Chapter no.212 Mewtwo and Giovanni

[ POV Change ]
Mewtwo simply levitated himself upward toward the second floor, past the pathetic dark creatures that stood guard around his partner's office. Pathetic, he mentally sneered, as if these pitiful creatures would be able to stand in front of his wrath, should he direct it towards Team Rocket.
"Giovanni has called for you." Boss replied slowly, as the two walked ahead in the empty corridor, away from all interference.
Mewtwo smiled. The hierarchy within the tiers of Team Rocket amused him to no end. The entire organization, while over two decades old, had truly come to life some… three years ago, in its aim of making its presence known all over Kanto. Prior to that, it had mainly been a cluster of undercover research groups working for a man, a shrewd businessman, whose ambition and intelligence was unparalleled among men.
Lionel Giovanni.
Of course, back then Giovanni had funded a significant amount of capital on Project Alpha—a project that was supposed to create the most powerful pokémon in the world. Or rather, that was what it seemed it was.
A project that had ended with a blaze, with twisted metal on the ground, the entire island engulfed in ashes and smoke, and a lone survivor, one who would someday, become the Alpha of all.
[ Three years ago.]
The entire place was in ruins. The scorching flames consuming the entire fortress, the labs underground now nothing more than jaded glass and broken pillars, the machinery destroyed, the lives annihilated, and now… there was nothing else. One single beam of light, one single pair of glowing, icy blue eyes, and everything, decades of research was destroyed, annihilated, and all of that, because of one single mistake.
Mewtwo looked down at his own hands. All of this… devastation, had been caused by nothing but a couple of thoughts. Wishes… and emotions. Then again, as the man in white had told him.
He was the most powerful pokémon in the world.
I had strings… but now I'm free.
And then he saw it.
Walking towards him, a man, with that large mechanical contraption with wings behind him. A chopper… He realized, as information that he had absorbed from the man in white—Dr Franklin's mind rose up to fill the blanks. He wondered, why this… human was coming towards him. It was not like he would be any-
Different?
Yes. He is different.
The human stood in front of him. There was no trace of fear in the man's eyes. It was almost like… fear, and pain, were concepts abstract to him.
Just like me. Mewtwo told himself.
"I see that their experiment succeeded." The man spoke in an orotund voice. "They managed to create the most versatile pokémon in the world, and they wanted to make him into a lab rat." He sneered at the end.
Mewtwo felt his perceptions tilt, observing the man in front of him. Of course, the entity in front of him was human, just like those he had just… slaughtered inside the white building. And yet, this man seemed not to care about his own life. It was almost like he expected—no, he knew that Mewtwo would not kill him.
Not until he had spoken up his mind anyway.
Mewtwo felt his awareness expand. Interesting… An empath. I didn't know that humans had these… abilities. Interesting. An empath whose powers are inverted upon himself.
He could see now. This man… Giovanni, he picked the name out of the man's mind. The man's mind had twisted, inverted his empathy into itself, making him devoid of emotions, sentiments, fears….
Leaving behind only ambition.
Interesting. Very interesting.
"My name is Giovanni, and I am someone who can help you."
"Help… me?"Mewtwo spoke up, using his psychic-enhanced voice, as he felt a tinge of emotion… amusement, he recognized.
"Help each other." The man, Giovanni answered, as he turned his gaze away from him to stare at the burning heaps of twisted metal and concrete. "Those people in there… they were only working to create, not to destroy or cause harm. Why did you kill them?"
Mewtwo felt a strange impulse to instantly end the man's pitiful little life, if only for the misdemeanour of questioning him. A prey had no business questioning the morality of the predator.
Morality. He mused. Such a twisted, subjective, human concept.
I suppose I can humour him. If only for entertainment's sake. He decided. "I did not… kill them. I was simply annoyed when I found myself awake, bound in… strings, and them telling me… ordering me, to be there, as if they were the makers of my destiny."
Giovanni's lips curled. "They did create you."
"They did." Mewtwo could agree with that. He tilted his head slightly. Dr Franklin was an avid believer of body language. "Is that supposed to make a difference?"
Silence.
"I didn't like being bound in strings, so I set myself free. Humans… pretty interesting species. I was curious, I wanted to know how they worked. I thought it was funny. The men in white were laughing after all."
He paused. "It took me absorbing Franklin's mind to realize that they were in fact, screaming."
There wasn't an ounce of expression on Giovanni's face. Mewtwo felt disappointed. Almost.
"Those people in there…" Giovanni spoke after an eternally long time- 8. 7593 seconds to be exact. "They were my men. I can't say they were very bright, but they were intelligent."
Amusement. Mewtwo felt it again.
"But they weren't bad." Giovanni looked up at him. "Why did you kill them?"
A conversation with a human. It was… surreal. Interesting. He would humour him.
"There is no such thing as bad."
"What about good?"
"Good and bad are… fairy tales. Humans have evolved to attach an emotional significance to what is nothing more than a survival strategy of the pack animal, conditioned to invest divinity in utility."
"You seem… very well-aware of yourself and the world, despite… being born yesterday." Giovanni returned.
Mewtwo smiled inwardly. Another emotion. It felt good to slowly discover oneself. He should do it again. "I understand the way the human species thinks. Dr Franklin was extremely… cooperative in that regard. I know about those mercurial beasts you worship as Legends, trying to fashion me into one." He looked squarely at the man's face, gauging his reaction. "You tried to make yourself one. Me."
"Well…" Giovanni did not disappoint. "That was the mission. To create a Legend."
"I live beyond your mission. I see past th0se… tiny ambitions of the human species."
"And what do you see?"
Mewtwo smiled again. "Good isn't really good. Evil isn't really wrong. Bottoms aren't realty pretty. You are a prisoner of your own meat."
"And you aren't?"
"No."
"Why?"
Mewtwo smiled again. "I'm too clever."
Silence.
"I'm inclined to agree." Giovanni replied with a mundane finality. "Dr Franklin was a man of many talents. It is good that his death did not go in vain. We got… you."
Another impulse to vivisect the man flitted inside Mewtwo's mind.
"I have a proposition for you."
Mewtwo's eyes glowed with icy fire. "Is this the moment when you tell me that I'll know my purpose, if I follow you?"
Giovanni's lips curled. "I'm not an idiot. You are… incandescent. However, we can be of mutual help to each other."
Interesting.
"My team spent decades in their attempts to create… you. And here you are, in the flesh. While I admit it hurts seeing my best researchers slaughtered like that, it feels worse to find that the most versatile entity in the universe is a little more than a raging wildfire."
Perhaps I should correct his ignorance. Mewtwo thought in amusement.
"You were created, not to become the most powerful psychic, but the most versatile one. Moulded after the legendary Mew, someone with the power to become any pokémon, regardless of type. One, who could use the Fire Blast of Arcanine in one hand, channel a Hydro cannon of Blastoise from the other, while simultaneously managing a Draco Meteor of a Kingdra."
He paused. "Someone who could become a legend amongst legends. That was the aim."
Mewtwo closed his eyes, as he began to analyse his own self. Interesting. He didn't know he could do that. His very constitution seemed to be made of mutating cells that could transform into any type as he wanted. However, he wasn't being able to mutate them at will.
Such a… annoyance. Apparently, even he too had limits.
"You know I am speaking the truth." Giovanni replied. "You have your psychic powers available as the default version of your genetic constitution. With my organization's aid, you will be able to learn how to mutate your cells at will, though the progress would obviously, be slow."
Mewtwo extended his awareness further. The man, Giovanni, was indeed speaking the truth. Or at least, he believed what he was saying as the truth.
"I have invested a lot of research and money into you. If you agree to my proposition, it would enable my team to continue their research, while at the same time, enable you, a better and quicker comprehension of your own powers. That is all I offer."
"And if I choose to deny?"
"I cannot stop you." Giovanni confessed freely. "If I could, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Interesting.
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[ 𝐎𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 ]
𝗪𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗹𝘆𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗲. 𝗙𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗹𝘆𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗽𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗝𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗹𝘆𝗽𝘂𝗳𝗳'𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵, 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗹𝘆𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳) 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗹𝘆𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵, 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗹𝘆𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗴𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲.]