Pokémar Episode V, A Clone's Destiny

Small Talk

It takes me a second to register what was just said. I simply sit there blinking in confusion. "I'm sorry, did you just say they're taking over a city? Like, taking control? Usurping law enforcement?"

"More or less. They've done it before in Celadon and Goldenrod cities. They have more or less free reign in those cities. The cops turn a blind eye most of the time so long as Rocket has the funds to pay them off and they throw them a rookie or two to keep up appearances."

The noise I make sits somewhere between a sigh and a groan. Of course. Of course they bribe the police. Wherever money and power congregates, corruption follows. It's a tale as old as society itself. And this time tested law applies on this world as well. "You work in Rustboro, right?" I ask.

"Yeah..." He replies with apprehension.

"And this happens so soon after our escape?" Thunder adds. "That can't be a coincidence."

"Probably not." I agree. "If that is the case, at the very least we forced them into it unprepared."

"But it also means they'll be looking for you. And by association, us." Jackson says. "The sooner we wrap this up, the better."

"Agreed. By the way, how's our guest doing?"

"They say their accommodations are... 'adequate.' I feel weird around them. They feel so tense and high strung. Like they expects to be attacked at any time."

"I mean..." Thunder says. "if my only memories started with being attacked I'd be wary too."

"Indeed. Maybe having some lunch with them will help." I say as I get up from the chair. Thunder quickly leaps from the desk onto my shoulder. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Got plenty of leftover curry from last night. Help yourself." Jackson says. I nod as I step out the door.

>>>>>>>>>>

"Mewtwo? You there?" I knock on the basement door, holding three bowls of curry. "I got lunch."

"I am here." They reply. I open the door and head downstairs to see Mewtwo sitting on an old sofa on the far wall. They look to me, staring intently, their body tense as if expecting conflict while saying nothing. Just like what Jackson said. It's intimidating, to say the least. I walk over and set one of the bowls next to him. They glance at it for a moment before picking it up and beginning to eat. I sit myself down on a stool and hand Thunder the smaller bowl.

"Jackson says you're acclimating pretty well. If you need anything, let him or I know." I say before taking a bite of my food. They don't respond, simply focusing on his food.

"You doing anything with all the spare time you have?" Thunder asks.

"Thinking." 

"Of what?"

"About the reasons I'm in this situation. I have almost nothing to go off of."

"Unfortunately we can't shed much light on it either." I say. "The flash drive was mostly corrupted. There may still be something in what little is left, but I'd have to be pretty thorough."

"Then we still have an advantage. We have fragments of information."

"That's true. Also Team Rocket has been getting cozy in Rustboro. So if we're not careful, this family will get caught in the crossfire."

"Why does it matter what their fates are?"

"Mewtwo, I'm not going to let them get hurt if I can help it."

"It seems needless. More variables. More things that could interfere with your plans. More things that could go wrong. It seems to me that cutting them loose after they've done all you need is the best course of action. And then you need not concern yourself with their wellbeing."

"That's not how it works!" Thunder exclaims. "That's not what we do! We're Team Shock-Leaf--er... New Hope. We're not going to ditch people because it's convenient!"

"Why? What is important enough that you would put yourselves at greater risk for little to no gain?"

"Well, moral obligations, for starters."

Mewtwo tilts their head slightly. "Moral obligations?"

"Let me try and explain it this way." I say. "When you were leaving the facility, you were killing the guards. Why?"

"They were a threat. A marginal threat, but a threat nonetheless. For my safety they needed to be removed."

"Were you afraid? Did the idea of death scare you?"

They pause for a moment. "...Not fear. But the thought of my death was an... unpleasant idea." Huh. That makes things slightly harder. Unless he was ashamed of his fear, perhaps.

"Here's the thing. For a lot of those guards, it was the same way. They shot at you because they didn't want to die. They were afraid. And attacking them stoked these feelings like fuel to a fire. We try to avoid this. Causing harm. Causing pain or suffering. We seek to prevent it. I'm not trying to blame you or anything. You did what you did out of self defense. Sometimes conflict is unavoidable. But even then we try to use only the force we need to."

"Why? Why risk your lives by not ending the problem with swift and lethal action? If they are dead then they will never pose a threat again."

Because our actions affect the world around us. Say I kill someone. And that someone had a husband or wife. When they learn what I did, they'll have an excuse to come after me and perhaps kill me. Maybe they succeed. In which case those that care about me go after them. And then the cycle repeats. More and more people are drawn into this bloodbath and everyone is worse off for it. That's not a life anyone wants a part of. So I don't go down that path. So we don't go down that path. We work to make life pleasant for those around us, which in the end will make our lives better."

"Interesting..." Mewtwo replies with a dry, emotionless tone. "And this way of life has served you and your companion well?"

"It has." I say.

"Yup." Thunder agrees.

A few moments of silence pass between us before Mewtwo speaks up again. "What are your plans for Team Rocket. Based on previous experiences they may require some actions you may deem drastic."

"For now we lay low. We might be able to find information from them, but we need to have a plan first. We have no idea where they operate from in this region and simply going around and hunting down their members will draw attention fast."

"I think I may have an idea." Thunder says. "I was talking with Jackson the other day and he mentioned something about a small, homegrown pokemon tournament being held in a week and that Josh wanted to go. Seeing as Team Rocket likes to capture pokemon it'd act like a lure for them. Maybe we could get close to them that way."

"You might be onto something. We locate them during the event, follow them back to their base after they finish taking the pokemon, then go in and release the pokemon and organize small army. With them by our side we should be free to go searching for anything relating to the Mew or your amnesia." I gesture to Mewtwo.

"There is no guarantee that they will be there. They may deem it too risky." They say.

"Maybe, but I have a hunch. I say it's worth trying at least. Hardly anything to lose." Plus it'll be the perfect excuse to try this "pokemon trainer" thing for myself. Fingers crossed it starts to fix the divide.

"Hopefully you are correct about this." Mewtwo turns their attention back to their food. Thunder and I do the same. It isn't long before we've cleaned out our bowls. I get up and take the bowls to bring them back upstairs. Thunder, once again, hops onto my shoulder. 

"See you later, Mewtwo." I say with a nod before heading up the stairs.

He simply nods back in reply.