Pokémar Episode V, A Clone's Destiny

A New Approach

As we pull into the driveway I spot Thunder watching us intently from the living room window, no doubt wondering just what we've been up to in his absence. The vehicle comes to a stop and we both exit. Jackson opens the door and Thunder is right there to greet us.

"So what happened? The others told me you two had to leave in a hurry." He asks.

"Remember the object in Mewtwo's brain stem? It forced our hand." I show him the implant still in the vial while I recount our findings.

"So this thing takes food and turns it into poison?" He asks, trying to wrap his head around the, to him, extremely complex topics.

"At the most basic level, yes. And since this very specific and complex device was apparently developed by Devon Corp, meaning they knew exactly what they were making and what it would be used for, I suspect they're pretty deep into this mystery too."

"I'll have to dig deeper into that." Jackson says. "If my workplace turns out to be funding this whole thing I'm going to find out soon enough."

"And if it turns out they are you might want to find a new job."

"One thing at a time, Alex."

"At least we're closer to an answer than we were." Thunder says. "But we still need to find a way home after that. The Guild is probably worried sick."

"The rest of New Hope probably is much the same." I add. A thought enters my head. Something I hadn't yet considered. We both come from different groups now. We may end up needing to leave one of them behind.

I ponder the problem. It would pain me greatly to leave New Hope and Paradise behind, but would I ask the same of Thunder and the Wigglytuff Guild? Probably best to get that conversation over with.

"About that. We should probably chat, Thunder." I say. The look of horror and dread in his eyes prompts me to try and clarify. "No! No. Not like that! I'm not leaving or anything. But there are some things we need to discuss."

"O-okay." He says, taking a quick breath, winding down from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"I'll talk to you later, Jackson. Got something to handle here." I hand him Mewtwo's pokeball. "Can you take over with Mewtwo for a bit?"

"Shouldn't be an issue. Hope whatever the matter is gets resolved quickly."

"Thank you." I head down the hall and into the guest room, sitting down on the bed. Thunder hops up by my side.

"I also have something to say." Thunder starts before I get a chance to speak. "I had a chat with Growlithe a short while ago and he told me that I may have been trying too hard to make things how they were."

"Jackson told me the same thing, funnily enough. That you still care about me in spite of it all and I should focus on that."

"Well he's right about me caring. I'm worried that I'll never be able to look past the differences. I'd only ever see what I lost the day you..." Thunder trails off on that thought.

"Perhaps we should meet in the middle somewhere. Try and take up elements of our 'other selves.' What kinds of things could I do to help with that?"

"You can't change who you are on a whim, Alex."

"No. But I can do small things. Things that might remind you of the version of me you know better. Tell me, what was I like?"

Thunder pauses for a moment. "You were... dedicated. Always focused on whatever you set your mind on. Brave, a planner, a leader. You had a fondness for leaf blades. Used them as your main weapon."

"I think Snivies can learn leaf blade. I'll see what I can dig up."

"What about me?"

"You were probably the most optimistic person I knew. You saw evil and injustice as a chance to prove you could do something to improve the world. Naive at times, but I was too. As for moves you liked to keep enemies at a distance with electricity. You really liked thunder wave."

"Thunder wave... that's the one that paralyzes people, right? Wait... is that what you were expecting me to do when we jumped that guy in the dojo?"

"It was, actually. If I'd have known you'd try quick attack instead I'd have approached the situation differently. One other thing, where will we live? Paradise, or the Guild? If we stick together it can't be both."

Thunder pauses. "That's not an easy question..."

"But it's one we'll have to answer. I suppose I could ask the rest of New Hope if they were okay with relocating to Sinnoh Minor. Though we'd all have mixed feelings about that."

"Why would leaving Paradise be so hard? What's so special about the town?"

"You and I built that town from the ground up. It's a monument to our effort and dedication."

He looks away solemnly. "I wish I remembered all that..."

I rest my hand on his shoulder. The same thought lingers in my head. I push it aside. We're making progress. I'm not about to let myself backtrack. "What's done is done. If we have to move, we will. Worst case scenario is that Paradise is a short magnagate jump away. about a 40 minute trip back and forth."

"Wait, wouldn't that be the same the other way around? If I go with you I can visit the Guild easily."

"I don't see why not. Especially now that Umbreon, Espeon and Keldeo are close to finishing the next-gen model. They'll essentially be teleporters at that point."

"Oh man, I'd imagine the Guild would kill for one of those."

"I'd imagine they'd be amiable to showing them how to make their own. Either way we go both groups will probably collaborate a fair bit."

"I hope so." A short silence falls between us before Thunder speaks again. "Alex, thanks for not giving up on me. For a while I was so scared you were just going through the motions, waiting for a time where you could break the news to me."

"I would never dream of it, Thunder. Regardless of timeline shenanigans or missing memories, you're my friend. I don't abandon friends." I reach down and give him a hug which he returns quickly. For a moment everything feels right. Like nothing had happened. That Thunder had never disintegrated in front of me. That time was never altered. Just two dear friends alongside each other.

The moment is fleeting. But the hope it stirs in my heart isn't. For the first time in a while I can cast my doubt aside. This will turn out right. I know it will.