Ok, I think we all know who owns Pokemon, right? Right.

Deep within the recesses of his personal realm, Arceus observed the events taking place on Earth. And the Alpha Pokemon was not really enjoying what he saw. He watched as Ash Ketchum, the boy who had accomplished so many deeds, faced off against Cyrus, trying to stop him in the Distortion World. The man had caught them off guard by revealing a third Red Chain, one he was determined to use on the Renegade Pokemon.

Unfortunately, something was very wrong. As he watched, he realized the boy was, for lack of a better term, incomplete. A portion of his being; his mind, personality, his very essence...it was missing! If Arceus had the physical capability, he would have frowned at this. This should not have happened. "Hm, probably explains why he hasn't aged in so long, plus being so oblivious to girls."

He quickly extended his senses, searching for what had happened to cause this. Following any lingering trail, he delved through time and space, scanning through the boy's journey for whatever might be a clue. "Getting close, I can feel...there!" Reaching the day Ash began as a trainer, he carefully scanned the scene, until…

"I should have known…" He sighed, watching as Ash unknowingly made a wish when he saw Ho-Oh. Shaking his head, he proceeded to make contact with the legendary. "Ho-Oh! We need to talk!"

The Rainbow Pokemon squawked in alarm, falling several feet before she regained her composure. "M-Master Arceus, sir!? Is that you?"

"Yes. Sorry about the shock, but I have something of importance to ask you. A few years back, when you were in Kanto, did you grant the wish of a boy, around eleven years of age?"

"Now that you mention it, I did pick up something while over a little place the local pokemon said was called Pallet Town. It was faint, but I heard it, can even quote it; 'Kinda hope my travels never end'."

"Okay...and how exactly did you grant it?"

"Oh, well, I was in a bit of a hurry to get to Johto, so I asked Palkia to lock his age. He said something about having to extract something from him, but I didn't catch it all."

Arceus sighed. "Ho-Oh…" He knew she meant well, but she had a habit of making knee-jerk reactions in regards to wishes, especially if it was made when she was just passing overhead. "Did you consider that he may not have been serious about it? I mean, he didn't even know what kind of Pokemon you were when he saw you."

"But...but most wishes I get are for riches, or becoming famous...it was so innocent compared to those!"

"I know, and I'm not holding it against you, but I'm afraid your method of granting it was rather flawed. To lock his age, Palkia had to remove the part of him that would allow him to grow up, to mature as a person, to notice girls, recognize love. He is almost literally half a boy right now."

"Oh...I...I didn't know…I didn't mean…!"

Sensing she was getting up upset, Arceus quickly moved to diffuse the situation. "Ho-Oh, calm down. I know you meant well, you just need to double-check on those wishes to be sure they're serious. Also, his condition IS reversible.

"I-it is?" The relief in her voice was damn near tangible.

"It is if I have anything to say about it." He stated. "Just, be a little more aware with your wish-granting, ok?"

"I-I will, Master Arceus! I promise!"

"Good. Now, I believe it's time to have a talk with someone else." Invoking his will, Arceus forced time to come to a halt, freezing events in place. Once that was done, he focused on the Red Chain holding Palkia, shattering it. He wanted to do the same for Dialga, but couldn't use his power like that without sufficient justification. "Palkia!"

"Who!? Wha!? Arceus-I mean, Boss?" Palkia looked around, stumbling to regain his balance after being released.

"Yes, Palkia. It's me. Listen, do you remember helping Ho-Oh with a wish? Concerning locking a boy's age?"

After a good deal more questions and explanations, Arceus decided he needed to sit down. "Let me get this straight; after placing a time-lock on Ash Ketchum, you took the part of him you had to extract and gave it a body of its own in a mirror reality."

"Well…yes. I mean, just destroying it didn't seem right, and I know you would've been pissed if I'd done it anyway. If it helps, I've checked in on it every now and then. Apparently it goes by the name Red and seems to have had similar encounters to Ketchum. However…"

Arceus sighed. He hated that word as much as humans did in moments like this. "What is it?"

"Well, he's not exactly what you'd call the sociable type. I guess the proper term would be 'ruthless loner'." Palkia chuckled sheepishly. "He seems to have garnered the attention of the same girls as Ketchum, and he's aware, but he's more interested in batting gym leaders and other trainers. That and he's a bit on the cold side when it comes to the prospect of actually making friends.

"So one half is sociable, nice, yet oblivious to anything aside from Pokemon and has been Eleven for far too long. And the other half is aware, yet doesn't give a damn and would rather just thrash others in battles."

"Oh, heh...when you put it that way…"

"Let's just get them both here so we can fix this for now. While you do that, I have one last Pokemon to speak to."

"Thank you for coming, Mewtwo." Arceus said after the Genetic Pokemon took the offered portal to his realm.

"Well, it's not everyday The Original One asks you for help." Mewtwo replied calmly. "Though, I admit I'm rather curious as to why."

"Your answer lies right over there." Arceus turned to look at two figures floating nearby. Mewtwo quickly recognized one.

"Ash?" Mewtwo floated over to the unmoving boys. "Why is he here? And who's this?" He looked at the other. This one was a few years older and noticeably taller, wearing attire similar to Ash back when they first met, except his coat was red, and open to show his black t-shirt. What hair was visible was less spiked than Ash's, but still a mess, with a metal plate bolted to the front of his cap.

"That is Red, and to put it bluntly, he is the rest of Ash."

"What?" Mewtwo looked back at him. "If this is a joke, then I fail to see the humor."

"I assure you, this is no joke." Arceus proceeded to explain what happened. By the time he was done, if Mewtwo was surprised, he didn't show outside of a raised eye.

"Huh. I'd wondered about…" He shook his head. "Just one question; why me? You're certainly powerful enough to rejoin them."

"True, but without a Mind Plate and Psychium Z, I'm still a normal type Pokemon, regardless of strength. What psychic techniques I do have lack the finesse needed to safely re-merge the two minds without causing irreparable damage."

"Point taken."

"Also, you doing this will provide ample justification to help you regain something you lost a long time ago."

"What I lost?" Mewtwo frowned in confusion. "What are you-?" He froze when Arceus touched his mind, and he felt something unlock, something that had been sealed away from him for a long time.

He stepped back, eyes widening as the memory of a small girl, wearing a pale yellow dress, appeared. His shoulders started to shake, remembering when they first met while he was still in that test tube, before he knew who or what he was. The little girl who became his first friend, only to lose her just as fast.

He slammed his eyes shut, his breath hitching some. Gritting his teeth, he choked back something as a tear formed in the corner of his eye. Despite his attempts, Mewtwo sank to his knees, tears now falling freely. "A-Ambertwo…" He sobbed.

"I can bring her back, Mewtwo." Arceus said softly, stepping over to the weeping form. "But I need your help. Help me fix Ash, and you will see her again, I promise you."

It took him a few minutes to regain his composure, but once he did, he looked Arceus dead in the eyes. "I'll do it."

"Excellent! Now, we get them ready. The merging will go a lot smoother if they're aware. Plus, I intend to get them up to snuff with using Aura."