Bull," Mewtwo said, picking Sasha up and gently touched her bruises. "Your Rhydon is no slouch in the speed department and even with her transformation, she'd still have been weaker offensively and defensively. And you didn't play your own trump card."

"Oh? You noticed?" Giovanni said, shaking his sleeve back to reveal a watch. Laid onto its face was a Key Stone.

"Mega Evolution?" Sasha said in disbelief. "Rhydon can Mega Evolve?"

"Normally a Rhydon evolves into a Rhyperior when holding a Protector, but that's permanent," Mewtwo said, glancing at the Rhydon, spotting the telltale glint of a Mega Stone under its chest armor. "By utilizing Mega Evolution, it can achieve the form temporarily for battles. Similar things are possible for Electabuzz, Dusclops and Magmar."

"You've done your research," Giovanni said approvingly. "I'd expect nothing less from the property of Team Rocket. Well, ex-property, as you keep reminding me."

Sasha heard Mewtwo growl low in his chest and she gave him a comforting nuzzle. He looked down at her and their eyes met for a moment before the replica relaxed.

Turning, Giovanni put his gloves back on, pulled his coat collar up and walked away.

-

(22.3)

Mewtwo and Sasha stared at the wall of rocks in front of them.

"Well, that's inconvenient," Sasha said.

Mewtwo shook his head. "Not entirely. I could easily shift this with my power and make everyone's day easier."

Sasha glanced at him, ears twitching. "You said could."

Mewtwo waved a hand at the nearby stream, pulling a startled Magikarp out of the flowing water.

"Why waste my own power when I can utilize others'?"

Sasha blinked slowly. "Magikarp can't learn Rock Smash," she said slowly.

Mewtwo snorted. "Allow me to prove you wrong."

Wielding the fish like a flail, Mewtwo set to work smashing the rocks into a fine powder, using the fish to sweep the path clear.

The weirdest part was that the Magikarp seemed to be enjoying the entire experience.

Mewtwo tossed the woozy fish back into the stream once he had finished and smirked at the eevee.

"You were saying?"

Sasha shook her head. "Not even gonna bother."

-

(22.4)

"Sasha, I'd like your opinion on something," Mewtwo said, poking his head out of his bedroom/office.

From her position on the couch, Sasha lifted her head and stared over the arm of the furniture at him before she got to her paws, stretched, and joined him.

"What is it?" she asked, eyes roaming over the bookshelves and cluttered confines of the replica's room.

"Do you know what the term "Mary Sue" is?"

"From your tone, it's not something pleasant," Sasha said. "No, I have not heard the term used. Why?"

Mewtwo waved a hand at his computer. "Some of my editors have warned me that one of my characters fits the bill."

"What do you think?" Sasha asked, jumping into Mewtwo's lap so she could read the screen.

"I know I use some of the clichés surrounding such characters, but that's sometimes unavoidable. What matters is the execution," Mewtwo said, brushing his hands through her fur.

"Do you think you've executed it well?" Sasha said, skimming the chapter.

"I am quite biased towards my own work," Mewtwo said dryly. "Therefore, what I think is irrelevant."

"You're just writing for fun anyway," Sasha pointed out. "So you're not...hm...completely bound by the rules of writing. From what I see here, your character tends to get trounced quite easily early on and it's not until they meet someone who can help them train that they improve. From there, it's a natural advancement of power."

Sasha flicked her ears as Mewtwo played with them before she continued.

"Although you could stand to increase the power of their opponents. I almost feel sorry for how poorly they're portrayed."

"Thank you for your input. I will strive to do better in the future."

-

(22.5)

Guzma leaned on the rickety railing on one of the dilapidated mansion's many second-story balconies and stared up at the sky.

On his head, a Wimpod snoozed.

"Boss?"

Guzma's eye twitched and he let out a deep sigh before turning to see Plumeria leaning against the door frame.

"We've got guests. And Li'l G is back looking for his dog."

Guzma grunted and stretched, cracking his back loudly as he entered the mansion and made his way downstairs.

His eyes landed on the child clad in black and red and he felt a surge of pride that he had helped raise such a strong trainer. Squashing the thought before it took hold, the leader of Team Skull gazed at the other two beside the boy.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" he said, getting their attention. "Bad enough that kid has a dog. Now he's bringing cats and rats into my home?"

He squinted at the eevee. "The heck is wrong with you? Your color is all off. You some kind of mutant Vulpix or something?"

"I'm just looking for Null," Gladion said.

"You just missed him. Some Aether goons came by and scooped him up. Didn't tell me why," Guzma said.

Gladion swore and spun on his heel.

"Boy," Guzma said sharply, bringing Gladion to a stumbling halt. "Don't do anything stupid, ya hear?"

Gladion nodded curtly before dashing outside, followed a moment later by the other two.

"Wonder where he picked those two up," Guzma said, crossing his arms. "Hopefully Lusamine goes easy on them."

Shaking his head, he disappeared into the mansion's depths.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(23.1)

Arceus, Giratina, Dialga, Palkia and the Lake Trio stared at the Sinnoh time stream silently.

"If this at all salvageable, you think?" Dialga asked.

"We've managed to restore and shore up the others well enough," Mesprit said, tails twitching anxiously.

"Sinnoh is...difficult. It has ties to several other streams and messing with them may undo everything we've already restored," Arceus said as it followed several thin streams connecting Johto and Kanto to a black snarl - the Time Crash - situated at the peak of the stream.

"And we couldn't start with it due to not having enough information," Uxie said with a sigh. "Either way you look at it, Sinnoh may be unrecoverable."

"But we all have memories of the event," Azelf pointed out. "Couldn't we go through them and use the parts that match to get a picture?"

"When did it take place?" Arceus asked.

"Sunday," Palkia said.

"Tuesday - it was also raining," Dialga said.

"Thursday, some time during the summer," Uxie said.

The three exchanged surprised glances with one another and turned to Arceus, who tilted its head in amusement.

"I see what you mean," Mesprit said, gaze thoughtful. "But surely there's some consistency within our memories?"

"There were dozens of other versions of us involved in that clash; that much we've agreed on. And once we started restoring the timeline, we picked up memories of their experiences, which makes it even more unreliable..." Giratina said.

"What of Cyrus?" Arceus asked.

"The only thing in his mind is his obsession with a world without spirit," Azelf said bitterly. "It's...honestly amazing how focused he is."

"So there's nothing we can do at this time," Arceus said, getting to its feet. "Very well. Back to your previous missions. Celebi?"

A pink celebi popped into view with a giggle. "Yes, my dear?"

"I need you to find Citlali for me. Or Mewtwo, if possible."

Celebi pouted. "They're ridiculously gifted at being hard to track down when they don't want to be found, but I'll do my best and send them to you."

"Thank you."

The Hall of Origin hummed with activity as the Legendaries got back to work.

-

(23.2)

"That's a cute pokémon. Mine's cute too! Eevee!"

Sasha fell through a kaleidoscope of color before her paws touched down on solid ground.

She gazed around, taking in the crystals jutting out of the walls, floor and ceiling. Something about them felt off and she sensed...

"What is all this?" she murmured to herself as she started walking down the hall that opened up before her.

As she walked, the walls grew lighter and for some reason, she felt happy. A warmth blossomed in her chest and she felt...an unfamiliar feeling she couldn't put a name to.

Her paws carried her without thinking up a flight of stairs and she found herself standing in front of a door with a simple sign with a word on it she couldn't read.

But whatever in that room was the source of her happiness.

Pushing it open, she saw two boys talking to-

"Molly!"

The name tore itself out of Sasha's throat and without a second thought, she ran forward and glomped the young girl.

"Eevee?" the girl said in surprise. "But...how...?"

"Why didn't she go away like the others?" Sasha heard Brock say faintly.

"I like her," Molly's warm voice muttered into Sasha's ear. "I don't want her to go away, not one bit!"

"Molly," Sasha said gently, "I love you. But – I don't mind going."

"What?" Molly asked. "Really? But-"

"I never existed before," Sasha said. "I wish I could have more time with you, but if I have to go away when you're healthy... then I really don't mind. You being healthy matters more."

Sasha had no idea where the words were coming from, nor did she understand what was happening, but they made sense to her.

"Eevee," Molly murmured into Sasha's fur.

"Molly, you need to wake up."

Sasha stared into Molly Hale's tear-filled eyes and smiled at her.

She silently spoke three words and the world dissolved into white.

-

(23.3)

Sasha squirmed as her mother groomed her fur with long licks.

The umbreon chuckled at her daughter's feeble protests before nuzzling her.

"There, now you're all set for your date with that eevee friend of yours."

"It's not a date, mom," Sasha said, flicking her ears.

"Give it a few years," came the amused reply she'd heard many times before.

Sasha gave her mother a final nuzzle before she ducked out of the den and stretched her limbs one at a time in the early morning sunlight.

She then let out a yelp as something tackled her from the side. Reacting swiftly, Sasha twisted herself around so that her assailant took the majority of the impact with the ground.

Disengaging, she stared down at the grinning green-eyed eevee and kicked dirt at him.

"Jerk," she said with a half-smile.

"Good to see you too," he said, getting his paws under him. "Up for a bit of foraging?"

Sasha perked up. "You found something?"

The eevee nodded. "A whole lot of berry trees with quite a few other fruits and vegetables nearby-"

"You don't mean a farm, do you?" Sasha asked. "You know we're not allowed near them."

The eevee rolled his eyes. "It's not like the humans there could catch us if they tried."

"No, but their pokémon could certainly kill us for taking their trainers' food," Sasha pointed out.

"...Fair enough," the eevee sighed, ears drooping.

"Relax," Sasha said, nudging him. "There's plenty other places to search for food. Come on."

Umbreon watched her daughter head off with her friend before she pricked her ears. A jolteon appeared in a bright flash of light and stumbled as got its paws under itself.

Umbreon caught the male eeveelution with a paw and gave him a friendly nuzzle.

"Welcome home, love," she said, eyes sparkling with affection. The jolteon smiled and returned the nuzzle.

"Where's Sasha?" he asked, shaking himself.

"She just left with her friend to go foraging."

Jolteon frowned before shaking his head with a snort. His wife nudged him lightly.

"For someone calling himself the Yellow Flash, you have the worst sense of timing," she teased.

He snorted, rolling his purple eyes. "Yeah, yeah, so you keep telling me. Not my fault the elders kept me so long – apparently there's been sightings of Team Rocket members in the area."

Umbreon's fur rippled in alarm. "They wouldn't dare-"

"They don't care," Jolteon said grimly.

"Sasha-"

"She's…safer out there. I don't like it, but out there, she at least has places to hide. If Team Rocket shows up here, we'll drive them off," Jolteon said, fur sparking.

Umbreon nodded slowly, leaning against her husband's side for comfort before they went back into their den.

-

(23.4)

Rei and Mewtwo were curled up together on the couch watching the credits of a movie roll by.

The door to the apartment creaked open and Sasha wandered in, kicking the door closed behind her before glancing at the duo and chirped a tired greeting.

"Welcome home, Sasha," Mewtwo said. Rei shifted, getting off of him. She met his inquisitive gaze with a mischievous one of her own and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

She bid the duo farewell before teleporting away.

"Did I interrupt something?" Sasha asked.

"What? Oh, no. No, you didn't…" Mewtwo said absently, turning off the television.

Sasha jumped onto the arm of the couch. "What were you watching, anyway?"

"A film featuring Mega Evolution," Mewtwo said, straightening the furniture with a thought.

"Do you have a Mega Evolution?" Sasha asked.

"I do, but I do not have the means to access it at the moment," Mewtwo replied.

"What's it like?" Sasha asked, pricking her ears attentively.

"It takes what I already have and makes it even worse," Mewtwo answered. He met Sasha's blank stare with an amused one of his own. "It's…bulky, to say the least."

"You make it sound inconvenient," Sasha said as she sank into the couch cushion. She idly sniffed the couch, taking comfort in Mewtwo's scent before she shook her head with a frown.

"It's mainly based around boosting my physical attacks and offers a minor boost to defensive capabilities," Mewtwo explained. "Rei, on the other hand, has a form that boosts special attacks and speed."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Sasha asked in disbelief.

Mewtwo turned on her, eyes blazing, teeth bared. "I am not-!"

He stopped himself and took a deep breath, running a trembling hand down his face with an exasperated sigh.

"Hardly," he said after a moment.

"So I take it you're helping her get a handle on that form, and her powers in general?" Sasha said.

"Not…really, no. She's already well-trained in using both. She's not as strong as me," he added with a touch of pride; Sasha rolled her eyes and he went on. "But the potential is there. Especially with that X form of hers…"

"X form? That's…not really creative," Sasha said with a twitch of her tail.

"It's based around the fact Charizard has two forms that are classified as X and Y, with X adding dragon to the mix whereas Y just accentuates the traits already present in its base form," Mewtwo said, sitting on the couch beside Sasha.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence before Sasha eventually moved to curl up on Mewtwo's lap. The clone brushed a hand through her fur and let his mind wander as the eevee drifted off to sleep.

-

(23.5)

Citlali woke up at the bottom of the sea and frowned.

Turning her head this way and that, she took stock of her watery surroundings.

"What-"

She choked as a slightly deeper voice than she was used to forced its way out of her throat and she did a quick scan of her body.

"Huh...male now. Odd. Wonder why. But where-"

The mew took a deep breath, organizing its thoughts.

It had been fighting Cyrus, alongside its friends and family.

Then Cyrus had pulled reality apart, causing several other legendaries to join the fray.

Some had sided with Cyrus - usually the ones with a grudge against humans and/or pokémon, which had made everything impossible to follow.

Before Citlali could delve deeper into its memories, it felt a massive surge of power - one the mew recognized as an urgent summons from Arceus.

Focusing its power, Citlali teleported.

Reappearing in the Hall of Origin, it looks around to see other familiar faces popping into view.

Some were haunted, others were curious and quiet murmurings soon filled the Hall.

Citlali hovered above it all, searching for a familiar presence, but couldn't find it.

Ho-Oh was also conspicuously absent and Citlali saw Raikou, Suicune and Entei talking with Lugia, who looked exceptionally haggard.

Citlali perked up as Arceus appeared and the entire room went quiet.

The Creator scanned the room silently for a moment before speaking.

"As you are no doubt aware, there's been a massive upheaval with reality, once again with Cyrus' hand behind it. The first time, he was stopped, the second time he succeeded, which led to me sending Ash back to stop him. And now as a result of that conflict, we're in the middle of yet another crisis."

"Oh, come on!" Moltres spat. "It's the same song and dance every year. Some schmuck thinks he can harness the power of a legendary, almost causes the apocalypse and is stopped. Then we have maybe a month's respite before the next problem-"

Lugia buffeted the fiery bird into silence and Arceus nodded.

"I am well aware of the frequency of attacks and I apologize for that. It's why I have my Chosen and Blessed out there. But as you can see, it's not always effective. However, there's a slightly more pressing matter we need to talk about."

A series of black strands popped into view, twisted in and around one another in an incomprehensible mess.

"Time itself has been affected by this...Time Crash and if we don't work fast, we will lose everything. For now, I have moved the Hall of Origin outside time and space to give ourselves some breathing room to get things properly organized before we begin. Please sort yourselves by region and stand by for further instruction."

The pokémon in the room swiftly shuffled around, getting situated. The Johto beasts looked around blankly before Lugia called them over.

Citlali watched the proceedings disinterestedly before hovering over to Arceus.

"So Mewtwo has ignored my summons?" Arceus mused.

"He could be dead. Or in hiding. Or unconscious. Or...any number of things, really. Never was one for crowds and often only showed up to clean up the mess after the crisis was over," Citlali said.

"Find him," Arceus said.

"By your command," Citlali said, vanishing.

Arceus stared at where the diminutive legendary had been curiously. "Could've sworn they were female last time we met..."

 

[Twilight-kun]

(24.1)

"Heya, Mewtwo."

The Psychic turned to see a mew hovering upside-down, looking at him.

"You are the Tree of Beginnings mew, are you not?" Mewtwo asked as he kept flying over the mountains.

"Probably," the feline replied, easily keeping pace. "Why didn't you answer Lord Arceus' summons?"

"He is no lord of mine," Mewtwo replied. "Nor do I count myself among your…pantheon."

"A pity. Arceus thinks your help would be greatly beneficial to fixing a few problems they're having with restoring timelines."

Mewtwo blinked in surprise. "That explains the gaps in my memory…" he mused.

Mew winced. "Yeah…those may be filled in, but since we can't really monitor what affects what when we fill in a blank space…"

"So I shouldn't be alarmed when I get new memories?" Mewtwo asked.

"Basically, yes. You're a lot calmer than I thought you'd be, knowing the possibility that some memories may not be…palatable."

"Psychics usually have to learn how to compartmentalize a lot of things. Otherwise we'd very likely go mad," Mewtwo pointed out.

He then went still as a new memory surfaced. "Who is Citlali and why do I have an urge to punch them in the face?"

"Not a clue. Good luck with that," Mew said cheerfully before vanishing.

-

(24.2)

Wes crept through the bowels of the Cipher hideout in the middle of Orre's expansive desert.

Blackie, his umbreon, carefully poked his head around the corner, rings glowing softly, indicating the way was clear.

"Good grief," Wes muttered. "You'd think after getting thrashed twice, Cipher would learn their lesson..."

Eifie, his espeon, shot him an amused glance as she gazed around the halls, wrinkling her nose.

"Some people never learn," she said.

"Sst!" Blackie said, pricking his ears, causing Wes and Eifie to drop into crouches as they approached another corner.

Voices reached their ears.

"-from the upper floors," said one.

"Probably the wires acting up again," another answered. "This place is a wreck, especially after the last time HG-001 got loose. It's a wonder anything works."

Wes placed his hands on Blackie and Eifie's backs, murmuring into their ears.

Blackie poked his head around the corner, tail ring flashing twice to indicate the number of people.

Eifie's gem glowed before she vanished. A few moments later, two thuds were heard and Wes walked around the corner to see two Cipher Peons slumped against the wall.

"You enjoy that, don't you?" Blackie said with an amused grin.

"A bit, yes," Eifie replied.

Wes took a keycard off one of the Peons and examined it. "Hm...let's see if we can't find this HG-001."

A frankly absurd amount of dungeon-crawling later found the trio standing outside an absurdly large door - almost twice Wes's height.

"Please don't let there be a Shadow Wishiwashi behind this door," Wes muttered before he slid the keycard past the reader.

The door groaned open and a bank of lights slowly clicked on.

Wes's breath caught in his throat.

In the center of the room stood a massive clear cylinder, housing a pokemon.

"Ho-Oh," Wes murmured, before looking around the room, taking in the various banks of machinery lining the walls and massive cables dangling from the ceiling.

The Rainbow Pokemon's plumage was pale, head resting on its chest, wings wrapped around itself.

"What were they doing here?" Eifie murmured, eyes darting around the room.

"Trying to Shadowify Ho-Oh?" Blackie guessed.

Wes walked up to a computer and stroked his chin before tapping on the keys, bringing up a set of logs.

"Activation...Termination...Activation...Termination...Subject's heart is too strong to close, suggested course of action to-"

Blackie and Eifie noted Wes's growl and trotted over to him.

"What is it?" Eifie asked.

"They've killed Ho-Oh multiple times to find the perfect moment to begin the process. There's years worth of reports here..." Wes said, curling his fingers into fists.

Blackie stared at the legendary in the tubeand frowned. "Did...they succeed?"

Wes turned back to the display, scrolling through the pages of logs. "Doesn't look like it. Last log was months ago."

"What? Did they just...leave him here?!" Eifie hissed angrily.

"He's in some kind of hibernation or stasis," Wes said, waving a hand at a screen of vitals, showing a slow steady heartbeat.

"Can we wake him up?" Blackie asked.

Wes was already flicking through screens. "Yes..."

Blackie glanced at him. "You don't seem so sure."

"The last people he saw were Cipher members," Wes said. "He might very well lash out without thinking and I'd rather not become a pile of ashes."

"So we hit the switch and teleport?" Eifie suggested.

"That means I'll have to be balled," Blackie grumbled. "There's times I hate being Dark."

Eifie giggled as Wes hid a smile.

"Alright, we've got ten seconds to clear out," he said, taking out a Luxury Ball and recalled Blackie.

Even as they vanished, Ho-Oh's wings twitched and a pair of red eyes snapped open.

Even seven miles away, the heat from Sacred Fire was enough to make Wes sweat.

"Well, that's that problem solved," he said, watching Ho-Oh fly away.

"Do you think he'll ever care who saved him?" Blackie asked.

"I'll be sure to bring it up next time we meet," Wes said, bringing out his phone as it rang. "And there's Rui, right on schedule."

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" came the panicked voice as soon as he answered, causing Eifie and Blackie to cover their ears.

"Heya," Wes said soothingly. "I'm all right."

He heard Rui breath a sigh of relief and then flinched as she chewed him out for being reckless.

"Was that Ho-Oh that flew away from that wreckage?" she asked once she'd run out of things to call him.

"Yeah," Wes said.

"Hm...word on the grape vine is that he was missing for the past ten years."

"There were...logs going back several years. Wasn't really paying attention to specific dates - I was more horrified by what they were doing to him."

Wes explained the details of the logs as Eifie and Blackie placed their heads together, murmuring affectionately to one another.

"So, before I head back, there's a few more Shadow Pokemon left to find and the ones I have on me are almost ready to be purified," Wes said.

"Good luck. Try to stay out of trouble for at least the next month, alright?" Rui said, a smile in her voice.

"Of course. Seeya later," Wes said before he hung up.

He then froze.

"My bike was at the base, wasn't it?"

His pokemon shared a look before doubling over in laughter as Wes swore.

-

(24.3)

Arceus tapped a pencil against the front of its face as it contemplated the latest crossword puzzle.

After a moment, it turned to scowl at the Lake Trio, who were loudly goofing off.

"Don't you three have responsibilities to take care of?"

What're those? Are they contagious?" Uxie asked.

"Are you coming down with Responsibilities?" Azelf asked in horror.

"That's a sickness I'm not down with," Mesprit said.

Her brothers stared at her blankly and she rolled her eyes.

Arceus' cold stare sent the trio fleeing back to their assigned work spaces.

With a sigh, Arceus turned back to its crossword.

"Eight letter word meaning to embitter or irritate...Celebi!"

"I am not time-traveling into next week to give you the answers," the tiny pokemon said, not looking up from her sudoku.

Grumbling, Arceus turned its attention back to its puzzle. "Can't be urticate...nor fantigue...fractious is too long..."

"Acerbate," Meloetta said as it walked by holding several tea cups.

Arceus checked the other words and nodded. "That fits and that means quantophrenia is 16 across. Thank you."

"Of course," Meloetta said with a curtsy.

-

(24.4)

Mewtwo sat in front of his computer, eyes closed as he used his psychic abilities to manipulate the keyboard in front of him.

Entire paragraphs were typed out in seconds as he focused on translating his thoughts into words.

He heard the door open behind him and he came to a stop before opening his eyes and turning.

Sasha glanced around his office before flattening her ears sheepishly.

"Oh, you're busy. Sorry. I can come back-"

"Never mind that. What is it?" Mewtwo asked.

"Well, I was reading your published books and had a thought..."

The eevee hesitated a moment before continuing on.

"Are the stories you write based on your memories of alternate timelines?"

Mewtwo rested his chin on a hand and observed the eevee shrewdly. "I'm surprised you came to that conclusion."

Sasha smiled slightly. "The main character felt a lot like you, especially in his manner of speech and attention to detail. Plus, there were far too many paragraphs describing him in a way that felt...vain? Prideful? Anyone who knew you would easily be able to come to the same conclusion."

Mewtwo nodded slowly. "You are correct," he said ruefully. "I assure you I tone that back sharply in later works."

"That's good," Sasha said. "It got rather tiring to hear, yet again, how the handsome, mysterious, Yuki would get ready to spend the day with the love of his life-"

Sasha blinked as she abruptly found herself on the roof of the building.

"Hey!"

Clouds formed above her and started emptying themselves on the small fox pokémon.

"I'm telling Lugia on you!"

-

(24.5)

Sasha stood on the bow of the speedboat, braced against the bouncing motion as it cut through the waves.

The black-colored, skull-emblazoned boat hit a particularly rough wave and Sasha went flying backwards.

A psychic grip caught the eevee effortlessly less than three inches from the water's surface and placed her back on the boat.

"My nerves would be grateful if you'd get inside," Mewtwo grumbled.

"Never," Sasha said with a flick of her tail. "This is so cool!"

"Just my luck I get stuck with a human who can't tolerate teleporting or heights, on the way to a place with a psychic jammer," Mewtwo griped.

Gladion steered the boat through the waters toward the artificial island with a steady hand, eyes running over the instruments before he shook his head.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," he said. "The Foundation is not fond of...uninvited guests."

"Can't imagine why," Sasha muttered, leaning over the edge of the boat to stare at the water.

Mewtwo took a firm grip on the eevee, eyes locked on the place they were headed.

"Oh, I'm sure all their businesses are legitimate and in no way unethical, dangerous, or have the ability to potentially tear the planet a new orifice," he said.

"Why else would they be on an island far away from civilization?" Sasha replied.

"Alright, I get it," Gladion said with a roll of his eyes. "There's no real reason for you to come, anyway."

"I'd like to see Null again," Sasha said, tail wagging. "I think he's cute."

Mewtwo and Gladion stared at her oddly.

"Not exactly the impression I got from Gladion's description of him," Mewtwo said.

"That's funny, coming from you," Sasha said, sticking her tongue out at him.

Mewtwo dropped her over the edge of the boat.

After a few seconds, he teleported her back and she retaliated by shaking herself dry all over Mewtwo.

"I honestly can't tell if you hate each other or love each other," Gladion said.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(25.1)

Sasha felt herself being placed down before the sack she'd been tossed in upended, sending her sprawling out of it.

She heard a rattling clang and whirled to see bars blocking her way out.

Frowning, she turned to take in her surroundings.

She was in a cage, in a room filled with many cages. Some were filled with pokémon, others were empty.

"Oh hey, it's a newbie," a female voice said from deeper in the room.

"Wha' kind is it?" came another voice, male, with a hint of an accent Sasha couldn't place.

"Oi, you! Come this way!" called a third voice.

Sasha warily crept closer to the bars and peered out into the room.

"Eevee," said a new voice, sounding disappointed. "How...quaint."

"Sasha, my name is Sasha," the eevee said.

"Oh, and it has the gall to give itself a name," the same voice sneered.

Sasha touched the bars carefully and found them cool to the touch, but otherwise normal.

"I wouldna' try biting those, girlie," the accented voice warned. "Team Rocket aren't slouches when it comes to designing hold-all cages."

Sasha chuckled and shook her head. "Wasn't planning on it."

"Could we get a light in here?" the third voice asked. "Nines?"

"Don't call me that," the first voice said with a sniff.

Nine wisps of fire popped into existence and Sasha blinked as her eyes adjusted to the glare.

A ninetales with a black coat and piercing yellow eyes occupied one cage, a golden pidgey occupied another and a seviper and zangoose sat in a third.

"My, my. Your coat is as lovely as you are, dearie," the seviper said, tail flicking idly.

"Just a shiny," the zangoose said, "Nothing special."

"Neither are you, ya skel," the pidgey replied.

"You wouldn't be so cocky without these bars between us, wormbrain," the zangoose growled, arms crossed.

"Oh, shut up, both of you," the ninetales said with a long-suffering sigh. "Nobody cares about your lover's spat."

"Welcome to your new home, Sasha," the seviper said. "Hope you like canned pokémon food."

Sasha made a face. "Processed?"

All four pokémon (and some others who had woken up from the commotion) nodded.

Sasha slumped against the bars and groaned. "I'd rather they'd killed me."

"Oh come now," the ninetales said sharply, "It's not so bad. Odds are, you'll be out of here in no time. Trainers love eevee."

"Breeders love eevee," the zangoose said. "She'll be highly prized for her coloration at the very least."

Sasha didn't like the way the zangoose was grinning and tried not to think about the implications of his words.

"What's going on?" asked a sleepy voice from Sasha's left.

She turned to see an absol with bright blue eyes and pale pink fur stretch and yawn before meeting the eevee's gaze. She blinked in greeting, dipping her head slightly before smiling at her.

"Hello, my name is Songbreeze. It's nice to meet you," she said.

Sasha introduced herself and noticed the zangoose's face morph into a deeper scowl before he pointedly turned his back.

"You'll have to forgive him," Song said mildly. "He seems to get upset whenever I talk to other pokémon."

"Uh...huh," Sasha said slowly. "Can't imagine why."

"I do believe he has a crush on me," Song said quietly, eyes sparkling in amusement. "It's actually quite charming. Were he a little nicer to everyone else, I might have even given him a chance."

Sasha made a gagging noise and Song chuckled musically, causing the zangoose's ears to twitch.

"So, where you from, girlie?" the pidgey asked.

"Unova," Sasha replied. "Around Bewilder Forest."

"Humans tend to call it Lostlorn," the pidgey said, voice going thoughtful. "Didn't know eevee lived there."

"My parents were from Castelia originally, but moved someplace less crowded once I came along," Sasha said, lying down, flexing her paws with a grimace.

"I didn't know Team Rocket went as far as Unova," Seviper said.

"They're worldwide," Ninetales pointed out. "Little gangs in all the regions who collect and send pokémon wherever they're needed."

"Who'd want a Unovan Eevee?" the zangoose snorted, before yelping as Seviper swatted him with her tail.

"Who'd want a Kalosian Zangoose?" Pidgey smirked.

"When I get out of here, you're dead," the zangoose hissed.

"Shut. Up." Ninetales growled, fire turning blue.

The two pokémon glared at one another and Sasha sighed, resting her head on her paws.

She hoped she wouldn't be here long.

-

(25.2)

Citlali hovered around the Tree of Beginning mew curiously.

"Do you have a name you call yourself or do you go by our species name?"

"I've never really put much thought into it," she replied, turning lazy circles in midair. "But off the top of my head, I'd probably go with Aylen, Naira or Nayeli."

Citlali thought for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Aylen it is."

Aylen smiled and gazed around the Hall of Origin, watching the groups of legendaries work.

"Do you think we should give the others names as well?"

"Perhaps during a break we can go around and ask," Citlali said. "It'd be kinda rude to name someone Antiman only to realize they call themselves Patrick or something."

"Who'd you name Antiman?" Aylen asked curiously.

"Despite the fact is sounds like someone who hates humans, it's actually tied to a bird of the sun, so...probably Moltres or Ho-Oh."

Aylen giggled. "I'm sure we'll have lots of fun. It'll be nice to know more about everyone here, especially if we're gonna be with them for a while."

"Yeah," Citlali murmured. "If you'll excuse me, I want to go look for my friend again."

"If you see them, tell them I said hi!"

Citlali nodded and teleported away.

-

(25.3)

Mewtwo gazed down at Sasha, arms crossed.

"I suppose I might as well teach you the basics of fighting."

"I know how to fight," Sasha said, stung.

"Then show me," Mewtwo replied.

With a thought, he teleported Sasha and himself to an uninhabited stretch of plain.

Sasha stared around curiously and Mewtwo narrowed his eyes before tripping her with his telekinesis.

"No fair!" Sasha snarled as she scrambled to her paws.

"Of course it's fair," Mewtwo replied. "I am a psychic and I will use whatever is at my disposal to win."

"I suppose my best course of action would be to flee?" Sasha said.

"Correct."

Sasha emitted a bright flash of light, causing Mewtwo to shield his eyes. When he looked back, the eevee had vanished.

"Very good," Mewtwo said, switching to Aura vision. The eevee's unique signature blazed like a beacon underground and he let her get close before neatly side-stepping her lunge out of the dirt before he grabbed her by the neck and tossed her away. "Sloppy follow-up though."

Sasha landed on her paws and fired off a Shadow Ball. Mewtwo caught it in his hand and launched it back. Sasha flinched as it dissipated against her and Mewtwo used the moment to close the distance between them. He pressed his foot against her face lightly and pushed her back a few steps.

"Keep moving," he said, stepping back. "Use your small size to your advantage. Pepper me with Swift, blind me with Flash, throw mud at me. Confuse and irritate me then strike when my guard is down."

"But I'll tire long before you do," Sasha said as she split herself into several dozen copies via Double Team. The eevee horde then formed into two rings and started moving in opposite directions.

"Your goal is escape," Mewtwo said. "Find or create an opening to do so. Tunneling headfirst at your enemy is the last thing you should do."

"So you helpfully demonstrated," Sasha said dryly. Mewtwo was pleased to hear she had managed to make her voice directionless, making it harder to pinpoint her among the clones.

Then they started shooting Swift at him, interspersed with the occasional Shadow Ball and Flash.

Deflecting them with his hands and occasional Light Screen, Mewtwo waited.

Several eevee activated Flash simultaneously while several others proceeded to kick sand at him. He felt the ground tremble beneath his feet and he leaped back, only to be smacked upside the head with a fluffy tail.

He snagged the tail and found himself holding a glowing umbreon, who grinned at him before it detonated.

"Well, against your average pokémon, such a strategy would likely work," he said, brushing the soot off his fur.

"I was showing off a bit," Sasha admitted. "I should've ran once they started blinding you. Although it's quite hard to outrun someone who has your signature memorized."

"True, but if one of those is after you...well, you must've done something quite reprehensible and you'd probably deserve your punishment," Mewtwo said.

Sasha nodded before frowning.

"What is it?" Mewtwo asked.

Sasha scratched her head. "Dunno, but...the feeling of having a psychic after me...feels...odd. Like it's happened before."

Mewtwo's tail flicked thoughtfully. "Let's get you clean and we can talk a little more about that, shall we?"

-

(25.4)

Lusamine sat in her office, watching a security camera track the movements of Gladion as he wandered around the labs underneath Aether Foundation.

He stopped outside the door to the Type: Null research laboratory and looked at the sign before opening the door and went in.

Lusamine switched cameras to an interior view of the lab and kept watching.

Gladion walked up to one of the three tubes holding the failed attempts at making a beast capable of fighting an Ultra Beast and rested his hand on the chilled glass.

Lusamine heard a soft knock on her door and she turned off the monitor. Whatever Gladion was doing wasn't important. If he wanted to play with corpses, that was his prerogative.

"Enter," she said.

The door opened to reveal a young girl with blonde hair, clad in a breezy white dress. A bag was slung over her shoulder.

Lusamine smiled as she got up to embrace her young daughter. "Hello, Lillie. How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said. "The sickness is gone."

"I'm glad to hear that. And how is...Nebby?"

Lillie's hands tightened on the bag strap. "Still recovering."

Lusamine frowned. "That is most unfortunate. Until it does, we cannot continue our research on Ultra Wormholes. Mohn will be ever so disappointed."

"He has plenty of information," Lillie said, idly stroking her bag. "For now, Nebby and I will be in the Conservatory."

"Very well. You may want to go pick up your brother on the way. He is in the Null Research Wing."

"That is acceptable. Goodbye, mother."

With a smile, Lillie curtsied and left the room.

Lusamine leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers, mind wandering.

Soon, their plans would come to fruition and she would be rid of this world and its problems.

Lusamine touched a series of switches that sealed the room from any potential eavesdroppers and opened a communications link.

A gaunt face surrounded by wiry white hair appeared and Lusamine did her best to keep the distaste out of her voice.

"Nascour, how goes your research?"

"We've gotten all we need out of HG001 and have sent the data to Faba. I hope it will be of use to you."

Lusamine hadn't understood any of the numbers that had caused Faba so much joy, but she nodded.

"Your hard work is appreciated by Aether Foundation."

"As was your...generous donation to our cause. Is Lillie doing alright?"

"She's over her sickness, which you told me would never be a problem," Lusamine said.

"She'll be stronger because of it, I promise you."

"For your sake, I hope so."

Lusamine killed the connection and smiled.

Everything was coming together.

-

(25.5)

Mewtwo placed his paws on the floor of Aether Foundation's artificial island and grimaced.

"I don't like it either," Sasha said, tapping her claws against it lightly.

"I haven't really needed to walk anywhere before. Usually I just float," Mewtwo replied.

"Hm, so I guess you won't be partaking in any sports then?" Sasha asked with a small grin.

"Absolutely not. One Pokéathalon was enough for me, thank you very much."

"Now there's a story you'll have to tell me later," Sasha giggled.

They followed Gladion as he walked toward an elevator leading up, although Sasha noticed there were buttons for lower floors.

"I noticed," Mewtwo said at her inquisitive glance. "Unfortunately, the psychic jammer makes it...difficult to sense what's down there."

"Hm...something to ask about later," Sasha murmured, leaping up onto Mewtwo's shoulders to spare her paws the cold floor, causing Mewtwo to hiss quietly as her cool paws touched his fur.

Gladion glanced at them curiously before sending the lift upwards.

The lift arrived at a wide open area. The ceiling was dotted with large windows, bathing the room in warm sunlight. A series of walkways meandered around small grassy areas where trainers and people wearing distinct uniforms were tending and playing with pokémon.

"The Conservatory," Gladion said absently, looking around. His face darkened briefly before he set out towards the back of the room.

"He's really worried about Null, isn't he?" Sasha said.

Mewtwo followed along, looking down at the various pokémon curiously. "It's a common trait for trainers and pokémon alike. I'd be worried if something happened to you."

Sasha's ears heated up and she looked away. "Yeah," she said, a pair of green eyes coming to mind. Shaking herself, she felt the fur on her back ripple uneasily. "I do not like it here."

"Agreed, but we're here because Arceus was curious about it, so..." Mewtwo pointed out.

"Right," Sasha said.

They caught up with Gladion, who was standing in front of a woman with a frankly absurd hair style that Mewtwo and Sasha privately agreed was a bit over-the-top. Beside and slightly behind her were two men - one thin, one not - who were deep in quiet discussion over a pair of tablets. Nearby, a woman wearing glasses was holding the hand of a young blonde-haired girl who watched the events curiously before her eyes moved to the two newcomers and went wide with wonder.

"Ah, Gladion, so nice of you to bring guests," Lusamine purred. "They're just in time for the experiment, which is also why we collected...Null."

The name fell from her lips with poorly-concealed disgust and she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Anyway, shall we-"

A sound tore through the air, one unlike any heard before and everyone in the room stopped and lifted their eyes skyward.

A glowing crack had appeared in midair, pulsing like a heart with a myriad of colors. After a few moments, it twisted, before coalescing into a hole radiating an unearthly power.

From the hole came a strange creature.

Its appearance was similar to that of a jellyfish, the tendrils that extended from its underside were oddly-shaped, looking more like human arms and legs. It made no sound as it hovered in front of the hole.

"Perfect," Lusamine said. "Now we can begin."

-
A/N
Name meanings
Aylen - Happiness (Mapuche)
Citlali - Star (Nahuatl)
Naira - Big eyes (Quechua/Aymara)
Nayeli - I love you (Zapotec)
Antiman - Condor of the Sun (Mapuche)

 

[Twilight-kun]

(26.1)

Citlali and Aylen stared at a pair of celebi - one green, one pink - thoughtfully.

"Why would we need names?" the pink one asked curiously.

"Well, it'd make it easier to identify you, for one," Aylen said.

"Even though there's dozens of you always popping in and out," Citlali added. "But you're the only glaringly different one here," he said, nodding to the the pink one. "Most of the rest of varying shades of green."

"And thus I should get my own name?" the celebi asked wryly. She shrugged. "Eh, I don't care. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Eilian seems appropriate, what with basically meaning a moment in time," Citlali said.

"You two have odd tastes in names," the celebi said with an amused flick of her antenna.

"Blame this idiot for sticking with the old and obscure ways," Aylen said, nudging Citlali playfully.

"Not my fault language has evolved from reading Unown manuscripts," the mew grumbled.

"Mhh," Eilian said. "I shall leave you to your work then and get back to mine. Come along, Celebi."

Citlali watched them go before turning his eyes toward the Lake Trio hovering around Arceus. "Them next?"

"I don't see why not," Aylen replied. "Got anything off the top of your head meaning emotion, willpower and knowledge?"

"We prefer Yuxie, Emrit, and Agnome, actually," came a voice.

Citlali twitched in surprise and blinked. "You three move quickly," he said.

"The perks of being a psychic, no?" Azelf said with a smirk. "Agnome, at your service."

"Emrit," Mesprit said.

"Yuxie," Uxie supplied.

"You didn't put a lot of effort into that, did you?" Aylen noted.

"No, can't say that I did," Yuxie said with a shrug. "Makes it easier to remember, I suppose and it's hard to tell if I'm being called by my name or by species."

"When you're the only one of your kind, can you really call yourself a species?" Emrit asked, twining her tails together idly.

"I don't see why not," Yuxie said.

"Right, well. Now that we have you lot named, I think it's best we moved on, no?" Citlali said, clapping his paws together.

"Who's next on your list?" Agnome asked.

"Well, Arceus is right there..." Aylen mused.

"You can call me Father like everyone else," Arceus said, not looking up from its work.

"Well, there's that done. Next?" Aylen said as Citlali pouted.

-
(26.2)

"Hey, you!"

Mewtwo turned at the voice that had hailed him and took in the sight of a man decked out in ripped jeans, ripped leather jacket, chains, and unkempt facial hair.

"You're Mewtwo and Sasha, right?" he asked.

"Aye. I'm Sasha, he's Mewtwo," Sasha replied from her perch on Mewtwo's shoulder. "Can we help you?"

"I'd like to battle you, if that's alright," the roughneck said. "My name's Xolani and I am also taking the gym challenge."

Mewtwo and Sasha exchanged a glance before Sasha nodded, dropping from her perch.

"A battle sounds good," she said, stretching.

Xolani tossed a poké ball and a floette popped out amid a storm of flower petals.

"You're fighting me with...that?" Sasha asked in surprise. "I was expecting...er...well..."

"Something tougher, I expect," Xolani said with an amused chuckle. "You're hardly the first to be surprised by my choice."

"Don't see many Fairy types in Kanto," Mewtwo said, watching curiously. "As far as I know, the Fairy gym only opened fairly recently and hasn't gotten a lot of traffic."

"Eh, it'll all be over quickly," Sasha said. "What's the worst it could do?"

…

"Is she alright?" Xolani asked worriedly as Mewtwo carefully extricated Sasha from the tree she'd been blasted into.

"She'll be fine," Mewtwo said, gently touching her limbs. "She'll probably wake up with a headache in a bit."

Carefully draping her over his shoulders, Mewtwo stood up and dipped his head to the trainer.

"Thank you for giving her a lesson in not underestimating her opponent just because it's cute and non-threatening."

"Kinda ironic, what with her being an eevee and all, no?" Xolani asked.

"Very true. I wish you the best of luck on your journey."

"And you as well."

-
(26.3)

Yellow stared up at Wela Volcano, hands clasped behind her back.

"Hm...this seems like the place Magma would be, yet...not a soul to be found. Odd."

"What's odd?" a voice asked from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise.

She turned to see a young dark-skinned male climbing down from an old charizard wearing a saddle.

"Oh, uh...I got a tip about some bad people who have a fondness for volcanoes in Alola, so...I thought I'd scope out the place with a volcano first," Yellow said. "I'm Yellow."

"Kiawe. I'm the Trial Captain here, in charge of protecting this place. Haven't seen anyone new here for as long as I've been Captain," he said. "Just Trial-Goers."

"Strange. Are there any other places like this in Alola?"

"There's a Geothermal Power Plant over on Blush Mountain, over on Ula'ula Island," Kiawe said, pointing to the island in the distance, dominated by three tall peaks. "I haven't gotten any word of trouble from Sophocles, so..."

Yellow pondered for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, a Geothermal Power Plant sounds like a possible target they'd hit. Thanks. I'd best be going."

"Good luck," Kiawe said.

-
(26.4)

Ash stared at his Charizard as the latter sunned himself on a large rock in one of Oak's fields.

"You've gotten smaller," the trainer said, taking a seat beside the lizard.

"Or maybe you've gotten bigger," the pokémon replied, spreading his wings to catch the sunlight.

"Mhh...more like a mix of the two," Ash sighed, rubbing his hands together. "So...what have you been up to?"

"Charla has been raising and training our kids. Once they mature a bit, she's handing them off to me for training. They're quite a handful," Charizard said, smiling.

"I'm glad to hear that," Ash said.

"So what about you? No wife and children of your own?"

Ash shrugged. "Can't say it interests me, to be honest. I'd much rather be out and about, traveling and meeting new people and pokémon."

"Hm..."

"Maybe one day I'll settle down, but for now..."

"You're young."

"Twenty-five is not young," Ash said dryly. "And aren't you younger than me?"

"Younger, yes. And also more mature."

Ash snorted in disbelief. "This coming from the one who cost me a League at one point."

Charizard pouted. "That didn't count because you then went back in time and rectified that mistake many times over."

Ash nodded before gazing out at the fields of Pallet Town where Oak kept pokémon. It felt much emptier without thirty tauros running around and Ash made a mental note to swing by Alola and see how their tenure as Ride Pokémon was going.

A hoot got his attention and Ash looked up to see Noctowl descending towards him.

"The old duffer wants a word with you. Apparently some chap named Bill is asking after you," the owl said as it landed.

Ash got to his feet and stretched. "Thanks for the heads up. I don't suppose you've seen Pikachu on your flight over?"

"He is waiting for you with Oak," Noctowl said.

Bidding Charizard farewell, Ash jogged off.

Dipping his head, Noctowl also took wing.

Charizard watched him go before getting to his feet. Stretching, he flared his wings, launching himself skyward before he headed for Johto.

-
(26.5)

Sasha watched as Mewtwo flicked through a ring of disks suspended around himself, muttering under his breath.

"You gonna tell me what you're up to, or am I going to have to guess?" she asked, jumping up onto the couch beside him.

Peering closely at the disks, Sasha saw names on them.

"Frost Breath, Snarl, Explosion, Water Gun...what are these?"

"Technical Machines," Mewtwo replied, shuffling them. "For the lazy pokémon who don't want to train themselves naturally. Just tap it on your head and the knowledge is beamed directly into your brain."

"Come again?" Sasha asked, tilting her head. "That can't be how it-"

Mewtwo tapped a pale blue disk against her head.

Sasha exhaled a cold breath of air and blinked.

"Congratulations, you have learned Frost Breath," Mewtwo said.

"Why would I ever need to know Frost Breath?" Sasha asked, pawing at her forehead.

"Perhaps your drink is too hot, or you're fighting an Onix who has Wrapped you and you can only use biting moves, which against a Rock-type would be foolhardy," Mewtwo said, setting the disks down.

"...Alright," Sasha said. "Why do you have so many?"

"You'd be amazed at how often humans drop them in the most obscure places," Mewtwo said dryly. "Some fifteen years ago, TMs broke after one use, which made replacing them quite difficult. Then they made them unbreakable, much to the relief of trainers and breeders everywhere."

Sasha made a disgusted face. "People breed pokémon just to put specific moves on them?"

"And then send them right back in to breed a pokémon with the ability to use the same move without difficulty," Mewtwo said with a nod.

"They're a weird lot."

"That's one way of putting it," Mewtwo said delicately.

"Well, thanks for the gift. I'm gonna go out and poke around for a while." She hesitated, kneading her paws. "Would you like to come with me? Maybe get something to eat?"

Mewtwo's eyebrows rose. "My dear Sasha, are you asking me out on a date?"

Sasha flicked her ears with a smile. "Of course."

"Then I'd be delighted to join you."

 

[Twilight-kun]

(27.1)

Sasha stared out of her cage within Team Rocket's warehouse on Five Island – Chrono Island, the golden-hued pidgey had informed her – and sighed.

It had been over a week since her arrival and while the Rocket members let them out to exercise within the island's meadow, the various Rocket pokémon stationed around the edges of the meadow to keep them from leaving were a grim reminder that they were captives in a gilded cage.

Her ears pricked at the sound of a door opening and she lifted her head as a tall thin man with blue hair came into view. His crisp white uniform seemed to glow in the dimly-lit room as he looked down on the rows of caged pokémon.

Sasha heard the Zangoose hiss and a quiet murmur from the Seviper she couldn't make out.

"Exercise," the man said. "You have two hours."

At the far end of the room, a large door rumbled upwards, shortly followed by all the cage doors springing open.

Sasha was swept along in the crush of pokémon, balancing precariously on a ludicolo who seemed to be dancing to a tune she couldn't hear, but involved an uncomfortable amount of spinning.

"Here!"

Sasha glanced up to see the golden pidgey flying towards her, talons open.

She leaped up and grimaced as the bird's claws dug into her scruff, carrying her out of the warehouse.

Once free, the pokémon spread out over the large meadow and began to amuse themselves.

The pidgey dropped Sasha beside Songbreeze, who was lying on a small outcropping of rock, chin lifted, eyes closed, as she enjoyed the breeze coming off the ocean.

Below her, Rocket-trained Carvanha swam, alert for any possible pokémon trying to escape by water while a flock of Fearow circled overhead.

"Nice day," Sasha murmured, taking a seat beside the absol, who opened one eye to stare at her for a moment before closing it again. A chuckle escaped the absol's mouth and her tail flicked behind her, cutting the grass and sending the blades over the edge.

"It is," Song agreed. "Not many more before a storm though."

Sasha glanced at her, then at the blue sky, dotted with a few puffy clouds.

"Really?" the eevee asked, curiosity piqued.

Song tapped her paw against her horn and winked. "Helps being able to sense disasters."

"A storm is a disaster?" Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If it's big enough, yes," Song replied, examining her claws before idly carving shapes into the dirt.

Sasha watched her for a few minutes as the absol drew an image of herself before adding in wings.

"Does that look silly to you?" Song asked, brushing away some errant clumps.

"Can't say I've seen a winged absol, but it doesn't look awful," Sasha said. "You like to draw?"

"On and off," the absol replied, starting on a new drawing. "I find it's a good way to keep myself distracted from my current situation."

Sasha nodded and the two lapsed into a comfortable silence, occasionally broken by Song growling when she made a mistake and corrected it. After a few more minutes, she let out a soft grunt.

"That'll have to do," she said, blowing on it gently. "How'd I do?"

Sasha stared at the bust of herself, startled by how much emotion Song had managed to coax out of the ground.

"Too good," Sasha said, ears heating up. "That's an eevee I barely recognize."

Song let out a pleased hum. "That's good."

She refused to elaborate on that and playfully chased her off to hang out with the other pokémon.

-

(27.2)

Sasha's paws tangled around themselves and she collapsed with an irritated growl.

Shaking her limbs, she got back to her paws to meet her friend's worried gaze.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Green-Eyes," she muttered. He tilted his head, ears twitching as he did a little two-step prance.

"You keep getting distracted and lose your rhythm. What is it that's bothering you?"

Sasha tried to match his gait, keeping her eyes on his paws, lips pressed together in concentration. Her red eyes darted up to meet his green ones and her paws once again twisted around themselves.

"You are," Sasha said, scrambling to her feet, shaking herself.

The eevee blinked slowly. "I'm distracting you?" he asked, sounding crestfallen. "I'm sorry-"

"It's not your fault, it's mine," Sasha said, cutting him off, causing him to step back in surprise.

"Yours?" he said, now sounding amused. "How so?"

"Erm..." Sasha said, fidgeting. Steadfastly ignoring him, she once again ran through the paw steps he had shown her.

"Have you tried closing your eyes?" he asked. Sasha came to a stop with a thoughtful frown. "I mean, not being able to see me-"

"I get the idea," Sasha said dryly. "Then I'd be worried about stepping too far or leaping who-knows-where."

The green-eyed eevee looked around at the empty clearing they were practicing in with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't even start," Sasha warned, baring her teeth playfully. The other eevee stuck his tongue out at her and she crouched, wiggling her hips before leaping at him.

He danced backwards on his paws before lightly batting her flying form past him. As she landed, she pivoted on her front paws before launching herself at him even faster than before, bowling him over.

Pinning him, she nipped his ear before jumping off him and pranced away, tail flicking proudly.

He rolled to his paws and licked his ruffled fur. "See? You're learning," he said with a smile. "Just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it in no time."

"Thank you. Wanna go hunting?"

The eevee's stomach responded before he could and Sasha bit back a snicker.

"I'll take that as a yes."

-

(27.3)

Citlali swam through the ocean, lost in thought.

Waking up in a new world had been a shock, which had worn off quickly. The following revelations concerning the fate of the world and the antics of humans that caused it stirred irritation in the diminutive legendary and Citlali had been startled at the intensity of the emotion.

Part of her - him, he chided himself absently - was tempted to ask Giratina if he could spend time with Cyrus, but what little he had glimpsed of the human showed that it would be a waste of time. The man was so far gone it was a surprise his mind hadn't shut down.

Darting around a school of startled feebas, Citlali perused a few of his new memories. Being a girl for extended periods of time was nothing new, as he had done that several times in the past, usually in pursuit of a particularly alluring partner to spend a few weeks with before he got bored - not distracted, as some of the new memories seemed to suggest, much to his irritation - and went looking elsewhere for entertainment.

Breaking the surface of the ocean, he did a few twirls to dry himself off and he shot skyward like a reverse meteor and turned to admire the planet she - he! - had helped populate.

A scowl crossed the mew's face and he rubbed his head tiredly.

He understood why his cloned brother despised humans and he wondered if the replica had picked it up from him.

Now if only he could find the elusive feline and ask him!

Sighing once again, the mew began circling the globe, searching for powerful psychic signatures.

Citlali was astounded by the volume of human psychics with power that rivaled the likes of gardevoir and alakazam, and wondered if Arceus had Chosen more humans to keep an eye on things...?

Yet another question he'd have to ask once he finished Arceus' request, he mused, before resuming his search.

-

(27.4)

Mewtwo and Sasha sat in the Saffon suite, the former staring at the latter, who tilted her head.

"So you'd like to take a look through my mind for possible psychic tampering?"

Mewtwo nodded. "You said you had a sense of meeting a psychic, but don't remember it."

Sasha nodded. "Whenever you're ready then."

Mewtwo gently placed his hands on the eevee, stroking her neck slowly before moving his fingers to her temples.

Sasha closed her eyes and relaxed as she felt Mewtwo's presence enter her mind. It brushed past her recent memories, and Mewtwo slowed as he reached the time he had found the eevee on Mount Silver.

A huge void greeted the replica and he moved past it, taking note of the damage with a wince. A huge chunk was missing and smaller bits and pieces beyond that were tattered, as if someone had torn through her mind with a claw.

He withdrew and Sasha let out a sharp gasp, blinking slowly, focusing her eyes on Mewtwo.

"Well?" she asked promptly.

Mewtwo let out a breath. "Yeah, someone has definitely tampered with your mind. They didn't just suppress them, they erased them completely."

"Oh," she murmured. "But…why?"

Mewtwo stroked his chin in thought. "I couldn't say. But…"

Sasha raised her eyebrows as his voice trailed off.

He shook his head. "It's such a small period of time and the damage beyond it is superficial at best – those areas can be filled in by the memories around them."

"So it's someone covering their tracks?"

Mewtwo nodded. "And there's only one psychic I can think of who may have run into you. One who's not a fan of variant-colored pokémon."

"Citlali?" Sasha asked.

Mewtwo dipped his head and shrugged. "We could find him and ask-"

"Nah," Sasha said, cutting him off. "He didn't permanently harm me and he's been perfectly polite in his visits to us. If he had wanted me dead, he'd have killed me during our first encounter. If he wants to talk about it, I'll let him bring the topic up rather than confront him on it."

Mewtwo crossed his arms and shook his head. "If that is what you wish."

His eyes glinted with amusement and his voice took on a teasing edge. "I saw that eevee friend of yours during my dive. I can see why you like him. He moves very well."

Sasha's ears heated and she looked away. "Dare I ask how much you saw?"

"I saw movements that were a dance of another nature," Mewtwo said. "He was quite tender with you."

Sasha turned to meet Mewtwo's eyes and smiled coyly. "You remind me of him sometimes."

"…Thank you," Mewtwo said, causing the eevee to stare at him oddly. "I'm glad you're that comfortable enough around me to admit that."

At Sasha's baffled look, Mewtwo continued. "Sometimes, when someone has multiple partners, they're drawn to others like them, which leads to strained relations between partners because they're worried the other will react poorly when compared to another."

"Has that happened to you?" Sasha asked.

"No," Mewtwo said. "I have never had more than one romantic partner simultaneously. Well…not until time was twisted into a pretzel, anyway," he added, tone thoughtful.

"Sabrina and Rei?" Sasha prompted.

"Rei was a special case. I was helping her get a handle on her powers and one thing led to another. Then you came along and she urged me to go after you before she left to find her own way," Mewtwo said, gaze distant. "Sabrina…we were drawn together by our similar backgrounds. Once we sat down and talked over drinks, we came to the amusing realization that we had been lovers in other timelines."

"And I told you that I didn't mind if you had other partners. In fact, I'd say I'm the secret mistress you keep on the side in this scenario," Sasha said with a smile.

Mewtwo snorted. "Don't sell yourself short."

He stroked over Sasha tenderly, scratching her head as she sighed, leaning into his touch.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence and soon dozed off.

-

(27.5)

Sasha peered around the gloomy bowels of the abandoned apartment building where she was currently staying with Mewtwo.

The replica had told her about the pokémon living below, saying none of them were outright hostile, but had warned her to stay on her guard all the same.

So far she hadn't seen any pokémon she considered dangerous - mostly rattata, zubats and other small urban pokémon. A few growlithe were curled up beside an arcanine in one room and a family of shinx, luxio and luxray had claimed an entire floor for themselves.

Sasha paused in her exploration as a pair of voices - one clearly female, the other more androgynous - reached her ears and she poked her head around a corner.

A pair of absol were curled up together, murmuring softly to each other.

Sasha was startled she recognized one of them.

"Songbreeze?" she called, causing the reddish-pink furred absol to perk up.

"Sasha!" she said happily, getting to her paws. She gave the other absol a quick nuzzle and trotted over to embrace the eevee. Pulling back, Song gazed at her with a smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Sasha nodded, wagging her tail. "Not since the Warehouse. I'm glad you got out safely."

"I can say the same for you! We were wondering where you had gotten to in the chaos, and then when the roof fell in-" Song's gaze flicked over Sasha's body and she tilted her head. "What happened to you?"

"Divine intervention," Sasha replied. "Or something like that, anyway. I...ran into Archer's houndoom, who...didn't take kindly to my escape attempt and he decided to see how fireproof my innards were."

Song's eyes went wide and she nuzzled the eevee comfortingly. Sasha nuzzled back and gazed past the shiny absol to look at the other.

"So who's he?"

Song turned to gaze at him proudly. "He's my mate."

"Congratulations," Sasha said. "Or should that be 'my condolences'?"

"He said the same thing," Song said wryly, trotting over to him, Sasha tailing behind. "But he's perfect in all the ways that matter to me, so I'm happy."

"Hello, hello; my name is Aiedail," the absol said, blinking politely in greeting. "It's nice to finally meet the eevee my mate has told me so much about."

"All of it good, I hope?" Sasha asked.

"Heh," Aiedail glanced at Song. "I can see why you like her."

"What brings you here?" Sasha asked.

Aiedail and Song exchanged glances - the former more reserved than the latter. Aiedail relented under his mate's steady glare and he sighed, rubbing his head.

"I was assigned to keep an eye on you," he said. Sasha arched an eyebrow.

"By who? Why?"

"Do you know who Arceus is?" Aiedail asked.

Sasha nodded slowly, then again sharply.

"That explains that other absol," she muttered. "Said I was Blessed."

"Mhh," Aiedail said. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep you safe."

"Mewtwo saved my life," Sasha replied, glancing up at the ceiling with a small smile. "So I don't blame you for not doing your job."

Aiedail winced. "That hurt," he said with a pout. "Can you believe how ungrateful some pokémon are?" he asked Song, who rolled her eyes.

"It was nice to see you again," she said, turning to face Sasha. "Feel free to come visit in the future. We'll probably be here for a few months before Aiedail gets another job."

Sasha bid the two farewell and went back upstairs.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(28.1)

Beneath a clear moonlit sky, two eevees - one silver-furred, one red-furred - nestled together, heads pressed against one another, red eyes gazing into green.

"Something on your mind?" the green-eyed male asked his red-eyed companion, who shifted her smaller form against his.

"Well?" she said slowly, nervously. "I've been thinking of?giving myself?a name."

Her partner blinked in surprise. She ducked her head shyly.

"Why?" he asked, ears pricked attentively.

Her tail brushed against his belly slowly as she opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again and scowled.

"I can't really put it into words," she said at last. "It's just a feeling."

The red-hued eevee tilted his head curiously. "Have you chosen a name then?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"What reason would I have to laugh at a name?"

She smiled slightly before taking a breath.

"Sasha?I'd like to call myself?Sasha."

The green-eyed eevee was silent and Sasha squirmed lightly.

His forelimbs wrapped around her torso, his lips brushing against her fur, tickling with his breath.

"That's a lovely name for a lovely eevee," he murmured tenderly, kissing her cheek.

"I just hope my parents approve," Sasha murmured. The arms around her tightened slightly before loosening.

"Do you want to go tell them?"

Sasha turned in his grip, red eyes glowing warmly.

"No?not yet. The night is young. It can wait."

-

(28.2)

Ho-Oh hovered above the glowing ruins of the Cipher laboratory, glaring down at the place that had experimented on him for the better part of a decade before he wheeled around and flew away.

Time passed - how much, he wasn't entirely sure. The sun warmed his tired body, keeping him energized and his wing beats eventually led him to the familiar lands of Johto.

Flying towards the familiar peak of Tin Tower, Ho-Oh folded his wings and landed. The tower usually shook beneath his weight when he landed, but he hadn't yet regained his normal size or weight and the tower remained still.

With a sigh, Ho-Oh let his head fall onto his breast and his eyes drooped in sleep.

"Father!"

Ho-Oh jerked awake at a trio of voices, shortly followed by three shapes tackling him.

Blinking in surprise, Ho-Oh took a few seconds to get his bearings straight and as his gaze sharpened, he saw three familiar faces in front of him.

"Ah, my sons, and daughter," he said slowly. "What brings you here?"

Suicune tossed her head, ribbons twining about her lithe form. "We've been looking all over for you!"

Raikou growled, thunder rumbling softly. "For quite a number of years, actually."

"Where were you? Everyone's been worried sick!" Entei said, his usual stoic demeanor evaporating in the face of his worry.

Ho-Oh stared at them in disbelief. "That can't be right. Nobody would miss me. I've done terrible things. Things that can never be forgiven-"

"If you're talking about memories, stop," Suicune said sternly, stomping a paw. "None of those carried over to this timeline. If you'd have answered Arceus' summons all those years ago, you'd have known this."

Ho-Oh's beak flapped uselessly as he tried to formulate a response, but the words wouldn't come. With a strangled squawk, he burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry!" he bawled.

The beasts of Johto exchanged startled glances before snuggling up to their father, nuzzling the shaking phoenix tenderly, murmuring gently to him.

-

(28.3)

Sasha swayed lightly to music coming from a phonograph Mewtwo had picked up during one of his nightly strolls around town.

Her paws tapped out a short rhythm, tail and hips moving in time as she twirled and pranced around without any real rhyme or reason.

Letting out a silent breath, she reared up onto her hind paws and took a few steps before dropping back to all fours, slipping seamlessly back into her routine.

She yelped in surprise as she was then scooped up by a pair of arms and swung around before brought in against a familiar lavender pelt.

"Mewtwo?!" she squeaked, ears burning.

"Well hello to you too," Mewtwo replied, sounding hurt. "Did I interrupt something?"

Sasha pushed herself away with a paw so she could look up at him, doing her best to keep her face from getting any hotter.

The clone gazed at her inquisitively and she sighed, giving his chest a nuzzle.

Mewtwo stroked her coat softly, eyes distant, thoughtful.

"That dance?does it have any purpose?"

Sasha's ears heated again and Mewtwo's brows rose.

"A mating dance, then?" he guessed. Sasha made a strangled noise and averted her eyes. "You seemed awfully familiar with it," he added teasingly.

Sasha growled at him and swatted him lightly. He caught her paw and gave it a squeeze.

"It's just a thing some wild pok?mon do," she muttered.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Mewtwo asked, setting her down on the couch.

"No, you didn't," Sasha replied, kneading the cushion absently. "I just got carried away."

"Is it meant as something private between lovers?" Mewtwo asked.

Sasha winced and nodded. Mewtwo frowned. "I'm sorry," he said again.

He blinked as Sasha moved, placing her front paws on his chest, bringing her face close to his.

"You know I love you, right?" she asked.

"Yes?" Mewtwo replied.

"So there's nothing wrong with showing you the?uh?conclusion to that dance. If you want, anyway."

Mewtwo's mind went blank for a moment and he stared at the silver eevee for a moment before his hand cupped her cheek, stroking gently.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Once given, such a gift cannot be taken back."

Sasha nodded. "I want to do this for you," she said softly.

"Very well. Show me."

And she did.

-

(28.4)

Ash blinked awake, eyes darting around his bedroom for a moment before his mind caught up with his reflexes.

Sitting up in his bed, he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Another day, another dream," he murmured, getting to his feet.

Grabbing a set of clothes, he went through his morning routine automatically.

Stepping out of the shower, he wiped the mirror clear and stared at the adult gazing back at him.

It felt bizarre staring at himself all grown up after waking up to the face of a kid for nearly twenty years and he turned away with a slight shudder. Living though childhood was not an experience he'd like to repeat for a third time and he silently thanked Arceus for giving him leave from any actual Chosen business.

Of course, if he happened across someone in need of help, he'd drop what he was doing to assist them, but so far, nothing world-threatening had reared its head.

Unless the other Chosen weren't telling him...?

Shaking his head, he chuckled before brushing a hand through his hair. If they weren't telling him, odds are it was so he wouldn't leap on Pidgeot and fly to the action anyway.

Going downstairs, he heard quiet voices in the kitchen and wondered if his mother had invited guests. Or brought home a date.

Wouldn't be the first time.

But on a day like today...

Once again shaking his head, Ash entered the kitchen and froze.

"Hello, Ash," Arceus said cheerfully. "Happy birthday."

A trio of voices echoed the sentiment from his left and he turned to see a Celebi, Victini and Meloetta sitting at the table.

"Right," Ash said blankly. "Thanks."

"I was expecting more of a reaction," Celebi murmured.

"We did kinda drop in unannounced," Victini pointed out.

"No, no, it's fine," Ash said, waving his hands. "Just not entirely awake yet."

"Would a Wake-Up Slap help?" Meloetta asked.

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I think I'll pass," Ash said with a small grin. "It's nice to see all of you again. What've you been up to?"

Delia placed several different kinds of breakfast foods on the table, ranging from crepes, waffles, pancakes, french toast and eggs to various kinds of muffins, bagels, and scones.

"Your mom's got some ridiculous skills," Victini said with a whistle. "Could we borrow her for a week or two?"

"So long as you ask before whisking me away," Delia said, waving a wooden spoon at the legendary pok?mon. "Twice was enough, thank you very much."

Celebi poured a little bit of everything into a small wormhole - "For later," he said when asked about it - and everyone dug into the meal.

"Kinda surprised nobody else showed up," Ash said as he helped his mother clean the dishes.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they'll show up at a more reasonable time. Lunch, perhaps and then there's dinner to consider..." Delia said, cracking her knuckles. "I'm going to be rather busy, so could you be a dear and go get some things for me?"

She pressed a rather alarmingly-sized pad of paper into his hands and Ash flicked through the pages and pages of compact text in growing disbelief.

"I'll swing by Oak's and pick up a few helpers," Ash said, tucking the pad away. Turning to Arceus and the others, he grinned. "Care to join me?"

Arceus and Celebi shook their heads while Victini and Meloetta nodded.

"I expect you both back by midnight," Arceus said.

"Bring leftovers," Celebi said.

"Of course," Meloetta replied with a curtsy.

The two diminutive legendaries claimed Ash's shoulders and the trio left the house.

"Where's Pikachu? You two are usually inseparable," Victini said as they crossed the road, earning several gaping stares from the locals.

"He's spending time with his wife and kids," Ash said.

"Bwuh?" Meloetta said in surprise. "When did that happen?"

Ash shrugged. "About two years ago."

"Time flies when you're busy trying to keep it from falling apart," Victini said wistfully. He glanced at Meloetta and opened his mouth.

"No," she said. "Well," she added slowly at Victini's forlorn look. "Maybe some day, once all this is sorted out, alright?"

Victini cheered up at that and Ash idly stroked the Victory Pok?mon's head.

-

(28.5)

Sasha dragged her paws as she made her way towards her home.

The eevee's stomach was churning uncomfortably as she went over what she wanted to say to her parents, about what she had decided.

Reaching her den, she took a breath and went in.

Her parents greeted her warmly, twining around her and licking her head.

Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Sasha cleared her throat.

"Mom, dad, there's something I'd like to tell you," she said slowly, taking slow deep breaths. Her parents exchanged knowing glances and settled down, ears pricked attentively.

"I've decided to give myself a name."

Her parents jerked back in surprise, eyes wide. Jolteon's jaw dropped and Umbreon let out a weak "What?"

Swiftly composing themselves, they shared another look, one more confused than the last and Jolteon coughed awkwardly.

"Well?that wasn't what we expected," he said sheepishly.

Sasha blinked in surprise. "Eh?" she asked blankly.

"We thought you had decided to take that eevee as your mate and were planning on moving out," Umbreon said. "A name though?are you sure?"

Sasha nodded. "I've been thinking about it for a while now and?I've decided on Sasha."

Her parents murmured the name to themselves a few times, frowning. Jolteon eventually nodded and smiled.

"Welcome home, Sasha."

Umbreon gave her daughter a kiss on her forehead, purring warmly.

"And so your own story begins. I'm so proud of you," the older 'mon murmured, nuzzling her offspring lovingly.

Sasha blushed and snuggled back happily.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(29.1)

Sasha stared at Mewtwo curiously as the clone worked on his writing.

He seemed to have hit a wall and words appeared on the screen before being wiped away just as quickly as they'd appeared.

After a few moments, Mewtwo got up in a huff, arms crossed tightly over his chest - a defense mechanism Sasha recognized as the replica's signal to not be disturbed.

Which she promptly ignored as she carefully leapt onto his shoulder and proceeded to nuzzle his cheek.

He sputtered in surprise and glanced at her, which led to Sasha's muzzle gracing his nose and lips.

"You're spending too much time cooped up in here," Sasha chided him gently, licking over his face affectionately. "You'd find more inspiration if you went outside once in a while."

Mewtwo grunted in irritation before his hand came up to stroke her head absently.

"You are, of course, right," he said with a sigh. "I've already turned your gym battles into a few chapters worth of content and have slowly been setting things up for the final match...but it's a lot harder to make the action flow smoothly and not feel like a turn-based game."

He went silent and his frown deepened.

"Have you considered showing scenes from other people's perspectives?" Sasha suggested. "What have the people your character has met along their journey been up to?"

Mewtwo blinked thoughtfully. "But why would anyone care about them? They're there for a few minutes with a few seconds worth of interaction before going on their way. People really care about things like that?"

"I wouldn't know off the top of my head," Sasha admitted, "but there's times I find myself wondering what Arceus, Citlali and Ash have been doing while I've been getting ready for the League."

"I could always teleport us there and ask," Mewtwo said absently, saving his current progress. He'd made the mistake of not doing it a few times over the years and had once lost over fifty thousand words when the power had gone out.

"You could do that," Sasha said, nodding. "Or make something up-"

She was cut off by a bright flash of light that faded to reveal a lime-green celebi.

"Ah, here you are," it chirped. "I dunno if either of you care, but Ho-Oh has returned from the Orre region."

The celebi vanished without another word and the two dumbfounded pok?mon took a few seconds to process the information.

"Ho-Oh?" Sasha asked.

"A 'whacking great phoenix,' as Ash would put it," Mewtwo said, intrigued. "Last I heard, he had gone missing after the Time Crash, and his sons and daughter - Entei, Raikou and Suicune - have been searching for him ever since. This is fantastic news."

His tail twitched excitedly as he powered down his office.

"Shall we go meet him then?" he asked. "I, for one, want to compare notes on a few things-" He caught himself, before turning to Sasha. "I mean, if you want to."

"Even if I didn't, you're welcome to go without me," Sasha said dryly. "But in this case, I'd certainly like to meet him as well."

She leaped into Mewtwo's arms and the two teleported away.

They reappeared at the base of a huge tower surrounded by golden-yellow-leafed trees.

"Where are we?" Sasha asked, sniffing the air curiously.

"Johto. Ecruteak City. Bell Tower," Mewtwo said, craning his head up to stare up the front of the structure. "This is Ho-Oh's primary roost."

"Bell Tower?" Sasha said. "Seems like a poor place to rest if a bell tolls every hour."

"Well," Mewtwo said slowly. "It's not that kind of bell tower. It's also known as the Tin Tower. There used to be another tower known as the Metal or Brass Tower. Lugia roosted there until it burned down?erm?" His gaze went distant, brow furrowed as he crunched a few numbers in his head. "I think it's been almost 160 years now. I heard they were planning to rebuild it though." He scanned the sky, but the trees blocked his sight.

Sasha let out a low whistle. "That's good to hear." She glanced up at the tower, tail twitching eagerly. "So are we going up? Any particular reason we didn't teleport above the tower and fly down?"

"Manners, Sasha," Mewtwo reminded her.

"I don't see a doorbell," Sasha countered dryly.

"Hello!"

The duo jumped in surprise as a trio of red, blue and yellow pok?mon poked their heads out of the tower door.

"I thought I heard voices," Suicune said with a toothy grin.

"Heya, Mewtwo," Raikou said.

"What brings you here?" Entei asked.

"We heard Ho-Oh was back and wanted to say hello," Mewtwo said as Sasha stared at the three legendary beasts in awe.

The beasts visibly hesitated, glancing at one another uncomfortably. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed and he took a step back.

"What memories did Ho-Oh receive?" he asked quietly, crossing his arms.

"Genocide," Suicune replied, head low.

Sasha felt Mewtwo's muscles tense beneath her paws and she nuzzled him worriedly. His hand came up to gently cup her cheek and she felt him trembling.

"I see," Mewtwo said softly. "I'd like to speak with him. Alone," he added, plucking Sasha from her perch and placed her on the ground. "Please look after her."

Suicune and Raikou looked as if they wanted to stop him but a low growl from Entei caused them to stop.

"Thank you," Mewtwo said, and vanished into the tower.

Sasha stared after him, kneading the ground anxiously. She knew he'd be fine, but she still worried about him nonetheless. With a sigh, she let go of her worry and turned to the three legendaries who had taken to conversing amongst themselves.

Suicune stared at the silvery eevee curiously before leaving her brothers to pad over to her. Leaning down, she gave the small pok?mon a sniff before she leaned back.

"I know you," Suicune said, sounding puzzled.

"What do you mean?" Raikou asked, joining his sibling while Entei stayed back, ears perked towards the tower.

"You remember Molly Hale?" Suicune asked.

"?How can I not? I have two sets of memories from two sets of Beasts giving me two different viewpoints of the same event. Kinda hard to forget things like that," Raikou said, not bothering to keep the dryness from his voice. Suicune's muzzle twitched in amusement.

"Well, unless my nose is lying to me, this is Molly's eevee," Suicune said. "Although not?quite hers. Color's a little off."

Raikou sniffed Sasha carefully and frowned. "?That is most strange. As far as we know, no one is entirely the same as they were before Time went all bonkers, yet she's?"

"Most odd," Suicune said, before turning her attention back to Sasha. "Please, tell us about yourself."

Sasha glanced at the Beasts, then down at her paws, clenching them before she nodded and started speaking.

-
(29.2)

Mewtwo ascended the Bell Tower slowly, going over his memories of the events the Beasts had alluded to concerning Ho-Oh.

He'd skimmed over them briefly years ago when they first manifested yet hadn't delved into them because they didn't interest or affect him. Now that he had all the details, he was surprised to find himself utterly indifferent to the contents in them.

Reaching the top floor of the tower, Mewtwo stepped forward to see Ho-Oh perched on the peak of the roof, staring off at the refurbished Brass Tower to the east.

"Hello, Mewtwo," Ho-Oh said. The bird's voice was drained, tired and Mewtwo stopped a couple dozen yards away from the phoenix.

"Greetings, Lord Ho-Oh," Mewtwo replied.

Ho-Oh laughed bitterly. "I am no Lord."

"Your actions in other lives have no meaning in this time and place," Mewtwo said.

Ho-Oh turned one red-gold eye in the clone's direction. "You sound like the others," he said bitterly. "That may be true, but the memories are still there, speaking to me."

"And how do you think I feel?" Mewtwo asked. "I have just as many good memories as ones where I am a monster who has laid waste to trillions of lives without remorse or guilt. I loved every moment of the carnage and I would be lying if I said I haven't seriously considered doing the same here."

Ho-Oh remained silent for a few minutes before shuffling his wings.

"I turned you into a puppet-"

"I ripped your wings and head off. We're even," Mewtwo said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Ho-Oh stared at the replica in disbelief.

"How can you joke about this?" Ho-Oh asked.

"Because what happened then doesn't matter now," Mewtwo replied.

Ho-Oh sighed, shaking his head. "I will?try. Try to move past this. Try to?make new memories."

The phoenix paused, head tilted, before he smiled slightly. "If it wasn't for me, Ash never would've started his journey. Never would've become the man he is today?"

The Rainbow Pok?mon turned to Mewtwo and bowed low.

"Forgive me for being?stubborn. I have some people and pok?mon to visit. May we meet again in the future. I wish you luck in the trials ahead."

Flapping his wings, the legendary pok?mon took to the sky and flew off to the southwest, leaving a sparkling rainbow trail in the sky.

-
(29.3)

Mewtwo and Sasha were curled up together on the couch, watching a Pok?mon Showcase from Kalos.

The current Kalos Queen, a young woman named Serena, was handing a key to a blue-haired girl with a piplup and buneary. Behind them, a brown-haired contestant from Hoenn was consoling her glaceon and delcatty.

"That was a good showing," Sasha said.

"I'll take your word for it," Mewtwo said.

The eevee snorted and struck a pose on the arm of the couch, one foreleg stretched forward dramatically.

"Of course you wouldn't understand the importance of such a performance," she said grandly.

"Showing the trust and love between a performer and their partners, along with the time and effort put into their dance?" Mewtwo remarked dryly.

"Okay, so you do understand," Sasha recovered. "That's good, I guess."

"You dance well enough. Would you ever consider performing in a Showcase?" Mewtwo asked.

Sasha shook her head. "Wouldn't dream of it. Although...I have. Dreamed of it, I mean," she replied. "Besides," she added, "that would require you to get up on stage and dance with me."

"And make a fool of myself in front of millions? No thank you."

"Now you know how I feel."

-
(29.4)

Mewtwo opened his eyes and looked around, senses alert.

Something had-

There it was again.

Getting to his feet, Mewtwo focused his power, waiting for the strange psionic pulse again.

Latching onto it, the energy jumped in surprise and Mewtwo suddenly found himself floating in someone else's mind.

"Hello?" he called warily. Whoever this was, their psychic abilities were far beyond the range of anyone he had ever encountered.

A formless shape materialized in front of him and a soft feminine voice spoke.

"Oh, I didn't think anyone could hear me. I've been doing this unconsciously for several weeks now and nobody has answered."

Mewtwo placed a hand on his temple and winced.

"First of all," he said through gritted teeth, "You're screaming, so I'm reasonably sure you have inadvertently forced yourself into other people's heads. I'm guessing none of them had the psychic ability to answer you though."

"Oh," the voice said meekly, going almost silent. "I'm so sorry!"

"Where are you?" Mewtwo asked. "I've been through something similar before. I'd like to help."

"R-really?" the voice squeaked. "I'd deeply appreciate it. I'm...ah...er..."

The voice trailed off for a moment before resumed.

"I have no idea where I am. I flew west, away from some bad people and got lost."

"Story of my life," Mewtwo said. "Don't move, I'll come to you."

He pulled away from the mental presence and examined the surrounding area curiously. It wasn't anywhere he recognized, but it was remote at the very least.

He teleported and found himself in a meadow filled with flowers of all kinds. Feeling the presence behind him, he turned and met a startled pair of violet eyes.

"I must say, you were not what I was expecting," the other mewtwo said with a hesitant smile.

It took Mewtwo a few seconds to find his voice. "Neither are you," he said, unable to keep the astonishment out of his tone.

He gazed at the other mewtwo, eyes roaming up and down its body. It had a slightly paler coat than his own, and its features were softer. The voice it was speaking with was borderline androgynous, but still had a female angle to it.

"Tell me about yourself," he said. "That'll help me figure out how to best help you."

"I was called Rei by my creators. I was initially a prototype for their cloning program and was temporarily discarded before their second attempt broke free and fled the labs," the mewtwo said slowly, gazing at its hands.

Mewtwo blinked and stroked his chin. "I met a feral mewtwo in Cerulean Cave a few years back. I wonder if that was your successor?"

The other mewtwo smiled thinly. "I suspect it was. I was then thawed and they tweaked my genetic structure in an attempt to make me more docile. It failed," she purred.

Mewtwo nodded in amusement before he placed his hands on her temples. At her inquisitive glance, he explained what he was doing. "I'm giving you a set of temporary mental shields. It'll help filter out the brunt of psychic chatter you're getting and allow you to focus your own abilities so you can eventually do it on your own."

"What if I can't?" she asked.

Mewtwo hesitated before speaking. "I'm staying in a city, taking care of an eevee I scooped off the side of a mountain. You'd be welcome to stay there with us for a while until you can shield on your own, if you'd like."

She nodded. "That'd be nice. Thank you for your help."

Mewtwo inclined his head and he placed a hand on her shoulder and teleported away.

-
(29.5)

Ash adjusted his hat, frowning slightly as it didn't quite sit right on his thick hair. Making a note to get a haircut after the match, he gazed across the field at Gary Oak.

Several years had passed since the Time Crash and the two had gone through and collected a fresh set of Badges for the League.

Ash had gone with Dark, Fighting, Normal, Ice, Flying, Bug, Steel and Dragon whereas Gary had gone Rock, Water, Electric, Grass, Poison, Psychic, Fire and Ground.

Ash sighed and glanced at the last pok? ball in his hand.

"You've gotten strong," he said, enlarging it with a tap of his finger.

"Likewise," Gary said, tossing his last pok? ball. "Let's finish this."

One brutal back-and-forth battle later, the match ended in a duel-knockout and the match ended in a draw.

"Not bad for a professor," Ash said, recalling his pok?mon.

Gary frowned as he stowed his pok?mon away.

The two left the League field after getting their trophies and made their way back to the League hotel provided for challengers. Once back inside their room, Gary turned on Ash.

"Alright, spill. Where was the skill and power you battled with before?"

Ash blinked in surprise and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Ah, you noticed that?"

"The entire League noticed," Gary said dryly. "You've taken on much more than I have and this should've been a cakewalk for you."

"The Crash reset a lot of things," Ash pointed out. "The power of my pok?mon was one of them."

Gary glanced at Pikachu, who was fast asleep on the bed. "So that's why you didn't use Pikachu in your team?"

Ash nodded. "We'll start over from the beginning, just like old times. Who knows, I may even catch more pok?mon this time around. Third time's the charm and all that, right?"

Gary snorted, crossing his arms. "You're still nowhere near me in terms of pok?mon caught."

"Of course not," Ash said with a nod. "I like to bond with the pok?mon I do have before making new friends. It doesn't matter how many you have-"

"Yes, yes, we've been over this twice now. I'd like to keep it that way," Gary said with a wave of his hand.

The two shared a grin before turning in for the night.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(30.1)

Yellow walked around the geothermal power plant on Blush Mountain, taking in all the complicated machinery designed to turn the power lurking under the earth's surface into energy for the Alola Region.

Yet there was no sign of Team Magma.

None of the scientists and workers stationed there had heard of them and Yellow was starting to wonder if Arceus had been wrong.

Walking by a TV broadcasting the local news, she paused and then did a double-take.

"Could someone unmute that?" she asked. A researcher pointed a remote at the TV and sound flooded the room.

"-coming in and the bodies have been identified as Hoenn natives. Various logos unearthed from the wreckage match those of the group that called themselves Team Magma, who were responsible for a catastrophe almost fifteen years ago," the news reporter was saying.

The camera panned over a blasted landscape and Yellow stared at the devastation in slack-jawed horror.

"Serves those punks right," a scientist said, crossing his arms. "Tapu Bulu doesn't take kindly to those who mean his island harm."

"I...I see," Yellow said dazedly. "Huh. Came all this way for nothing," she grumbled. She then sighed and stretched her arms over her head. "Well, may as well explore what Alola has to offer. Thanks for your help."

Saying her farewells, she called out her butterfree and flew into the air.

She hadn't been airborne long before something joined her. She heard a bell ring, shortly followed by a voice.

"Land, please."

Yellow had heard many different tones of voice over the years and this one commanded respect and obedience.

"Down, Kitty," she murmured to her butterfree and they landed on a hill overlooking the Ruins of Abundance, as a nearby sign helpfully told her.

Brushing herself off, Yellow turned as a pok?mon descended from the sky.

"Tapu Bulu, I presume?" Yellow said with a polite bow.

"You presume correctly," the guardian replied. "What brings one of Arceus' Chosen to Alola?"

Yellow bit her lip and chose her words carefully. "Arceus was...worried about Team Magma, and since it doesn't have a Chosen in Alola, it decided to send me."

"Hmph," Tapu Bulu snorted. "Typical of that old fool. Always sticking its nose in other pok?mon's business."

"I take it you two don't see eye-to-eye?" Yellow asked carefully.

Tapu Bulu laughed. "Arceus gave us these islands to safeguard after a long battle between us and its children. Why the battle was fought, no one remembers or cares, but we have kept these islands safe ever since and don't need any help from Arceus and its ilk. Thank you for the kind gesture, but next time, tell Arceus to let us do our jobs, yeah?"

Yellow grimaced and nodded. "I will pass that along, provided it doesn't already know."

"Tell that overgrown horse anyway," Tapu Bulu said. "Repetition helps with remembering things, after all."

"Of course," Yellow replied politely, keeping her irritation under control. Tapu Bulu gazed at her thoughtfully before he shook his head and vanished.

Yellow let out a breath and touched Kitty's head, causing the butterfree to nuzzle her hand.

"Not everyone is easy to get along with," Yellow murmured. "A shame. I'd have liked to learn more about Alola from him, but I don't know if I'd have been able to put up with his attitude. Come on, let's get back to civilization."

-

(30.2)

Jessie, James, and Meowth stumbled along the path, stomachs growling loudly.

"My kingdom for a piece of bread," James moaned.

"I will surrender my contest ribbons for gruel," Jessie said.

"I will give up my dream of being Giovanni's right-hand cat for tofu," Meowth said.

Before James could reply, Jessie clapped a hand over his mouth. "Listen!"

The trio went silent, straining their ears.

"Thanks for the food, Sheena, Kevin!"

Meowth perked up. "It's the twerp!"

"Can we really call him that after all these years and what we've been through?" James asked.

"Old habits die hard," Meowth said.

Scuttling over the nearby ridge, they peered down at a spectacular set of ruins. Three pairs of eyes zeroed in on...

"That's a lot of soup," James muttered.

"Enough to feed an army," Jessie murmured.

"Or in this case..." Meowth said.

"US!" the trio chorused, making a mad dash at the table.

Jessie elbowed a man out of the way and seized a bowl, inhaling the contents, closely followed by James and Meowth.

"Ahhh," James said in bliss, licking the bowl clean. "That hits the spot!"

"Hey!"

The trio paused and turned to look at the woman standing at the head of the table.

"Who are you?" she demanded, brandishing a spoon.

"They're part of Team Rocket, Sheena," Ash said. "They go around stealing pok?mon for their boss. What's wrong, can't find anything?"

"Shut up," Jessie retorted. "The only reason we're not after Pikachu right now is because our stomachs are empty. Once we're done with the his lackluster broth, we'll-"

"Excuse me?" Sheena said, eyes narrowing to slits.

"Now you've done it," Kevin, the man Jessie had elbowed aside, muttered, sliding under the table as his wife seized a bowl of soup.

Planting a foot on the surface of the table, she jabbed a finger at the trio.

"How dare you call the secret family recipe my family has guarded for generations-"

"And lost at one point before Ash found it - by accident, I might add," Gary Oak said from his position at the table with a spectacular coughing fit.

"-lackluster!" Sheena finished loudly.

A polite cough drew everyone's attention.

Jessie's jaw dropped while James' eyes went wide and Meowth's fur stood on end as they beheld Arceus and the Creation Trio staring at them grumpily.

"Either sit down and enjoy the food or get out of here before I ask Palkia to do it for me," Arceus said acidly. "The soup is getting cold."

The trio sat down meekly and accepted bowls of soup.

"So what brings you here?" James asked Ash.

"After winning the Kanto League again, I wanted to go visit the places I went to all those years ago."

James blinked in surprise, idly stroking his chin. "Hm?that sounds kinda fun, actually?"

"Ya think the boss will let us do that?" Meowth asked dubiously.

"Why wouldn't he?" Jessie asked, leaning her head on her hand. "We've served him faithfully for several years and sent him plenty of rare and exotic pok?mon ? more than any other operative team, I may add," she added proudly, then hesitated as she glanced at Arceus, who was staring at her. "And?those pok?mon were probably sent to good trainers from our various business fronts?"

"The only reason I let Team Rocket mostly do as it pleases is because Giovanni has wisely chosen not to go after my children," Arceus said. "While it may seem heartless of me to do nothing about the exploitation of pok?mon, it has no impact on the safety of the world as a whole, which is my prime concern."

"And we thank you for that, as it has allowed us to become very rich," James said, resting his hand on Jessie's.

Ash blinked as his eyes caught something glittering on their ring fingers.

"You're married?!" he blurted out.

"Oh yes," Jessie said happily. "Two years now, actually."

"Congratulations," Sheena said, sharing a smile with her husband.

"And what about you?" James asked Ash, who looked away.

"Never thought about it," Ash said. "The world is a large place and while I'm not blind to the attractions girls ? and a few guys," he added thoughtfully, "have had on me?I don't want to settle down just yet."

"Latias will be ever so disappointed," Dialga muttered into his soup, causing Palkia to choke on his as he bit back a laugh.

Ash smiled slightly and the rest of the meal went smoothly.

-

(30.3)

Mewtwo and Sasha wandered through the depths of Reflection Cave, thoroughly lost.

"I can see why people hate mirror houses and mazes now," Sasha said, rubbing her sore nose after having run into yet another reflective surface. "I'm sorely tempted to start breaking things."

"I am sorely tempted to allow you to do that," Mewtwo said, one hand on the wall to guide himself.

"Are you ever going to teleport us out of here?" Sasha grumbled.

"Only when we both admit defeat," Mewtwo said with a grin. "And with what's at stake, you're not going to, are you?"

"No fair withholding my favorite food as part of a bet," Sasha growled.

"I'm surprised you didn't wager intimacy," Mewtwo remarked.

"I can survive a week without snuggling you into oblivion," Sasha said.

"You tried that once. You lasted about thirty-five hours," came the matter-of-fact reply.

"In my defense, that was ages ago," Sasha muttered.

Mewtwo chuckled, then stopped abruptly. Sasha pricked her ears and frowned. The two shared a knowing look before Sasha clambered onto Mewtwo's shoulder and the clone crouched low, melting into the shadows.

Both stared at their reflections in the wall, both of which had not moved and were facing away from them.

"Interesting," Mewtwo murmured. "I'd heard rumors about this phenomenon, but to actually see it..."

"Mirror world, right?" Sasha asked quietly. "Wonder what kind of mirror. Opposite, parallel, what-if...?"

"We could always ask," Mewtwo suggested. Sasha shook her head emphatically.

"Absolutely not, because that invariably leads to one of us being replaced by a doppelganger and wacky shenanigans ensue."

"You're right. Arceus forbid I kiss the wrong eevee."

"I'm never gonna let that go."

"I'd be insulted if you did."

Sasha flicked her tail. "Alright, let's go. I'd rather put up with not snuggling you instead of whatever plot speaking to our mirror selves would kick off."

"No arguments here," Mewtwo said before the two vanished.

"Told you they wouldn't talk to us," the mirror Sasha said to her compatriot.

"Thank goodness for that. I'd have never been able to keep up the charade. Although I am curious as to what their lives were like," Mewtwo said. "Maybe she actually wins her League Match."

"You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?" Sasha grumbled.

"You lost against a snivy," Mewtwo said dryly.

"It was a snivy that had made it to the League," Sasha said defensively.

"As had you," Mewtwo pointed out.

Sasha sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever. Come on, let's get out of here."

-

(30.4)

Arceus woke up from its sleep and lifted its head.

Stretching its neck, the Creator felt something move against its side and looked down to see a young human boy stirring from where it had been curled up against Arceus' belly.

"Forgive me; did I wake you?" Arceus asked, leaning down to gently nuzzle the child.

The boy chuckled and shook his head, patting Arceus' side. "No, no. It's alright."

He gazed up at the Alpha Pok?mon with a frown. "Is something wrong? Usually you sleep through the night without issue."

Arceus sighed, leaning its head down. The boy lifted his hands and gently cradled the pok?mon's jaw, soft brown eyes gazing into red.

"I've had some doubts," Arceus admitted. "About you."

The boy tilted his head. "What kind of doubts?"

"Are you happy?"

The boy removed his hands from Arceus' jaw and stretched his arms above his head. Looking up at Arceus, he smiled.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Arceus frowned slightly. "So you're not bored by immortality? Outliving everyone you've met, having to bury your pok?mon...?"

"Ah," the boy said with a nod. "I can see why you'd be worried."

He fell silent, hand resting on Arceus' golden harness, stroking over it slowly.

"It's sad, of course," he said after a moment. "Saying goodbye always is. But I have years worth of good memories to look back on and smile about. They were happy knowing and traveling with me."

He chuckled, causing Arceus to tilt its head.

"When they found out I was immortal, they were often envious. They'd have been able to explore the world and expand on their own dreams, but ultimately they decided to live a normal life to the fullest instead of stretching it out forever."

"Have you ever considered doing the same?" Arceus asked.

The boy shook his head. "My dream is one that takes several lifetimes to complete and I'm glad I can set my own pace. I've said it before and I'll say it again: thank you for giving me this gift."

Reaching up, he took hold of Arceus' jaw again and kissed the pok?mon on the nose.

"Must you use such an archaic method of thanking me?" Arceus grumbled playfully, pushing its nose against the boy's forehead.

"You're too big to hug," the boy shot back, sticking his tongue out.

-

(30.5)

Jolteon and Umbreon strode through Lostlorn Forest, enjoying the lovely weather.

Bumbling around their paws was a young silver-furred eevee, whose bright inquisitive eyes darted around, taking in all the sights.

The undergrowth rustled, causing the two older pok?mon to move in front of their daughter, ears pricked, ready to defend her if need be.

A zorua with blue eyes poked its head out of the shrubbery. Its eyes landed on the eevee and it let out a feminine yipe, getting her attention.

The two little foxes approached one another as Umbreon and Jolteon watched. Sniffing one another, the zorua let out a soft yip, wagging her tail. The eevee smiled and the two started wrestling.

A zoroark poked her head out of the ferns and blinked. "So, that's where you've wandered off to. Oh," she said, catching sight of Jolteon and his mate. "Sorry for the bother-"

Jolteon shook his head. "It's alright," he said with a smile. Umbreon watched the zorua closely, ears twitching.

"She looks like her father," she noted. Zoroark sighed.

"I'm aware," she said with a long-suffering exhale. "Always wandering off and getting into trouble."

The eevee managed to pin the zorua, who squirmed under her firm grip. The zorua then turned into an eevee, much to her opponent's surprise and slipped out of her slack grasp.

"Oh-ho," Umbreon said. "She's a quick learner."

The eevee narrowed her eyes as she examined the disguised zorua before lunging forward. Zorua leapt backwards, but not far enough to evade, getting knocked onto her back, causing her disguise to break.

"She adapts quickly," Zoroark noted. "That's good."

Umbreon glanced up at the sky and pursed her lips. "We've got to get going. Eevee!"

The eevee pricked her ears and turned to face her mother. Zorua took the moment of distraction to pounce, but the eevee had already ran towards her parents, causing the dark fox to faceplant in the dirt.

Zoroark chuckled, scooping her up in her arms. "There there," she said, brushing the dirt off. "You'll see her again. You're going to need a bath before dinner at this rate."

Dipping her head to the eeveelutions, she said her farewells and the two different families vanished into the depths of the forest.

 

[Twilight-kun]

(31.1 – Written by Viroro-kun)

Serena walked only a few steps into her home before letting herself fall on a chair. She took a deep breath with her eyes to the ceiling, finally recovering her strength. Delphox, Pancham and Sylveon entered as well, closing the door behind them.

"Rough day at work, dear?"

She saw her husband come inside the living room with his Pokémon. As he hugged her, Serena smiled. "I spent the whole day with Palermo and Monsieur Pierre preparing for the Master Class. It looks like we will have a rather healthy bunch of competitors this year."

"Do you think someone will manage to take the title from you?"

Serena laughed, before showing off a confident grin. "I've spent years preparing to be Kalos Queen, I'm not giving up the position anytime soon."

Her husband smiled, adjusting his glasses. "And to think that when we started our journey, you didn't know what your dream was..."

"Heheh, right. I owe a lot to our trip through Kalos, all those years ago."

Serena and her husband glanced at a nearby shelf together, where several photos stood: pictures of four friends, two boys and two girls, smiling at the camera with their Pokémon around them.

The man fidgeted, and a sigh escaped him. "Say, uhm... do you still miss Ash, sometimes?"

"Maybe just a bit, he was my first crush after all. But Ash is just too much of a free spirit, he would've never settled down too easily."

"I understand." The man sighed again, shaking his head.

"No need to feel bad, Clemont." Serena put her hand over his shoulder. "I loved Ash, yes, but that's all in the past. Right now, you are the only one I'd want to be with."

"R-really?" Clemont gulped, redder than a Tamato Berry.

Serena giggled. "Of course, silly."

Without warning, she pulled Clemont into a kiss. The inventor almost managed not to pass out as he replied in kind.

As the two kept going, their Pokémon eyed the lovebirds with approving nods. All aside from a certain duo, at least.

Chespin elbowed Pancham in the side with a knowing glance. "Heh, aren't our trainers cute?"

"More like saccharine. I don't get why they need to be so lovey-dovey every single day." The Fighting-type shrugged and turned the other way as he munched his Pokéfood.

Chespin grumbled, eating his Macaron with a pout. "You are really not romantic at all. No wonder you are always so stingy and wooden during our dates."

Almost choking on his food, Pancham blushed, swallowed and turned to glare at the Grass-type. "We don't date! We just have friendly meetings! Frenemy meetings!"

"Yes, yes. That's why you gave me that Macaron-flavored cake for Valentine's day, right?"

"Ugh!" Frowning, Pancham turned around and walked towards the bathroom. "Well, I need to take a shower, bye."

"Don't forget, we have the movie night with Pikachu and his wife in a few hours!"

Pancham's cheeks became distinctly more red as he slammed the door behind him.

-

(31.2)

Mewtwo deposited Sasha on the counter of the League registration desk and the attendant - one of the many Joys littering the region - looked at the psychic feline and his charge curiously.

"So which of you is participating?" she asked, not even batting an eye at the oddity.

"She is," Mewtwo said. "Alone."

"What hold items?" the receptionist asked, typing on several keyboards.

"Everstone and Eviolite," Mewtwo said. Sasha pawed at her collar nervously, paw brushing against her scarf.

"And the scarf?" the woman asked, glancing at it.

Mewtwo stroked his chin. "It's not a Silk Scarf..." he mused thoughtfully.

"So just the two then," Joy said, hitting the enter key, printing out a set of papers she then handed to Mewtwo, who teleported them away. "Welcome to the Indigo League."

Mewtwo collected Sasha and the duo departed.

"Why'd she ask about hold items?" Sasha asked.

"Usually, it's one item per pokémon," Mewtwo said, "One Mega Stone or Z-Crystal per team, following the Kalos and Alolan League rules set for both items."

"And for single pokémon challenging the League?" Sasha asked.

"Technically you're allowed six hold items," Mewtwo said. "No duplicates or items with the same effect though."

"So I could have Oran, Sitrus, Lum and Persim Berries if I wanted..." Sasha said slowly.

"You could," Mewtwo said with a nod. "And they're being sold over there, if you want to pick some up," he added, pointing to a thriving market that was selling all manner of items, ranging from TMs and HMs to vitamins and berries.

Sasha shook her head. "I'd rather win or lose without having my health restored mid-battle," she said. "Put everything I've learned these past months to the test and all that."

"If that is what you wish," Mewtwo said.

-

(31.3)

"Oops."

The Hall of Origin went silent as the dreaded word floated through it.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to crane their heads to look at Arceus, who looked up from where it had been piecing bits of Johto back together.

"'Oops'?" Citlali said. "'Oops'?! What happened where that's your response? What did you retcon out of existence? Is Fairy no longer a Type? Did you make Giovanni Ash's dad? Please tell me you didn't just put Ash in a coma-"

"Citlali."

Citlali shut his mouth with a click of his teeth as Arceus got to its feet.

"I didn't break anything," it said. "However, what I did inadvertently do is add an extra week to someone's timeline, throwing off their future."

"Dare we ask who?" Aylen ventured.

Arceus shrugged. "Nobody too important."

Meanwhile, four years and a week earlier, a man traveling through Johto suddenly stopped and turned. Beside him, a Darkrai and Latios stared at their trainer curiously.

"...The Lily of the Valley tournament was a week ago, wasn't it?" the trainer asked, facepalming. "Could've sworn it was this week..."

With a sigh, he shrugged. "Oh well. Maybe next time."

-

(31.4)

Yellow strode through the paths of Viridian Forest, hands clasped behind her back.

She stopped at the sound of buzzing wings and turned her head to regard a beedrill hovering beyond the path boundary.

"Hello there," Yellow said carefully, slowly stepping back. "I'm not after your young."

"Stand down, she lives here."

Another beedrill flew into view, dismissing the other with a wave of his stingers. The other bee stared at Yellow for a moment longer before it nodded and departed.

"Sorry, they're new and have yet to be told about you. We've missed you these past few months," the new bee said. "What have you been up to?"

Yellow sighed, brushing a hand through her hair as she leaned against a tree. "Went in search of Team Magma and found out they'd already been dealt with by the local deity."

"Did they stray too close to the deity's nest?" Beedrill asked.

Yellow chuckled, shaking her head. "As far as I know, they don't have any young. They were just very upset over people trying to upset the natural order of things. But what about you? What's new in your life?"

"Arbok and Golbat have not visited in a while," Beedrill said. "Which makes sense, as they help out with more than just one Atrice Center."

"Golbat, I can understand, since she can fly, but...Arbok? They're not exactly known for their speed..." Yellow said skeptically.

The ground beneath her heaved and the woman found herself snared in thick purple coils, staring into a pair of large yellow eyes.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course," Yellow added. The arbok gave her a gentle hug before loosening his coils. "Still guarding Viridian then?"

"It is a pleasant enough place with plenty of food," the snake replied. "I see no reason to depart such fertile ground."

Yellow took in the snake's length and frowned. "You've grown again."

"The ground is fertile here," the snake repeated, eyes gleaming.

Yellow sat on his coils, admiring the sheen of his scales. "It suits you," she said. Turning to Beedrill, she asked, "You mentioned Golbat. Has she said anything about any potential long absences?"

"Knowing her, consorting with ghosts," Arbok said bitterly.

"You're still torn up about that?" Beedrill said with an exasperated buzz. "That was...years ago."

"Back when Ivysaur and Marty were around, yes, I'm aware," the poison-type replied dryly. The snake shifted under Yellow and his voice got softer. "I...enjoyed our time together. I was able to make them stronger, but in the end…"

Yellow winced, resting her hand on the cool scales.

"Rather unfortunate about Ivysaur. One of Team Rocket's, wasn't it?" Beedrill mused.

Yellow nodded. "Oh yeah, I heard about that. Them giving out Starter pokémon who had been raised to be reliant on their trainers and without them were..." her voice trailed off and she looked down awkwardly.

"Were useless," Arbok finished bluntly. "To the point they'd drag their dying trainer around the region, chasing a foolish dream."

Beedrill flinched. "Hey now..."

"I'm not saying it wasn't fun, and without me, you'd have died ages ago," Arbok said, turning his gaze to the bee. "But hindsight being what it is...well..."

"Yeah, I know," Beedrill muttered.

Arbok blinked as Yellow stood up. "Well, it was nice chatting and catching up with you two," she said. "Perhaps we can get together with the others later and I can tell you all about what I did while I was away."

"I will see if I can't get a message to Golbat," Beedrill said. "She'll probably be most interested in your story."

"I'd like that very much," Yellow said happily. "Take care, you two."

-

(31.5)

Ash took a deep breath of the salty Alolan air and grinned.

He lifted his hand to stare at the Z-ring nestled around his wrist and flexed his fingers a few times.

He wasn't entirely sure how Z-moves worked, but he had been suggested Alola after clearing the Kalos League without much issue – he made a note to call Alain later, as Ash was reasonably sure Sycamore's lab assistant would be intrigued by them as well – and he was happy Alola had turned out to be just as interesting.

"What do you think, Pikachu?" he asked, squatting beside the yellow pokémon. "About Alola so far?"

"I was honestly expecting some major catastrophe as soon as we arrived," the electric-type replied.

"The battle with Tapu Koko wasn't enough?" Ash asked in amusement.

"In my defense, I wasn't really trying," Pikachu muttered. "If I had my Light Ball, that battle would've ended differently."

"Mhh," Ash said, rubbing the mouse's ears. "You look better with red cheeks anyway. A raichu-colored pikachu would look quite silly, I imagine."

Pikachu snorted and followed his trainer to their next destination.