Danny Files pt 2
Childlike

Chapter 1 - Starting out again
Danny Waterstone, wielder of the Psycho Power, stared out at her from his brandy. She was sitting on the living room floor, reading. The long, midnight-blue hair. The shapely body. And those beautiful, beautiful emerald eyes. Yes, every time he looked at her, he knew all of his past trials had been worth it, that his efforts hadn’t gone unrewarded. For a time he had as good as sold his soul for her, for this lady that went by the name of Magdelia. True, it had been worth it, but even now the recollection of the events that had brought them together made Danny shudder. It wasn’t really all that long ago. He had been kidnapped by a psychic pokémon and forced to do its bidding. It wanted him to capture a rare and angelic creature called the Clegencyana, but things didn’t quite go according to plan. He did find a Clegencyana, but he also found... the Manachu. That horrible, evil being that guarded Danny’s quarry. It had, naturally, been annoyed by Danny’s presence, but in the end Danny was able to barter for his freedom in exchange for luring his master to the Manachu. And he was able to free Magdelia and a Clegencyana named Orestes as well. Okay, it had been a pretty gruesome affair, but surely things could only get better.
Danny smiled as he recalled events after that. The nearest town was Cerulean City, so they had made their way there. Boy, did they get some odd looks! Mind you, a dishevelled man, a horribly scarred woman and one of the world’s rarest pokémon? Danny would’ve been surprised if they didn’t attract attention. Anyway, they had rented a house on the outskirts of the city, and then set off to buy Magdelia some new clothes. That had been a trial in itself. Danny had never tried shopping for someone else before. He had never been inclined to. So he was a little worried that he was going about it in the wrong way. He needn’t have worried. Magdelia had been grateful for anything slightly less revealing than her old tattered outfit. Anyway, she now dressed to hide her scars. Black leggings. A blue top with long sleeves. And as always, bare feet. Danny shook his head in bemusement. She sure was weird on that point. She seemed to have a total aversion to any kind of footwear; even when outside she would walk about barefoot. Really it was hardly surprising. She had no need for shoes in the Manachu’s cavern, so she was accustomed to it. She found shoes uncomfortable. Well, Danny could forgive her eccentricities. It didn’t bother him in the slightest. She had pretty feet anyway. Only she could manage to have pretty feet. They went with the pretty face, and the pretty everything else.
“You’re miles away,” a voice said, shaking Danny out of his reverie. It was Orestes, beaming happily behind him. Of course, he only said some permutation of ‘Clegencyana’ like all his kind did. But if you care enough for a pokémon, you can understand it. And both Danny and Magdelia cared a lot for this little furry creature. Danny finished his drink and turned to the white angelic creature. It looked like a cross between a cherub and a terrier, large, feathery wings sticking out of its back and a golden halo hovering above its head. Danny thought it looked cute, and he wasn’t usually the kind of guy who liked overly cuddly things.
“Sorry,” he shrugged finally. “I was just thinking about how the hell I ended up here... it wasn’t all that long ago that my whole life was just one big fucking party where all I did was get pissed and shag anything in a skirt. Then Kzar comes along and poof! Bye bye normality!”
“You shouldn’t swear so much,” the Clegencyana said sternly.
“Jesus Christ, is that the best you can come up with?”
“Oh, forget it then, I guess it’s unimportant. You have regrets, I take it.”
“Hell yeah, I have a whole fucking pile of stupid regrets. But...” Here Danny’s blue eyes wandered over to Magdelia, still busy catching up on the last nine years. “But I guess it’s all worked out now. Still, I wish there was a less fucked up route to this point. I’d have gladly taken that.” The Clegencyana looked thoughtful.
“You’re only at this point in your life because of what happened in the past. As you said, it all turned out for the best.” Orestes commented sagely. “So forget the past and live for today.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Danny grinned. “Mind you, I don’t know what I’d say to Kzar now. Would I thank him or would I kill the asshole? Oh, sorry, I reckon the Manachu’s probably saved me the bother by now.”
“You’re horrible!” Orestes said despairingly, then fluttered into the garden to examine the flowers. Danny watched the furry creature as it left. Orestes loved flowers. He’d never been out of the Manachu’s cavern, he had no idea of the beauty of the outside world. Well, part of the outside world was beautiful, anyway. Like the bit with Magdelia in it. Danny turned his attention back to her.
“Hey!” he called over. “Want a drink?” She turned slowly and smiled bashfully at Danny.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she smiled in the voice that made Danny’s heart melt. She even had a pretty voice! “I just can’t quite believe that I’ve missed so much! Last time I checked, Drol was Pokémon League Champion, now it’s some guy called Red!” Danny nodded attentively, although he had never been very interested in the Pokémon League. Magdelia continued with a sigh. “I might as well face it, I’m never going to get used to normal life...” Danny decided now would be a good time to get off his chair and go over to her. He knew the tone in her voice. He was getting used to it. She was getting herself depressed again. He squatted down beside her and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“There’s no such thing as ‘normal’, okay?” he said. “And anyway, even if there was, you’re not going to find it living with me! Hell, there’s a Clegencyana in the garden picking flowers. Is that normal?” Danny looked deep into Magdelia’s emerald eyes. Eventually she sighed and offered him a small smile.
“I don’t deserve all this, Danny,” she said finally. “Why do you do all this for me?”
“Because... because...” Danny felt suddenly uncomfortable. He wasn’t quite sure what to say. His cheeks flushed red. “Well, just because. I wouldn’t do this for anyone, you know. If I was you I’d make the most of it.”
“Is it because you feel sorry for me?” Magdelia asked. She hoped that she knew the real reason, but she had been through so much that it was difficult to think that anything good could happen to her. She needed to hear Danny say what she prayed that he might say. Just a few simple words could wash away the years of hurt.
“No! No, that has nothing to do with it!” Danny exclaimed. “Yeah, of course I feel for you, who wouldn’t after all you’ve been through, but that’s not why I’m doing all this...” He trailed off and fidgeted uncomfortably. He just wasn’t used to this. This was the first time he’d ever truly cared for somebody, and the feelings seemed alien to him. He looked down at the floor while he searched for the words. “You’re... special.”
“Special?”
“Yeah, special. I mean... oh, fuck it. Magdelia, the reason I’m doing this is simple. It’s because I love you. Happy now?” Magdelia looked stunned, and her lack of response made Danny feel even more awkward. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said all that.” He suddenly felt a hand stroke his cheek. He grasped it tightly and looked up, into those beautiful eyes. “I just wish that we could’ve met in happier circumstances, you know?”
“That makes two of us.” Magdelia nodded in agreement. “Life was a living nightmare until you came along. You went to such lengths to stop the pain that I was in and I will never, ever forget everything that you’ve done for me. You gave me hope. And in answer to your question, yes, I am happy now.” Now she was the one blushing. “Because... now I know that my feelings are being returned.”
Danny sighed and put an arm around her shoulders. He held her close to him. “Oh you silly, silly girl,” he said softly, resting his cheek on her head. “Couldn’t you see that anyway? Am I really that hard to figure out? It’s true that I wouldn’t do this for anyone... only you. Because I care for you. You’re the only person I’ve ever really had feelings for. I mean, I know I’ve been no saint in the past, but you can at least claim to be my first and only true love.” He kissed the top of her head and looked down at her. She was crying from happiness. Well, that was Magdelia for you. Always emotional.
“Oh Danny, you’ve no idea what it means to me to hear you say that...” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
“I shouldn’t have to say that, you soft woman. It should be pretty damn obvious, shouldn’t it?” He turned her head so that she was looking straight at him. “But if you’re still in any doubt at all, let me say one final thing to set your mind at ease.” He drew his face closer to hers, brushing away a strand of hair from her face. Her lips parted as he drew closer to her, the air filled with a tangible sense of anticipation.
And then there was a knock at the door. Danny sighed with displeasure. “Ignore it,” he muttered testily. But by now the mood had been totally spoilt, and the knocking had become an insistent hammering. Annoyed, Danny broke off from the clinch, and stood up. He looked down at Magdelia.
“Well, that’s sod’s law for you,” he said, annoyed. “You just wait right there, I’ve not finished with you. Meanwhile I’ll see if I can’t get rid of the idiot at the door.” He trooped off to answer the door. The hammering showed no signs of letting up. “Alright. Alright!” he yelled angrily. “No need to knock the fucking door down!” He opened the door. “Yes?” he said irritably. Stood outside was a young girl of about seventeen. She was smartly dressed in a short skirt, a blue sleeveless top and open-toed shoes. Her thick red hair was tied back in a large, bushy ponytail that shot out from the back of her head. And while facially she was very pretty, she did kind of remind Danny of someone else... besides which, there was only room in his mind for one girl at the moment.
“Are you Danny Waterstone?” the girl asked quietly.
“I might be,” he snorted, the irritation in his voice painfully clear. “It depends on who’s asking. Just make it quick, will you? I’ve got a lot to do today.”
“My name is Judith Ludlow,” the girl said, a trace of upset in her voice. Danny’s meanness was destroying her composure. For Danny’s part, he was a little confused. Ludlow... why did that name sound so familiar? “My sister went missing two months ago.” Her voice was beginning to break up. “I thought that you might be able to help me.” Danny took a deep breath in. He was annoyed at this pointless interruption, but he wasn’t so heartless as to tear into this girl when she was down.
“Gee. I’m sorry to hear that, kiddo. But isn’t this a matter for the police? What makes you think that I can help?”
“You were the last person to be seen with her.”
“I was what?” Danny swallowed hard, a buried memory beginning to surface. “Just hang on a minute. I was seen with a lot of women two months ago.” The recollection was now painfully clear. Danny hoped to God that Judith wasn’t referring to whom he thought she might be. “What the hell was her name, anyway?” Judith was now openly weeping.
“My sister’s name... was Miranda.”

Chapter II - A Full House

“Oh my God...” Danny felt suddenly light-headed, and leaned heavily on the wall for support. Miranda... she was dead, and to be perfectly honest Danny blamed himself for it. The day P’Tana first made his presence felt... they had a huge argument and Miranda had gone off in a huff, straight into the waiting arms of Kzar. The Psyros had killed her to lure Danny into his trap. Danny felt a twinge of guilt. If only he hadn’t been such an asshole to her...
“Are you alright?” Judith asked nervously.
“Uh... sure, sure. I think I should be the one asking you that. It’s your sister who’s...” Danny looked rather worried. “Listen, you’d better come inside. There’s things I need to tell you that I can’t say out here.”
“Okay.” Judith stepped inside the house, leaving her shoes at the door. Danny ushered her into the kitchen, then bolted back to Magdelia. She seemed alarmed by the urgency that Danny now moved with.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Danny shook his head.
“I’ve no time to explain properly. There’s a girl in the kitchen whose sister’s been killed by Kzar. The problem is that she doesn’t know that yet. Can you keep her company for a few minutes? I need to sort something out before I break the bad news to her.”
“Uh... sure, I guess.”
“Thanks.” Danny gave her a quick peck on the cheek, which was a far cry from what he had originally hoped to do, then he darted out quickly into the garden. How come that stupid Clegencyana was never around when you needed him? “ORESTES!” he yelled. “Where the fuck are you?” There was a short pause, and eventually Orestes swooped down from a nearby tree. He looked a little fed up.
“What’s up now?” he asked.
“Orestes, I have serious fucking problems,” Danny replied. “You remember I told you about Miranda?”
“She was the one that P’Tana killed, right?” Orestes was glad he had a pretty good memory. He could sense this was leading up to something not at all pleasant.
“You got it. Well guess what? Her goddamn sister has just turned up on my doorstep asking if I know where she’s vanished to. Well, I do know where she is, she’s six feet under, but how the hell do I tell her that? Shit, I really don’t need this right now.”
“I agree, that isn’t good at all. But what do you want me to do about it?”
“Damn it, I don’t know!” Danny snapped. “But you’re always better at this sort of thing than I am. Can’t you tell me how I’m supposed to break this to her or something? Anyway, how am I supposed to even make her believe me? I mean, it’s a bit much, isn’t it? ‘Oh, hello, Judith, your dear sister was murdered by a fucked up pokémon just so it could kit me out with psychic powers. And it gets even better, dear, because as a result my life’s improved tenfold but you’re now sisterless’. Perhaps if you’re there it might sound a little more believable. After all, most people don’t think your kind exist either.”
“I’m still not sure what you expect me to do...”
“Fucking hell, Orestes, just make sure that I don’t fuck this up because I’m sure I will if you let me.”
Orestes sighed. “Once we’ve got this mess sorted out we need to talk about you taking responsibility for your own actions. Okay, let’s go. And don’t blame yourself for what happened. Like I said, what’s done is done. Right?”
“Right.” Danny didn’t sound like he was feeling any more comfortable with things, but that couldn’t be helped now. They wandered slowly back into the house, preparing to burden poor Judith with a hell of a lot of bad news. The big question was - how would she take it?

“So that’s basically what happened, “ Danny found himself saying a short while later. Judith seemed to actually believe him, and he thanked his lucky stars that she did. “I hate to have to be the one who has to break all of this to you but...” He paused. Judith just stared blankly at the coffee that was sat in front of her. Her sister was... dead? And for what? So Danny here could have his psychic powers? She really wished that it was as clear cut as that, she really wished that she could find it within herself to blame Danny for all this. Having someone to yell at might ease the grief. But Judith couldn’t pin the blame on Danny. She knew that he was as much of a victim of this sorry situation as Miranda had been. But it all just seemed so... senseless. “Are you alright?” Danny suddenly asked, concerned.
“Of course, I’m fine. I’ve just found out that my sister’s been murdered by a psychopathic pokémon. I’ve never felt better.” Judith snapped. What a dumb question! But she did feel a little guilty for being so harsh. Danny wasn’t the one she should be mad at. “I’m sorry. Can I please have a few minutes alone? I need time to get my head round this.” The others nodded and shuffled awkwardly out of the room. Satisfied they were gone, Judith slumped onto the table and wept.

The others in the house were all crowded in the hallway, too concerned to carry on with their daily business but respectful of Judith’s need for privacy. Orestes was perched on the banister, Magdelia sat on the stairs and Danny was sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. He sighed deeply. Nobody was feeling more awkward than he was. After all, he was the only one who actually knew Judith’s sister.
“Christ, what a mess,” he groaned, reaching into his trouser pocket and pulling out a packet of cigarettes. He removed one from the packet and lit it. Magdelia shot him a disapproving glance. She didn’t approve of him smoking. And, mainly because of her, Danny rarely smoked anymore. Only when his emotions began to get the better of him did he need the comfort that the nicotine gave him. Orestes guessed, quite rightly, that Danny was feeling under pressure, although he didn’t care if Danny smoked or not. As far as he was concerned, what Danny chose to do to his own body was his own business.
“Well, what do we do now?” the Clegencyana asked, although he meant it rhetorically. “We can’t very well kick her out. That would be just too heartless.”
“You’re right there,” Danny agreed. “Even I can see that. But what the hell can we do? Damn it, I told you before - I’m just totally crap at this sort of thing. And if you two can’t think of anything then I’m sure as hell not going to be able to.” He took a long drag on his cigarette and blew out a cloud of thick grey smoke.
“Where’s she from, anyway?”
“Pewter City, I guess,” Danny said distractedly. “Like her sister was. She must have walked all this way...” The colour suddenly drained from Danny’s tanned face as he was suddenly struck by a most unwelcome thought. “And my guess is she took the shortcut through Mt. Moon, too.” They all thought the same thought at once. The Manachu.
“We just can’t have her going back in there!” Magdelia suddenly cried out, distressed by the very thought of it. “I just couldn’t bear the thought of her ending up like I am...” She glanced down at her arms miserably, the scars obscured by long sleeves, but that didn’t help her much. She still knew they were there. No, the fewer people that went into Mt. Moon, the better.
“Well then, if everyone’s agreed that her going back into Mt. Moon is a really bad idea, then as far as I can see we have two options,” Orestes chipped in suddenly, always the voice of reason. “We can either try and convince her to avoid Mt. Moon at all costs, or we can invite her to stay here for a few days.” Danny gave him an odd look.
“Getting her to believe in the Manachu is gonna be pretty difficult,” he snorted. “Particularly if she’s as pigheaded as her sister was. But your other suggestion’s just bullshit. I refuse to wet-nurse that girl. There has to be another solution to this problem.” He noticed the other two staring at him. “Listen!” he snapped irritably. “I didn’t go through all that crap I’ve been through just to take in every girl that comes along with a sob story and a few tears...” His eyes met Magdelia’s, and her very gaze made him relent. Danny groaned and half-smiled. “Alright, alright. You win. I’ll go and ask her if she wants to stay for a few days, okay? Fuck knows how this is going to help, though.” He rose to his feet wearily. Disgruntled, he trooped off back to the kitchen. The others stared after him.
“How do you do that?” Orestes asked suddenly.
“Do what?” Magdelia replied.
“Get him to be... nice like that.” Magdelia just shrugged in response. How could she possibly explain? As wise and as gentle as Orestes was, he had no experience in such matters. How could he comprehend the bond she shared with Danny? Even if she wanted to, she doubted she could find the words to do it justice. So she didn’t try. She just flashed a brief smile at Orestes, then rose to her feet and went back about her business, leaving the poor Clegencyana more confused than ever.

Back in the kitchen Judith was looking only marginally better. At least she wasn’t crying now. She looked up at Danny as he came quietly into the room, then stood around looking awkward. He was really uncomfortable with the situation, but what else could he do?
“You feeling any better?” he asked rather pathetically.
“What do you think?” Judith retorted.
Danny winced. “Hey, I was only being polite!”
“Do you want me to tell you where you can stick your politeness, mister? I don’t want to hear another dumb question out of you!” Judith was getting really defensive now, and Danny was beginning to lose his patience. He was not going to be talked to like this, whether she was bereaved or not.
“Listen, woman,” he seethed, “I know you’ve lost your sister and all, and I know how much it hurts. Hell, I lost my goddamn best friend because of this whole fucking mess! But if you want to come here into my house and mourn, fine, just how’s about you do it without biting my goddamn head off just because I asked a question, dumb or not?” Danny got the feeling that he’d been here before with her sister. They both were very good at winding him up. There was no doubt about it, she was a lot like Miranda, wasn’t she?
Judith rose. “I never asked to be a guest here, buster. In fact, I think it’s about time I went home now. Good day.” Danny blocked her way suddenly.
“I can’t say I’ll miss you,” he snorted angrily, “but just hear me out first. You took the shortcut through Mt. Moon to get here, right?”
“Of course I did. It’s the only way to get here by walking. You know that.”
“Well, don’t use it on the way back, got it? Last time I went to Mt. Moon, I ran into a creature called the Manachu. It’s a real psycho, and it’ll know if you enter the tunnels. And if it finds you I guarantee you’ll be torn to pieces.”
“What kind of game are you playing?” Judith stared at him accusatorily. “Everybody knows about those Manachu rumours. Nothing that strong could really exist. You know as well as I do that it’s all a pack of lies! So if you’re trying to scare me, it won’t work! Just let me go!” Judith barged her way past Danny and into the hall.
“FINE!” he yelled after her. “Be like that! But if it flays you alive, don’t come crying to me!” But Danny never got the acidic comeback he was expecting. Only silence. Curiosity overcame him, so he peered out into the hallway. His face broke out into a broad smile, as he saw Judith staring at something, her face a picture of total shock. She pointed at the creature she was looking at with a shaking finger.
“Is... that...” Judith stuttered, staring at the angelic pokémon in front of her in awe.
“Oh, him. Judith, meet Orestes,” Danny chuckled. “He’s a Clegencyana. You know, one of those ‘lies’? So now do you believe me about the Manachu in Mt. Moon? Orestes came with me when I managed to get out.” Judith turned to Danny, all of her former venom drained. She believed him now, he could see it in her face.
“But how am I supposed to get home now?”
“Ah, well, that’s what I was going to talk to you about before you bit my head off. Do you feel like staying here for a couple of days until you get yourself sorted out? There’s plenty of room here, and it’s really the least I can do. After all, it was kind of my fault that you got into this mess.”
“Thanks but no thanks.”
“I guess you must blame me for Miranda’s death. Fair enough. I can’t deny that I’ve not sometimes blamed myself for it. Still, if you’re sure... just do me a favour and stay out of Mt. Moon, okay?” Judith stared at him, intrigued. What was this? A streak of humanity?
“Well, on the other hand, I could do with a place to stay for a few days,” she said, sounding doubtful. “I don’t know if I could face my family and tell them the bad news...”
“It’s settled then,” Danny smiled. What was he letting himself in for? Well, he was secretly glad. He had to admit to being pretty impressed by Judith. She was the only girl who had ever stood up to him.
“Clegen gency gecyana!” Orestes piped up suddenly, causing Danny to laugh out loud. Judith looked puzzled.
“What did he say?” she asked. Danny turned to her with a grin. “He said that it’s okay by him as long as we don’t keep him up all night bickering.” Even Judith had to laugh. It was true, she was being overly hard on Danny. “Somehow I think we’ll manage. So what do you say? Friends?” He offered his hand to Judith. She took it.
“Friends,” she agreed.

Chapter III - Unknown Problems at the Unknown Dungeon

Danny had been leafing through the newspaper for the past half-hour now. All of his problems seemed to be finally sorted. All except one, that is. True, it was trivial compared to the others that he had faced in the past, but it was a problem nonetheless. And the problem was this - he was flat broke. And that can be a major setback when you have three people and a pokémon to feed. That was why he was looking for a job.
“Any luck?” Magdelia wandered in. She sat down on the sofa next to him and snuggled close. Danny sighed and shook his head. No luck whatsoever. Mind you, there were jobs available, and plenty of them. But as per usual Danny’s pride was seriously getting in the way. There was no way he was going to spend his time washing dishes or stacking shelves! And as to waiting, why, all he needed was one difficult customer and he’d probably end up on an assault charge! But there had to be something... He put his arm around Magdelia’s shoulder and sighed once more.
“I’ve got to find something or else we’ll all starve!” he said finally. “All I need to do is to find something that I’m good at.”
“That could take forever!” Judith butted in unhelpfully, walking into the room herself. Orestes was fluttering happily by her long legs. They were sharing a bag of chips. “Hi guys!” she added sweetly. It had been a whole week since she first arrived at the house, and by now she had precious little intention of leaving. It was a much nicer place than her own home, for a start, and she got on better with Danny and Magdelia than she did with her own parents. They had as good as disowned her a long time ago, which was why they never bothered to tell her about the death of her sister. And now the resentment was running far too deep for her to even contemplate returning. Besides, she had totally hit it off with Orestes. Magdelia had her eccentricities, like hiding her arms and legs all the time and her loathing for shoes, but otherwise she was the perfect hostess. And then there was Danny. Admittedly, they hadn’t exactly got off to a promising start, but he grew on her after a while. She liked his style. No, that wasn’t strictly true. The truth was, she fancied him like mad. All in all, she’d be mad to leave now. “You’re not doing too well, huh?”
“Since when did you take an interest in what I was doing?” Danny retorted. This was fast becoming a running joke between Danny and Judith. They had to argue and bicker now, it was all part of the game.
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s only because we’re so low on food. Normally I wouldn’t care at all.”
“So why don’t you look for something?”
“Not likely! I checked anyway, there’s nothing going for me,” she lied. “But what’s the problem? There has to be something you’re good at.” Here she paused and added wickedly, “Oh, sorry, this is you I’m talking about. I retract that last sentence.” Danny threw the newspaper at her in mock fury. It missed by a mile.
“Cle clegencyana gen gencyana!!” Orestes suddenly cried out, hit by a blinding flash of inspiration. “Clegen cleclegencyana!”
“What did he say?” Judith asked, curious.
“Danny has one thing he’s very good at...” Magdelia translated, then was struck by the simplicity of the plan. Her voice took on an excited edge. “Of course! It’s so obvious that we totally overlooked it!”
“What’s obvious?” “It’s true.” Danny sounded rather smug all of a sudden. “Now why didn’t I think of that before? Okay, it’s going to be pretty tricky finding a suitable opportunity, but in the right circumstances we could make a fucking fortune! After all, can you think of anyone else who can offer what I can? Of course not!”
“What can you offer????” Judith was beginning to feel more than a little left out. She just wished that she could understand the Clegencyana instead of having to rely on these hyper people. Fortunately Magdelia saw fit to explain.
“Orestes said that Danny has one advantage over everybody else that he can use to make some serious money. His psychic powers.”
“But how are you supposed to use a little telepathy to make money?” Judith seemed to be still confused. Danny and Magdelia looked at each other, then remembered that Danny had hardly even touched his psychic reserves since Judith arrived. She hadn’t seen anything of his more potent techniques. Mind you, Danny still had vague recollections of what he had been able to do with the Manachu’s guidance. Sometimes he felt like he had hardly seen the true depths of his powers himself. But right now what he could do would be enough to see Orestes’ suggestion come to fruition. First, though, he had to explain to Judith. And what better way than by demonstration? He concentrated hard, tapping into his psychic energies, then he faded away from view. “What the...” Judith backed away slowly. This was just too creepy for her.
“Boo.” Danny grinned from behind her. She gave a startled yell and jumped with fright. She turned to Danny with a face full of anger.
“Why you little...” she growled. Danny merely laughed, holding out his hands as a sign of peace.
“Relax, would you? I had to demonstrate somehow, didn’t I? But that’s only the beginning. I can use telekinesis - that is, I can move things using my mind. That one came a little late for my liking.” Danny still recalled how much effort he went through to bring Kzar to the Manachu. And afterwards, when his ribs didn’t depend on it, he finally mastered telekinesis. That was his lousy timing, all right. “I can create energy bolts, and they can be pretty destructive. I can levitate so well now it’s as good as flying. Need I go on? This is the only good thing that the lousy son of a bitch who killed your sister ever did for me. You want another demonstration?”
“I’ll pass, thanks,” Judith muttered flatly, her heart still pounding. Despite herself, she was impressed. “Though Orestes is right, you could use all this to make some serious money. Set up a Rent-a-Psychic business or something.”
“Something like that,” Danny grinned cheerfully. “Right then, I start looking for something. Starting immediately.”

Jared Lee was late home that night. He had been travelling home to Cerulean City when he had taken a short detour. He was a pokémon trainer, and he lacked one badge. One more Gym badge and he would be able to pass through Victory Road! And annoyingly, the only Gym he hadn’t visited was the one closest to home. Anyway, to cut a long story short he was now the proud owner of a complete set of Gym badges. At last he could challenge the Elite Four! And maybe, just maybe he could topple the League Champion’s winning streak. The downside of this was that he was now seriously late home, and it was getting colder by the minute. He shivered and pulled up the hood on his thick grey coat to protect his freezing ears. He was pretty anxious to get to someplace warm. In fact...
“Go, Orion!” The creature that burst from the pokéball was a deep ocean blue, a long, slender creature with dark eyes that sparkled with intelligence. A Dragonair. And one of Jared’s most prized possessions. He straddled it comfortably, then pointed at a river that was flowing by their side. “Let’s go, Orion!” With an almighty splash, the Dragonair plunged into the river, soaking Jared. He didn’t mind. He was used to it. They raced along the river, the Dragonair’s swimming speed being much faster than Jared could ever hope to walk. They could take a quick short cut home, too. Sure, it meant going past the infamous Unknown Dungeon, but what the hell? Jared had never seen any of the ultra strong pokémon that were supposed to live there. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea to take a quick peek inside and put paid to all those theories about it. Because he was that kind of guy. His thoughts made the time pass more quickly, and it seemed like they arrived at their destination in no time at all. “Woooah!” he commanded his pokémon, and it slowed down to an eventual halt. Jared jumped off its back eagerly, removed its pokéball from his belt and recalled it in a beam of red light. He turned slowly around and found the formidable entrance to the Unknown Dungeon looming in front of him.
The Unknown Dungeon had a reputation. It was a perfect hiding place for Mewtwos, or so it seemed. A few years ago a Mewtwo ruled in the caverns, driving off all intruders. It was a solitary, almost sorrowful figure. Nobody minded it much. It didn’t cause trouble. Then it disappeared, only for another, more powerful Mewtwo to take its place. This one had revelled in its notoriety. It had transformed the place into an extravagant underground palace and lorded over the other residents of the dungeon. That one was no ordinary Mewtwo. It didn’t have the usual hang-ups of its species, and was all the more stronger for it. Nobody ever beat it. And then it, too disappeared in mysterious circumstances, leaving its once fine cavern to ruin. Now all that was left were a bunch of pokémon. Tough pokémon, sure, but still just pokémon, and therefore in the main pretty placid. Which was why Jared felt it was safe to venture inside. Just a little. Just to have a quick look round.
The first thing that caught his attention was the fact that the torches that lined the initial corridor were all now brightly lit, burning brightly in the gloom. He found that a little odd, but nothing overly remarkable. Perhaps if he had given it a little more thought he would have seen fit to get out while he had the chance. After all, burning torches usually indicate that something lit them. And there was another thing that stuck Jared as being a little odd. The ground. It was soft and muddy. Jared frowned. That wasn’t right! From what he had read on the Internet, the ground here was supposed to be very rocky. But then again, he remembered that this place was home to a large underground lake. It had probably flooded recently. Jared was snapped out of his thoughts rather rudely, as a Golbat swooped past him, narrowly missing his head. He shuddered. This place was creepy! But it was too late for second thoughts, he was now far too deep into the caverns to back out now. It was all or nothing. Jared stopped and leant on a stalagmite to get his breath back. He sighed with worry. What in the world had driven him to attempt this foolish scheme? He was surely lost now. Hadn’t he been in a hurry to get home? Hadn’t he...
“This is a dangerous place, boy. What are you doing here?” A voice in the darkness. Strong. Confident. Male. Jared squinted hard, but failed to see anything. How could he? It was just so dark in this place!
“I... I was just taking a quick look, then I kind of got lost...” he stuttered. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“Isn’t there?” The voice was growing a cruel, almost spiteful edge to it. And worse still, Jared realised that it wasn’t actually coming from any one source. It was all around him, coming from inside his head. Were the rumours true? “This place is mine now. And I don’t like uninvited guests.”
“Sorry,” Jared said humbly. “I’ll go then. If you’ll just show me the way out...”
“Oh, quit your crawling, you spineless shit.” A pair of eyes that were impossibly close to Jared suddenly began to glow a bright green. He backed away nervously, unsure as to what this strange creature wanted. He knew what it must be. But how come it suddenly returned? “All you need to know is that you’re here, you’re annoying me and I’m in a bad mood. Anything else really doesn’t concern you.” A sudden burst of green light emanated from the speaker, illuminating the entire cavern. And for a brief second Jared saw what was speaking to him, and he knew that he was dead. But he never even got a chance to scream as he was quickly blown to pieces.

---

Chapter IV - It’s Dirty Work, but...

“You WHAT?” Danny said incredulously. The suited man in front of him fidgeted nervously. Danny always did have a habit of making these people feel uncomfortable.
“I told you. We’ve got serious problems on our hands. The Unknown Dungeon, you know that, right?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well we’re having more problems with that. Guess what? The Mewtwo seems to be back in action. It’s the same pattern as before. Brutal killings, bodies dumped outside in full view of everybody... last night we found some poor guy in real bad shape. They’re still trying to identify him now. But my assumption is that we are dealing with the same Mewtwo as before.”
“But that can’t be right!” Magdelia burst out suddenly. Danny looked at her oddly. She was normally so shy around strangers! She must have noticed the way he was looking at her, because she then went on to explain. “I know it can’t be him. I know him. You see, before he came here, he stayed in Mt. Moon. With the Manachu. It taught him, you see. They had an arrangement like the one you had, Danny. The Mewtwo would run errands for the Manachu, and in exchange the Manachu taught him all it knew. He often had to guard my cell in the beginning, so I did get to know him pretty well. Everyone says he was different to other Mewtwos, well, it’s true. He used to be a Mew, and some organisation mutated him as a blueprint for future Mewtwos. And all of this was long before Team Rocket figured out the process.”
“I remember the Manachu said something about that...” Danny mused, forgetting the official for a moment. “So who did create him?”
“I don’t really know. It was kind of a sensitive issue, so I never asked that much. All he said were the initials ‘PGRI’.” The official looked suddenly nervous.
“What’s up?” Danny smirked. “Have we hit upon another sensitive subject? So what is the PGRI?”
“It’s... it’s...” The official did his best to look in control of the situation, when in fact he was anything but. “It stands for Pokémon Genetics Research Institute. They do experiments with pokémon there, and that’s all I’m prepared to tell you. Anyway, what has all this to do with our current situation?”
“My point is that he wasn’t the type to do this. Once he moved on, that was it.”
“Magdelia’s his character witness,” Judith grinned, “But I might have some even fresher news for you. You’re talking about a Mewtwo that’s even stronger than the others of its kind, right? Well, I saw it not so long ago. It was with a tall guy who dressed like a vampire and called himself Drol.”
“WHAT???” The official was becoming more and more flustered. He really didn’t like the sound of that. He had hoped to tame that creature one day and use it himself, but in the hands of a known rebel like Drol... “You sure it wasn’t another Mewtwo?” he asked hopefully.
“It could talk.” Judith said flatly. This caused the official to fall silent. Nobody had ever told the public it could talk. Which meant his plans for making his fortune were down the drain. He became suddenly subdued, partly because of the current crisis, but also because ‘his’ Mewtwo had gone off with someone else.
“Well perhaps we’re not talking about that Mewtwo,” he shrugged. “But it’s something. Perhaps it’s yet another Mewtwo, I don’t know. All I know is that it’s causing no end of trouble. I mean, we even sent in a team of experts to try and establish what is going on, but they’ve all vanished, too. All they managed to report before they went AWOL was that there was a high level of psychic activity around the area, which was why we assume it to be a Mewtwo.”
“It could be anything, though.” Danny snorted. “It could be an Alakazam. It could be some other poor fuck like me who’s got this power. Hell, it could be a Psyros or a Manachu for all we know. But you need me to sort it out? Fight fire with fire, right?” The official nodded dumbly, mentally calculating how much he needed to buy Danny’s silence with. His department wasn’t too keen on the idea of the general public knowing of the more evil pokémon. They were bad for business.
“You’re our last hope. If you can escape from a Manachu alive, I’m sure you can sort this out. And... uh... you wouldn’t mind keeping quiet about the Manachu, would you? Only we don’t think it’s such a good idea to make its existence common knowledge.”
“And why would that be?” Danny said, his contempt for this kind of person showing in his voice.
“Think about it! If people knew the Manachu existed, how long would it be before some bright spark makes an attempt to capture it? I can see them all queuing up to have a go, and none of them ever coming back. Worse still, what if they made it angry enough to come outside? No, it’s best if everyone thinks it’s just a rumour. Besides, think what it’d do to our tourist trade!” Danny sighed. Everything apart from the last sentence actually kind of made sense.
“You council guys are all the same. But tell you what. For a small sum of... ooh, let’s see... five thousand for getting rid of this problem, two thousand for keeping my gob shut about the Manachu et cetera, plus expenses... shall we say ten thousand?”
“TEN THOUSAND???” The official suddenly realised he was in no position to bargain, so he reluctantly backed down. “Okay, okay, you win, it’s a deal. Ten thousand on delivery of proof that the source of the troubles is out of our hair.”
“Ah ah,” Danny grinned cruelly. “Two thousand of that is to make sure I don’t tell all about the Manachu, remember? Call it an advance.”
“Alright! I’ll be on it the instant I get back. Happy?”
“Not yet. But I will be once I see the money in my bank account. And I just can’t work when I’m unhappy...”
“I get the message.” The official stood up briskly. He was going to get out of this place quick. Danny wasn’t exactly endearing himself to him. “The other eight thousand is dependent on your skills as a pokémon hunter. You have a week. Don’t disappoint us.” The black-suited man nodded to the rest of the group and let himself out. Danny was sure he could hear the man sigh with relief upon leaving. He giggled nastily and flopped back onto the sofa.
“What a jerk!” Judith stuck her tongue out. “Mind you, I loved how you handled him! So you are good at something!” Danny was in too good a mood to even pretend to argue with Judith. He just gave her a thumbs up.
“He’s slightly better than a jerk in my book,” Danny grinned. “He’s a rich jerk. So much for our money troubles!”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Magdelia sounded slightly concerned. “I mean, you don’t really know how to go about this, do you?” Danny shrugged. This was typical of her. She was always overly cautious. He gave her a sly wink.
“Hey, how hard could it possibly be?”

How hard indeed. In fact, they had come to a major problem within seconds. Getting there. The Unknown Dungeon lay on the wrong side of a vast lake. There were only three ways to get there. Firstly by flying. Danny just couldn’t support both Judith and Magdelia at the same time, so that ruled that out. The second option involved a bit of mountain climbing. Judith flatly refused that option, claiming that it would ruin her dress. So that was out. And finally there was swimming there, but Danny didn’t exactly fancy that method. The girls wouldn’t be able to keep up anyway. So they were stuck. Until Judith grew fed up with letting Danny come up with stupid plans, and decided to let them in on a little secret.
“You guys are just so dumb sometimes!” she laughed, reaching into a concealed pocket in her skirt. She pulled out a pokéball and showed it off triumphantly. “See?” She threw it with gusto. In a burst of light, a young Lapras emerged from the pokéball. “Guys, meet HappyNess.”
“Judith,” Danny said far too calmly, “You could have told us you had that Lapras instead of MAKING US PANIC!!!!”
“You never gave me the chance!”
“Will you guys cool it?” Orestes muttered. They couldn’t get out of this habit of bickering, even when it mattered! He gave up with them, and fluttered over to perch on the Lapras’ head. Perhaps he could get a more civil conversation out of that. The others wearily clambered onto its back. Judith at the front, looking as professional as she could. Well, she was used to this. Magdelia took up position at the back, letting her hand dangle in the cool water. Which left Danny to go in the middle.
“HappyNess is a stupid name anyway,” he muttered as he climbed on its back. Judith groaned at this latest jibe. She thought it was a very nice name!
“Move it, HappyNess!” she yelled suddenly. Sensing the urgency in its trainer’s voice, the Lapras shot off like a bullet. Danny wasn’t sat down yet, so he promptly fell hard on his rear. He shot Judith a dirty look.
“Bloody hell, woman!” he snarled, “You did that on purpose!”
“Would I?”
“YES!”

The journey took all of five minutes. To Orestes it seemed like five hours, what with Danny and Judith always arguing. To Judith it felt more like five seconds. But eventually they reached it. The Unknown Dungeon. The impressively sinister entrance loomed in front of them.
“So then, shall we?” Danny smiled politely. Judith swiftly recalled her Lapras, and then this little group wandered into the darkness of the cavern.
The first thing that struck Danny about this place was how well lit it was. Old style torches lined the walls, each and every one burning brightly. It gave an atmosphere of an ancient tomb, but that wasn’t what bothered Danny. He was more concerned by the fact that they were burning. Burning torches meant that there had to be something to light them. And then there was the floor. It was thick with mud, so thick that it provided a cushion against the hard rock floor. Perhaps something had put the mud there. He remembered that a Mewtwo’s skin was about as protective as that of a human. Perhaps whatever was living here didn’t much like the rocky floor. Or perhaps Danny was reading far too much into this. But it seemed inconceivable that the underground stream here could make its influence be felt all the way up on the higher level.
“Ewww!” Judith suddenly and loudly cried in disgust. Danny turned to see her wading ankle deep in mud. But he didn’t care. It was her fault for wearing sandals in the first place. He put a finger to his lips, signalling for her to shut up. For once she took the hint, and carried on in hushed tones. “I’m sick of this place already! It’s ruined my new shoes!”
“Well buy another pair if you must,” Danny muttered distractedly, his eyes scanning the passage ahead for signs of life. “Not like you need any more shoes, you seem to have a pair for every day of the year!” He turned left sharply, gut instinct leading him in the right direction. The others followed suit.
“I can’t help it!” Judith grinned, “I’m a shopoholic!” She glanced down at her muddy shoes in disgust, then noticed that Magdelia was still refusing to wear shoes. Her bare feet were now caked in mud. Desperate to make conversation, she turned to her. “How can you stand to walk about in this place?” she asked.
“When you’ve lived with a Manachu for as long as I have, you kind of get desensitised to discomfort,” she replied with a smile. “But this isn’t even discomfort. It’ll wash off. Besides, the sensation isn’t all that unpleasant.” Judith looked at her oddly, and Magdelia laughed softly. “People will pay a fortune for a mud bath, and we’re getting one for free. This mud isn’t natural. It’s far too pure, far too uncontaminated. To put it bluntly, this is the same mud you’d use in a face pack.” Judith looked at the ground warily. She still wasn’t too convinced.
“Woah!” Danny put a hand out to restrain the girls. They all looked in amazement. The tunnel had abruptly widened out into a quite breathtaking sight. Lit by the moonlight that peeked in through a natural opening in the higher recesses of the cavern lay a large expanse of pure water. It seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, and provided an almost mystical scene.
“Not bad!” Danny said without much enthusiasm.
“Wow! This place is so cool!” Judith cried in delight.
“Cle clegenyana!” Orestes agreed. But Magdelia said nothing. This didn’t need words to describe its beauty. Words couldn’t do this underground paradise justice.
“It’s not all that bad, really, is it?” a voice suddenly echoed in their heads. “You lot are pretty lucky. I’m in a good mood today, so I let you come this far. But I know full well why you’re here, Danny. You and your lady friends. Hell, they’re pretty cute. Beauty deserves to die in a beautiful place, don’t you think?”
“Who is that?” Judith cried in alarm. She was totally confused, but the others were well used to this form of communication. They didn’t bat an eyelid. “Where is that voice coming from?” Judith continued.
“She’s got a good point,” Danny said boldly. “I assume that you’re the one who’s been fucking up the place recently. Who the hell are you, anyway? And come out of hiding. At least let us see who you are.” There was a nasty cackle from the far side of the cavern.
“Oh, I’m just the guy who owns this place.”
“Who said?”
“I did. You got a problem with that, Danny? Tough. I don’t intend on leaving. Just get the hell out of my face or the girls will suffer the consequences.”
“Don’t you even think about breathing near M... my friends.” Danny snarled angrily. He stepped towards where he thought the psychic emissions were coming from, menace in his movements. “Or you’ll be suffering the fucking consequences.” At that point Orestes suddenly and unexpectedly flew in front of Danny.
“Cle clegency gencyana clegencyana! Gen gencyana!” he called out. There was a long pause, then the mysterious creature responded.
“You ask why? Ha! How could a little, annoying goody-two-shoes pokémon like you even hope to understand anything about me? How could anyone? None of you could even hope to comprehend what it’s like to be me, so don’t even think of trying. Just stay right there and I might even make this a mercy killing.” With his psychically enhanced senses, Danny soon picked out the green spark that lit on an island in the centre of the lake, a spark that quickly grew in size as it shot forward at a speed that Kzar could only dream of. Despite seeing it so early, Danny hadn’t expected the huge velocity of the missile, and it took all of his efforts to deflect it with a blast of his own. It was knocked off course, hitting the wall with a deafening explosion and causing rubble to fall down from the ceiling, effectively trapping them. Judith screamed with fright, partly due to the realisation that there was now no way out, but mainly because the blast had illuminated the cavern, allowing them to see exactly what they were up against.
A gaunt, snow-white creature with thin arms, muscular legs and an extraordinarily long black tail. Those big, piercing green eyes, clouded by hatred and fury, set in an oversized head. Danny wished he could say he was surprised, but he wasn’t. He had been expecting something like this. It was a Mewtwo after all.

Chapter V - Life Ain’t Easy...

Magdelia stared at this creature for as long as she could, until the light from the blast died away. It was obvious that this was not the Mewtwo that she had known. It was the wrong colour for a start. The wrong colour for any Mewtwo. Gone was the usual pale violet hue common to most Mewtwos. There was no colour there at all save for the eyes. Just black and white. And the tail, that seemed way, way too long. It was at least one and a half times longer than it should have been, causing it to drag along the floor when it should have been held in the air. But it was the demeanour that really threw her. The last time she saw the other Mewtwo she knew of, it had actually seemed to be in control. It was almost a contented creature, albeit a little restless. But this... this Mewtwo was anything but contented. It was a demon, an unstoppable force of bitterness and hatred. It was more like the rest of its kind in that respect. Most Mewtwos were pretty bitter creatures. You can’t create a sentient creature that intelligent in a laboratory without it feeling a little bitter. Some went even further, into a downward spiral of depression and self-hatred. Some overcame their anger. And others just remained twisted and spiteful things driven to destruction in an attempt to vent their anger. And the one that they were facing at this very moment clearly belonged in this final category.
“You are a Mewtwo!” Judith gasped from her position behind Danny.
“Give the girl a prize,” the Mewtwo thought to them. It began to glow green. Danny braced himself for another attack, but all the pokémon did was float gracefully over the lake and drop neatly to the floor in front of the amazed and frightened group. It eyed them suspiciously. “So aren’t you here to kill me?”
“No,” Danny replied. “We’re here to stop you from screwing up so many people’s lives. There’s a difference.”
“There’s no difference from where I’m standing. You’re going to have to kill me if you want to stop me.”
“Fine then. I’ll kill you.” Danny turned to the girls. “Stay back. This is going to get messy.” Magdelia grabbed his arm tightly, the worry she was experiencing evident on her face.
“You don’t have to fight! There has to be another way!” Danny pushed her gently to one side and kissed her on the cheek.
“I know that. But try telling it to that asshole over there.” Danny stepped in front of the Mewtwo, Orestes flying over and perching on his shoulder. Danny locked eyes with his opponent and shuddered, suddenly chilled. This creature was just pure hatred! Even now it was glowing with a barely concealed rage. But he was going to give it one last shot to talk it out of this. “She’s right, you know. We don’t have to do this.”
“Yes we do,” the Mewtwo smirked. “I haven’t had a decent challenge in my entire life, as short as that may’ve been. I can feel your power, Danny. If I only have one more fight left in me then it’ll be this one I want to have a crack at.” It raised a paw, outstretched and pointing directly at Danny. “Tell you what. If you somehow or other manage to beat me then I might listen to what you have to say. And that’s as far as I go. Deal?”
“It’s a deal. I don’t want to have to fucking kill you, but if I have to I will.”
“I’d love to see you try!” The Mewtwo gave an ominous cackle then faded away. Danny looked all around him, expecting a surprise attack. But the Mewtwo had gone. What kind of game was it playing? A shrill scream from behind him soon told him exactly what it was up to. He turned around slowly to find Magdelia and Judith surrounded by a glowing sphere of pure energy. He ran over, panic stricken, and banged hard on the prison. It was solid. They were trapped! He prepared to fire a shot at it. Surely he could break this thing, surely he could free them!
“I wouldn’t risk it if I were you,” a voice echoed in Danny’s head. “Who knows what would happen if you shot that? It could blow up for all you know.” Danny turned around venomously to find the strange Mewtwo standing a short distance behind him.
“You’re bluffing.”
“But can you take that chance?”
Danny sighed. “Okay. So what the hell are you playing at, you bastard?” The Mewtwo simply laughed and raised a paw., causing the girls to rise a few feet into the air. Its eyes narrowed in a cruel mockery of a smile.
“Hey, don’t be like that! I’m doing you a favour here! You don’t want them to get injured or anything, do you? So I’m going to move them someplace slightly safer. Unless, of course, you want them to get hit by accident, in which case I’ll just move them to the centre of this cavern. Somehow I don’t think that’s what you want. Or you might. You could be a real sick guy for all I know.”
“I’m sick??? So what’s all this pointless killing, then?”
“They annoyed me. It’s not like I get any pleasure from it. I guess I have a bit of a temper.” The Mewtwo’s eyes glowed green for a brief second, and the green sphere vanished along with its contents. Danny’s blue eyes narrowed in anger. Could he trust this creature? He didn’t think so for a minute, but at that point he had very little choice in the matter.
“Okay, Orestes,” he muttered to the pokémon on his shoulder, “let’s get him!” Danny gave a loud cry of anger and charged directly at the Mewtwo. But it didn’t move. Why didn’t it move? As Danny rose a fist to hit the Mewtwo, its eyes flared green, and Danny stopped in his tracks. As he was lifted off the ground, Danny fought the urge to laugh at the stupidity of his actions. This was exactly what happened in a movie he had seen once. The hero tried to thump the Mewtwo and the Mewtwo stopped him with its psychic powers. Danny idly wondered how long it would be before the Mewtwo threw him into a wall. He didn’t have to wait long. The sudden velocity threw Orestes clean off his shoulder, and Danny impacted into the rocky wall. He gave a short cry of pain, then picked himself up painfully.
“Cle clegency?” Orestes asked, concerned.
“Where’s a bloody Mew when you need one?” Danny chuckled, then he suddenly grew serious. He turned to face the Mewtwo. “Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked, taking a step forwards.
“Hey, that’s really weird. I was just about to ask you that very same question,” the Mewtwo sneered at Danny. Danny spat on the floor in contempt, although that didn’t seem to bother his opponent. He then quickly teleported behind the Mewtwo, which was only just fast enough to catch his fists as they flew at it. The two of them struggled in this grapple for what felt like years. “You’re a tenacious little shit, aren’t you?” the Mewtwo smirked, sweat pouring from its forehead. Danny was straining so much that he could only grunt a reply. It was clear that they were evenly matched in a physical fight, even if the Mewtwo had the advantage in a psychic duel. In the end Danny realised they were totally deadlocked, so he decided to put an end to this game. He moved out of the grapple nimbly, throwing the Mewtwo across the cavern in a simple karate toss. It landed catlike on its feet, and looked at Danny with a bored expression.
“What, weren’t you expecting that?” Danny jeered.
“Shut your gob. I’m getting tired of playing with you. Your game’s getting real boring,” the Mewtwo thought to him. It stood firm and threw a punch in Danny’s direction. Small yellow stars like shurikens flew out of its fist. Danny tried his best to dodge this attack, but it was no use. They seemed to home in on him. Several stuck into his flesh, cutting large gashes in his skin. He winced in pain. “Oh, you thought that hurt? You ain’t seen anything yet. You see, Danny, you’ve not seen my true power. I can combine my attacks, you know. That one was Swift, I think. But I can merge it with another attack if I want. Just... like... this.” The Mewtwo’s eyes glowed once more, and the stars buried in Danny abruptly burst into flames. It would have been bad at the best of times, but the fire was burning deep in his existing wounds and the pain was worse than anything he had ever felt in his life. He screamed out in agony as the fire incinerated his flesh. What could he do? He looked around in desperation and then saw the lake. He shot into it like a bullet, extinguishing the fire, then came out, gasping for air. He was met by the sight of the Mewtwo laughing hysterically at his soggy figure. “Tell you what, why don’t you use the Clegencyana’s help?” it giggled evilly as Danny began to haul himself out of the crystalline water. “Let’s face it, you don’t stand a chance on your own.” Danny shot the Mewtwo a dirty look. He was pretty badly burnt now. It was true, he had no chance in his current state.
“Tell you what,” he gasped, taking in a lungful of air, “I’ll give it a go, since you seem to be so eager for us to try it. You ready, Orestes?” Orestes nodded solemnly. He knew what had to be done. He had to somehow twist Danny’s powers into something a little more destructive. There were three attacks that Orestes had seen that would do the job. One was the sole property of the Manachu. One required a bond even deeper than the one he shared with Danny. Which meant there was only really one option. Orestes drew upon Danny’s vast reserves of psychic energy, and felt the power flowing into him. He opened his eyes and screamed out in fury.
“HELL’S GATE!!!!” At that moment it was as if the air near the Mewtwo had been sliced open with a knife. First it was a slit, then it opened into a huge, swirling gap in the very air, a little black hole just for the Mewtwo. It turned around with fear in its eyes as the looming void threatened to swallow it up. It took every bit of its psychic energy just to maintain its balance. The suction was too great to get away. All it could do was remain in equilibrium.
“You... fool!” it groaned, strain showing in its psychic voice. It was looking pretty desperate. “Remember... only I know... where your women are!” A look of concern passed suddenly over the face of Danny and Orestes.
“You know what?” Danny yelled over, “I think I’ll just find them myself. You’ve gone too far to expect any mercy from me.” The Mewtwo looked at him in desperation.
“Believe me, only I know where they are.” For some strange reason Danny didn’t find that very hard to believe. He nodded to Orestes, who let his concentration slip. The vortex closed as quickly as it had opened. The Mewtwo fell to one knee, panting heavily. Danny walked calmly up to it with the air of a victor.
“So can we talk now?” he asked. The Mewtwo glared up at him, its eyes filled with an unrestrained fury.
“Like hell we can!” it snapped angrily. Its eyes flashed green and Danny was sent flying into the wall again. This time he was caught completely off guard, and the collision was ten times worse than it might have been. The Mewtwo rose to its feet and cupped its paws together. A bright green ball of energy formed between them. With a loud cry of rage it threw this at the dazed Danny with as much force as it could muster. There was a loud crack, and the fireball carried Danny straight through the wall and out of the cavern. The Mewtwo shook its head in pity. If the fireball didn’t kill him then the resulting fall surely would. Chalk up another on the tally. It grabbed Orestes by the throat and distractedly tossed him out after Danny. Then it sat down on the edge of the lake and paddled there for a moment. What it needed was a bit of entertainment, otherwise it was going to be driven mad by guilt. It smiled cruelly.
“Okay, girls, you can come out now.” The green bubble containing Judith and Magdelia drifted slowly back into view. It popped, leaving the two women floating in mid-air, supported only by the psychic powers of the Mewtwo. They both looked totally bewildered. “Looks like it’s just us three now...” the Mewtwo cackled mischievously. Judith and Magdelia looked at each other. So that meant...
They wept, in fear for their lives. And for Danny’s.

---

Chapter VI - Child in Pokémon’s Clothing

“Rai rairaichu raichu?” Danny’s consciousness registered a faint sound, too far away to properly focus on. What was that sound?
“Cle gencyana cle cle! Gencyana!” The noises were getting closer now... so close. And this latest one sounded somewhat familiar, too. Danny became aware of a rough shaking of his shoulder. This and the commotion forced him to eventually open his eyes. A blue sky. He was outside. Two faces were peering down at him. A Raichu, albeit an exceptionally chubby one. And a... what was the name? Clegencyana, that was it. Orestes the Clegencyana... Suddenly Danny gave a start as he was hit by a sharp and mentally painful flashback, causing him to sit up sharply and do further damage to his already battered body. He gasped in alarm. Judith, Magdelia, they were still in the Unknown Dungeon with that demonic Mewtwo!
“Hey, are you alright?” A young man skidded around the corner, clearly the owner of the Raichu that was sat with Orestes. Danny took a good look at this new arrival. Boy, what a totally boring looking kid! Blonde, blue eyes, short, not a single remarkable thing about his appearance or dress. In fact, he was the single most insignificant person Danny had ever laid eyes on. Danny wished he had a camera so he could take a picture of this guy. He was sure that he’d forget him the instant he went out of view. And this feeling of wanting a camera doubled when a Kadabra zipped around the corner at a speed most racing car drivers could only dream of, crashed into the kid and sent them both flying. Danny wished he could hate them for distracting him, but they were just too funny!
“Of course I’m alright,” Danny lied, dragging himself to his feet. He didn’t feel alright. In fact, that Mewtwo could pack a harder punch than Kzar could. Danny doubted this guy believed him. After all, he did have several deep gashes over his body, he had been severely burnt, and he had been blown clean through a wall. He doubted he looked too good. But the best thing would be to not act as if he hurt. “Question is - are you?”
“Yibbldyobl!!!!” the kid groaned in despair. “Do you really have to embarrass me like this?” The Kadabra looked rather distastefully down at his trainer, then burst out laughing, falling off from his position on top of him.
“Oh shut yer face, I’m not embarrassin’ ya. I’m just embarrassin’ meself.” The Kadabra spoke in a very slurred voice, and hiccupped loudly. Danny raised an eyebrow. A talking Kadabra? What a strange altercation! Well, Danny decided that he had wasted enough time watching this inept kid and his drunken pokémon. He turned to leave.
“You are embarrassing me... hey, wait up!” The kid stood up quickly, dusted himself down and tried to catch up with Danny. “Hey! Hey!” he called until Danny could ignore him no longer.
“What is it?”
“What happened to you? If you don’t mind my saying so, you look pretty messed up.”
“You know something? I feel pretty messed up. You know that there’s been one hell of a lot of shit going down at the Unknown Dungeon, don’t you? Well I was supposed to clear it up. Only I fucked up. So now I’m going back for another go. Now if you don’t mind I’m in a hell of a hurry. Goodbye.”
“Hang on! I was going there!” the kid called after Danny. Danny paused and shot him an odd look.
“Don’t be so fucking stupid. That place is off-limits to most people at the best of times!”
“I know that!” the kid smiled, holding out a golden pokéball. “But I just beat the Elite Four! I’m officially a Pokémon Master now, so I can go in!” Danny stopped in his tracks. The idea of this guy as a Pokémon Master was hilarious! But he did have the proof. Danny didn’t know what fluke allowed the kid to beat the four toughest trainers in the country, but he did have to admit that he could actually come in handy. With a little subtle manipulation, of course.
“Hey,” Danny smiled slyly, his demeanour changing in an instant. This kid was totally oblivious to what he had planned. “Were you going to find some powerful pokémon?”
“Uh huh. And to train my team up to become even stronger. Because some of them...” Here he looked sharply at the drunken Kadabra sprawled on the floor, “...need to learn a little discipline.” The kid held out two pokéballs and recalled both the Kadabra and his Raichu.
“Hmm...” A plan was beginning to form in Danny’s mind. “Well, perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone. Hey, kid, how would you like to own a Mewtwo...?”

Back in the Unknown Dungeon things were going equally as strangely. The Mewtwo was having the time of his life playing around with the two girls. Right now he was letting them drop into the water. They dropped with a loud splash, and a squeal as they were caught off-guard by the sudden immersion. The Mewtwo pulled them out into the air again. They glared at him, dripping wet. He had to laugh - they looked like two drowned rats!
“You filthy bastard! You’ve ruined my dress!” Judith yelled. The Mewtwo rolled his eyes in despair. In his limited experience of Judith he’d learnt all he really wanted to. Well, it was time to bring her down a peg or two. He made an extravagant bow.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, milady. Whatever will we do now? Our poor dress has got a little wet. It’s the end of the world!!!” He cackled cruelly. “Okay then, if you’re that worried about a little water, I’ll just put the dress out to dry for you.” His eyes glowed that familiar shade of green, and the girls cowered as best they could, expecting some sort of blow. It never came. Instead they swiftly found themselves in their underwear. Although it only bothered Magdelia in the sense that her scars were now on display to the world, Judith was clearly embarrassed. Although the sight of Magdelia soon caught her attention. No wonder the poor woman insisted on hiding her body! The Mewtwo floated over to the two girls and ran a critical eye over their bodies. He hovered next to Magdelia. “You’d make a fine model if it weren’t for those scars of yours.” Magdelia turned away, unhappy at having the obvious shoved right in her face. The Mewtwo now floated over to Judith. “And you. You do have an awfully pretty face. And I’m sure there’s many women out there who’d kill for legs like yours. But...” The Mewtwo floated to Judith’s front and chuckled softly to itself.
“But what?”
“But I think you’re a little too flat for my liking!” The Mewtwo abruptly grabbed Judith’s chest and squeezed.
“Stop that! You pervert!” Judith squealed in outrage. The Mewtwo laughed loudly, a genuinely amused laugh rather than a cruel one, then returned to its original vantage point.
“Why are you doing this?” Magdelia asked after a short period of silence. The Mewtwo regarded her curiously.
“Yeah!” Judith chipped in. “If you’re going to kill us then get it over with!” Their captor looked offended.
“Kill you?” It looked genuinely hurt. “Is that what you think I’m going to do to you? I was never going to kill you. I was never really going to kill anyone, really. Maybe rough them up a bit, but I never intended on killing anyone. And I’m not going to harm a hair on your heads. ‘Cause I’m a gentleman and I don’t believe in hurting ladies, so I’ll just embarrass you instead. It’s real fun. What do you suppose we should remove next?”
“But if you didn’t intend on killing anyone, why did it happen?” The Mewtwo’s face fell.
“Oh, I start out by spooking them a bit but then they usually do something to annoy me so I blow them sky high. And if you mean why the violence... I suppose I might be able to tell you a bit about that. After all, you’re my guests here, aren’t you?” And the Mewtwo began to do something totally alien to him. He began to explain. “I was created by Team Rocket. They were, as I understand it, very impressed by some project that an organisation called the PGRI was undertaking. It was creating the first Mewtwos. Well, Team Rocket wanted in on the action but they were having none of it. And even Team Rocket hit a brick wall when trying to steal the PGRI’s research. So they had to do everything from scratch.
“Anyway, somewhere along the line they actually managed to get their filthy hands on some Mewtwo DNA. Don’t ask me where from, I haven’t a clue. Perhaps they took it from one of the rejects from the PGRI. Hah! That’d be right... those fuckwits couldn’t research their way into a paper bag. But guess what? They ran into another problem. With a truly mind-boggling lack of foresight they forget that they don’t have the facilities to create something from scratch, they need some living tissue to mutate. I think that’s what they told me, anyway. And are you ready to hear the dumbest idea of the year? ‘Oh don’t worry’ says one Rocket, ‘ We’ll just grab the nearest pokémon to hand and totally rearrange its DNA. Never mind what species it is.’” The Mewtwo was becoming increasingly uptight. It turned its back on the girls, preventing them from seeing the sudden emotion on its face. “The upshot of all of this is that I was created... from some lousy Fearow!” Its voice was now showing genuine anguish. “You know, I really have no problems with being artificially created. I’m alive, that’s all that counts. I just wish I could’ve been created with a little professionalism. It seriously pisses me off to think that I was a botched job, you know. That’s why I look different to the others, it’s ‘cause I’m not quite the same as them. I’m not quite a Mewtwo. I guess you could call me... a Mewthree...” Magdelia looked at the creature pityingly. For all its rough demeanour and thoroughly spiteful ways, there was a glimmer of innocence underneath it all. Even in its more nasty moods it had done little more than tease. She could believe it when it said it never meant to kill anyone. And now it was like a hurt little child, trying to seem grown up by bottling up its emotions. Magdelia glanced at Judith in the hope that some of that might have sank in. Her face was wearing a blank expression. Typical. Well, Magdelia could understand what was going on here.
“I’m glad you told us that,” she said as warmly as she could. “I can’t say I understand you fully. As you said earlier, I doubt anyone could. But I know what it’s like to be hurt, and I know what it’s like to feel bitter. But lashing out like you do won’t help any!”
“It makes me feel better,” Mewthree said sulkily.
“For a few moments, perhaps, but then what? You know, I don’t think this is even about being bitter. You feel alone, don’t you? Is that why you killed those people? Because they treated you like a monster? And is this why you’re holding us here?” Mewthree didn’t reply. The girl’s guesses were frighteningly accurate. “Don’t you see you’ve put yourself on a downward spiral? The more you destroy, the less people will want to do with you! Isn’t that obvious?”
“She’s got a point,” Judith nodded, the penny finally dropping.
“Look, please put us down. We’d gladly be your friends... if you’d just let us.”
“I can’t.” Mewthree said sadly. “I just can’t. Because you wouldn’t stay, you’d want to run back to your precious Danny and your human world and I’d be left here on my own again.” The pressure of isolation was finally beginning to break the once-strong pokémon. His psychic voice was beginning to break up with barely stifled, and very real, sobs. “I don’t want to be on my own any more, I really hate it so! And... and I can’t let you go now. A whole year I’ve been in this place and you’re the only ones who have ever tried to talk to me and if I let you go you’ll leave and I’ll be stuck here on my own again and if I’m going to be alone I think I’d rather be dead...” The last word of this outburst came out as a plaintive wail. Magdelia looked on, saddened. It was so painfully clear now. All of the chaos, all of the killing... it was all just one big psychic temper tantrum, a desperate cry for attention by an unloved and unwanted child. All she wanted to do now was to give this supposed monster a hug, to try and convince it that at least somebody cared. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off abruptly.
A loud explosion rocked the cavern and yet another hole was blown in the wall. They all looked up, all startled and afraid to some degree. And when the smoke and rubble had cleared... there stood a bloodied but confident Danny, complete with Orestes. Some kid was also hanging around at the back.
“Don’t worry, girls, your knight in shining armour has arrived!” Danny grinned. Magdelia rolled her eyes. Now wasn’t that just the lousiest timing ever? Her mind recalled a throwaway comment that Danny had made the day that Judith arrived.
Well, that’s sod’s law for you, she thought to herself.

Chapter VII - Breaking Out

“You!” Mewthree sounded almost pleased. Well, he was. He was glad of the distraction. Fighting Danny some more was just the antidote to his depression. Besides, it was one less death on his conscience. “I thought you were dead.”
“Afraid I don’t die that easily.” Danny shrugged.
“Well, all I can say is you’re pretty stupid if you came back here. You’re a real masochist.”
“What, do you honestly expect me to desert my friends and let you have your wicked way with them?”
“I wasn’t even doing anything to them!” Mewthree sounded offended.
“Then why, might I ask, are they in their underwear?”
“Well... I did kind of give them an unwelcome bath. The Judith woman said her dress was wet, so I put their clothes out to dry. No harm in that is there? Ah well, you can think what you like. I’ve grown accustomed to having them around now, so don’t think you’re getting them back. And who’s that insignificant speck of dust you’ve brought along now?”
“Oh! This is Pizza. He’ll help me kick your ass. Right?” Danny threw an arm around the smaller man. Pizza looked uncomfortable.
“Him? Oh, you crack me up, you really do. You’d need a microscope just to see if he’s there or not! What are you gonna do, inject him into my bloodstream or something?” Mewthree was finding this extremely funny.
“Well, I can’t really do that much...” Pizza began.
“That figures.”
“But I think I know someone who can...”
“Well piss off and go get him then, pipsqueak.”
“Look, let me finish!”
“No.” Mewthree began to ponder more ways of annoying this newcomer. Pizza finally grew fed up, and whipped out a pokéball. He threw it into the cavern dramatically.
“GO! Yibbldyobl!!!” The pokéball burst open. Pizza’s Kadabra quite literally fell out, having tripped over his own tail. “Man, this is so embarrassing!” Pizza muttered under his breath. Mewthree, meanwhile, was laughing to hard his eyes were watering.
“I think that ‘go’ was a bit optimistic, don’t you?” he managed to splutter. “What’s that they say about how pokémon become like their trainers? Anyway, you’re out of your tiny mind if you expect him to beat me.”
“You’d be surprised,” Pizza retorted.
“Oh sure,” Mewthree said sarcastically. He paced up to the Kadabra, sized it up then gave it an almighty kick. It landed in the middle of the lake with a huge splash. “So much for that. Who’s next?” Mewthree grinned, turning around. There was Yibbldyobl.
“Hiya,” the Kadabra said flatly. He shot up with a truly remarkable speed and hit Mewthree hard in the stomach. Mewthree yelped in surprise and took a step back, winded. He looked confused. Weren’t Kadabras supposed to be physically weak?
“How...?” he coughed.
“Good question,” Pizza replied. “After I beat the Elite Four, Lance offered to give him special training. I couldn’t pass up an offer like that, could I? Since then he’s really toughened up. It’s quite scary, really.”
“He couldn’t be scary if he tried,” Mewthree grimaced. “But I’m going to make him wish he’d never been born!” He looked about, but found no sign of the Kadabra. And worse still, he couldn’t even sense his presence. “Now where’s that moron gone?”
“I’m up ‘ere, you idiot,” a familiar voice called from the ceiling. Mewthree looked up in amazement. Yibbldyobl was floating in one corner of the cavern. And his hesitation was all the Kadabra needed to finish the battle. He began to rain down an avalanche of fireballs down on the Mewtwo. The first missed completely, crashing somewhere near Pizza and giving him a mild heart attack. The second knocked Mewthree off balance. The third threw him into the wall. And the following strikes just constantly hammered into his unsteady form, each hit bringing with it a huge burst of pain. Only Magdelia could see that the pokémon was close to fainting, tears of pain running down his cheeks. She couldn’t take any more of this senseless violence.
“STOP IT!!!!” she screamed suddenly. Everybody looked at her, confused. Yibbldyobl ceased his attack and dropped to the floor, more confused than he usually was. Why was this woman calling for mercy when Mewthree had captured her? Magdelia’s gaze drifted over to Mewthree. He lay in the corner, bruised, bloodied and battered. He showed no signs of getting up. “No...” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “And we were just getting somewhere...”
“No point in crying over it, he brought it all on himself.” Danny’s old insensitive streak was coming back in full force. He sighed. Mission accomplished. Or so he thought. Mewthree suddenly rose to his feet, coughing painfully.
“It... takes more than that... to keep me down...” he panted. “But... but this isn’t fair! You’re not playing the game properly!” he suddenly wailed, throwing so much psychic force at Yibbldyobl that it sent the Kadabra clean through the roof. And suddenly it all became too much for him. All the loneliness, all the pretence. Who was he kidding? He could never hope to be what his predecessor in this place had been. He just wasn’t cut out for this existence. He wasn’t at all like the others. He wasn’t big, he wasn’t clever, he didn’t have anything or anybody. All he could ever hope to be was a big dumb kid with powers he couldn’t even keep to himself. It was all just so frustrating! Throwing himself on the ground, he covered up his eyes and cried furiously.
“Uh... did I miss something here?” Danny asked, hopelessly confused. Magdelia shot him a dirty look, just as the psychic restraints that held her vanished. She raced over to Mewthree, still looking at Danny.
“Oh well done.” she snapped. “Bravo. Just look what you’ve done now! Look, just get out of here and let me sort this one out. Like I was succeeding in doing until you ran in here with all the subtlety of a bulldozer.” Danny winced. He wasn’t used to hearing Magdelia sound so annoyed. He reasoned that she would be better off alone.
“Come on, Pizza. Let’s leave them to it.”
“But what about my...” Danny grabbed him by the throat, a forced smile on his face.
“Now, now, now, perhaps we can talk about that once he’s calmed down. Until then we need to have a little chat about using restraint.”
“The blind leading the blind.” Magdelia said huffily. She turned her attention to Mewthree, putting a hand on his shoulder. His skin was surprisingly soft, like velvet.
“Go away!” Mewthree sobbed. “Leave me alone!”
“Now you just stop that at once!” she scolded. “This is a real turnaround from ‘I can’t let you leave’, isn’t it? It’s your refusal to accept that there might actually be someone who cares for you that’s got you into this mess in the first place! Just listen to me please! I am not moving until you stop all this nonsense.” Mewthree looked up at her with his big, tear-filled eyes.
“Why... why are you still here? You could be with your boyfriend...”
“Because I’m worried about you, silly.” Mewthree stared at her for a moment, contemplating what she had just said.
“You mean it?”
“Of course I do.” He suddenly and without warning threw his arms around her neck and began to weep into her shoulder. She put her arm around him and cradled his head gently. “There, there,” she cooed reassuringly. “It’s alright now, it really is. Nobody’s going to hurt you any more. Are they?” she added venomously, noticing Danny still lurking in the background.
“Okay, okay, point taken,” Danny threw up his arms in defeat. “I forgot that golden rule of combat. Make sure your enemy really is your enemy. Bloody hell, I was willing to be reasonable. How was I to know that he thought it was a game? But if it’s any consolation, I’m sorry, okay?” Magdelia seemed satisfied by this apology. She went back to comforting Mewthree.
“Ssh!” she said softly, stroking his head. “Just calm down, okay? Once you’re feeling a bit better then we can work out what we do next. But until then all you need to do is to relax...”
“Please... don’t leave me,” Mewthree sobbed into her shoulder. “I don’t want you to leave me, not now, just please don’t go...”
“I’m not going to leave you!” she replied. The pokémon seemed so big and tough when she first met him, but underneath it all he was just quite literally a big baby. She doubted he was much older than two. All he wanted was to be loved. “Sometime I will have to go, it’s true, but I won’t until I’m sure you’ll be able to cope. Besides, I’ll always be here for you if you need me. All you need to do is ask.”
“You really mean that?” Mewthree seemed astonished that anyone would show him kindness.
“Yes. I do.”

It took a long while, but Mewthree was finally beginning to calm down. At least, he had stopped crying. Magdelia had finally managed to tame the wild creature. It was still slumped against her neck, however.
“So what do we do now?” Mewthree asked distractedly. “You know that I’d like nothing better than to stay with you. Nobody had ever shown me kindness until you came along, and I really don’t want to lose that. But I guess I’ll have to. You have your own life to lead without worrying about me all the time.”
“It’s sweet of you to be so concerned about me,” Magdelia smiled kindly, “but I’m not going to leave you here on your own. We’ll just have to think of another way around this.”
“Well what way is that?”
“Err... perhaps I can help.” They both turned to face this new speaker. It was that kid Danny had brought with him. Pizza. “I couldn’t help overhearing. If you’re looking for a place to stay then you can always come with me. I’m staying with Drol, you see, he’s a real Pokémon Master.” Pizza’s tone indicated that he knew that he himself had a long way to go before he could live up to his title. “Really there’s no better place for a pokémon to be. And you’d have plenty of company.”
“Why would anyone care about me?” Mewthree said glumly, rising to his feet and trying to bolster his self-confidence. “Besides, you’re a pretty poor replacement for Magdelia here.”
“I don’t want to be a replacement! Listen, Drol has a Mewtwo himself, it’s just as strong as you are...” This grabbed Mewthree’s attention. Another Mewtwo? As strong as he was? Could it be...?
“Look, just shut your gob, shorty, you’re starting to waffle and you’re doing my head in. Okay, I guess I could do with a halfway decent bed for once. I guess I could come with you, but let’s get a few ground rules straight right now.” Mewthree’s usual attitude was now back in full force. “Right. Number one, despite the fact that I’m coming with you, I’m not your pokémon and I am never likely to be.”
“Okaaayyy...”
“Number two. I’m not going in a pokéball under any circumstances, got that?”
“I don’t have one for you anyway.”
“Number three. If you try to force me to battle, or try to tell me what to do in any way, I will kill you very slowly.”
“Sure, sure.”
“Number four...” Mewthree paused for a second. “Err... I can’t think of a number four at the moment, but I’m sure one’ll come to me eventually.”
Magdelia smiled brightly. “Look, just go. And be happy.” She hopped nimbly to her feet and pecked Mewthree on the cheek. It was quite a struggle to reach, but in the end she stood on tiptoes to manage it. Mewthree blushed deeply. “And if you ever need me, for anything at all, you know where I am, right?”
“Right,” Mewthree smiled gratefully. “Thanks. For everything. You’re the only thing that’s remotely like a family to me...”
“Hey! I’d like for you to think of me as your family. Because I certainly will be there for you. Just don’t be afraid to ask, okay?” Mewthree nodded coyly, he got the message. Wandering over to Pizza, his eyes grew a cruel gleam.
“I guess I’ll say goodbye, then. Let’s move it, shorty.” Mewthree’s eyes glowed green and the poor Pizza was lifted abruptly off the ground. He squealed in surprise and found himself hovering four feet in the air. Mewthree took one last look at Magdelia. “I’ll never forget you, not ever. Take care of yourself.” And to Danny, “You’re a lucky man. You take good care of her or you’ll have me to answer to.”
“Sure thing,” Danny smiled.
“What about me?” Pizza cried. “Put me down!”
“Are you really sure you want me to do that?” Pizza looked down at the ground. “Err... on second thoughts, don’t bother, then.” Mewthree cackled to himself, causing Pizza to float slowly to his side. He looked back for one last time, a kindness in his eyes that was not there before.
“Goodbye!” he cried, and shot out of the cavern with the hapless Pizza in tow. The last thing that Danny and Magdelia heard was the startled scream of Pizza, who was unused to being dragged through the air. They watched, Judith and Orestes joining them, until Mewthree became nothing more than a speck on the horizon. Danny put an arm around Magdelia. He could tell she was upset.
“Hey,” he said reassuringly, “it’ll all work out for the best. You did real good there, kiddo.” She looked up at him , her green eyes filled with an obvious relief.
“I know,” she said sadly. “I guess it just goes to show that there is nothing in this world that is truly good or evil. Even the hardest of monsters has a heart. I think it was like that with the Manachu. I don’t think it was as unfeeling as it seemed. But this one’s different.” She looked up sadly at the sky, now turning a shade of red as the sun slowly set. “This one I’ll miss. Good luck, Mewthree. Wherever you are.”

THE END

Adrian wouldn’t like to thank the Students Loan Company for @#%$ing up his payments and making him miss AFI, but he would like to thank certain mail order companies for getting him Pokemon Silver before it’s officially released in the UK. Danny wouldn’t like to thank anyone ‘coz he says everything he’s done he’s done on his own accord. Magdelia would like to thank me for misspelling her name and stopping her from being yet another A Perfect Circle-inspired name. Judith’s suits were ruined by a professional suit ruiner. Mewthree and Pizza appeared courtesy of my brother. Paranoia pays for your freedom. Somebody said so

Danny will return shortly to get mixed up with Team Rocket. You have been warned

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