Hello Negrek! It's been years since I last read this story, and I've come back now to pick up where I left off. I'll be reviewing just the 36th chapter for now!

I must say, the first half of this chapter is very similar to how I remembered it. I got some enjoyment seeing Nate pissed off by the child's presence, as well as the latter's complete obliviousness to most common sense and social cues.

Honestly, I remember hating the child as much as possible in the past, but picking this story back up reminded me that it had more character depth than just emotionless child monster that's a weapon of mass destruction. It was very interesting seeing The Child trying to deal with its feelings of guilt and some regret, feelings it absolutely doesn't enjoy.

Even though it only healed Nate's arm and also is trying to recover Steelix so it doesn't have to deal with its uncomfortable emotions, it's still a bit sweet of it to try anyway. Though I use that word very loosely because the child probably will ditch Nate after it feels it has no debts to repay. Though it might miss Nate over time, who knows? It just as well might not.

Oof, it’s been a while! Glad to be back though.

[Morning light chases away straggling, nonsense dreams, leaving you with nothing but an uneasy feeling.]
Lovely opening line.

[You topple off the sofa in an excited flail of limbs,]
Topple is such a nice verb choice here. And a flail of limbs!

[Why do grown-ups make everything start so late?]
I love that, by setting the schedule with his power play, Nate is included in this. I’m very dubious of that designation for him, but it’s very amusing.

[At the very least you could count on Rats to entertain you, even if just by chasing you out of the house so she could have some peace.
Then you jump up, onto the arm of the couch, then the back, then over to the chair, the coffee table, the couch again—]
The child is my cat.

[You had better be ready."]
Nice try, kiddo, but you’re not in charge. Though being annoying is a potent kid power!

I’m also noticing for the first time that you’re doing the same trick I use for my fish-out-of-water character and avoiding contractions for the child! But mixed in with weird TV-isms. It’s a subtle and effective way to make them sound just slightly off.

[You want one, even though you have the real thing.]
That awkward moment when the most human thing left in you in consumerism.

[And in the end you never even have to haul the great Nathaniel Morgan out of bed.]
I did want more of a transition here. But I’m noticing a fun irony: the child can literally shapeshift, but! They are so slow to change how they see the world and other people. Forever the great Nathaniel Morgan.

[It is about people who can transform into big monster beast robots,]
Ah the first we’re hearing about WHY they like it. Clearly a vestige of Before, because transforming is just what they do now!

[but no, he insists on getting worked up over nothing.]
[That is not yours!" you hiss at him. "She stole that, did she not?"]
Self-awareness score: still a steady zero, haha.

[but Raticate decides to make a game of swiping your legs out from under you with his tail. You're so preoccupied with avoiding him that you don't even realize you've reached your destination ]
Nice reversal on the earlier reflection on pestering Rats.

[There are a lot of attacks humans do not know about.]
Ooh!

[the League'll have cameras so far up your ass they can see your tonsils.

real-time whatever the fuck,]
Delightful.

[You're kinda slow on the old flamethrower. Tighten it up, try for less power and better speed. Mightyena, dodge for now. You're doing fine.]
I like this insight into what training looks like for him.

[wondering what the others are expecting. He's a Rocket, after all, and they have something of a reputation for unethical training regimens. ]
Empathy also still clocking in at a dead zero. The child has none for Nate and also can’t recognize when his Pokémon are worried about him.

[From the way he conducted himself this morning you could almost imagine he was competent.]
Big compliment, considering!

[Three bounds take you over to a quaint little boutique, and another two, hand over hand, have you up its side and to the privacy of its roof.]
Nice scene-setting and motion here!

[You see, Cordierite-eyes? You see?"]
Her voice is so distinctive. I can hear her so clearly.

[It was kind of her to offer, so kind, but she doesn't understand. You see, you see?]
Aww (?) it respects her.

[Actually, do you like to fight?"]
“I do not work with Team Rocket!” (3 seconds later.) “I work with Team Rocket when it is convenient to me!”

[what I want is—what is, what... an eye."
"An eye?"
"Yes! Yes, Cordierite-eyes, just a look, just a little peek. I know. I know people, they can get rather... attached to their eyes, yes? But I won't take! You can have it back right away, oh yes!]
Lol NBD. This will be fine.

[and Eskar's on her feet in one unsettling boneless motion.]
Ew yes.
Funny that the child never seems interested in going ghostly to fight Eskar on her level. Can’t tell whether it’s because ghosts are made of something different, being undead, or because the child just wants to smash its fist into things.

["Make them change!" Eskar blurts out, then puts her hands over her mouth like she's ashamed. "If you would, Cordierite-eyes," she says. "Just to see."]
Cackle. You need to upload these onto the forums so I can dump emojis upon you.

[The sableye claps her hands and chews on her fingers in delight, then reaches out. "Hold still."]
I love/hate that the child doesn’t even try to argue for self removal, though maybe they could. Eskar’s pleasure is in part the taking.

[You turn away and stare at a wall and think about your favorite television shows until your stomach settles a bit.]
Oh, baby. That’s a good use for Transformozords.

[One of her hands is stained dark, your blood starting to wick into her ectoplasm]
Another excellent verb choice.

[You don't want to think about what she might have done with—with your payment.]
Oh *I* do though! Ectoplasm-preserved?

["...has to be Raticate, though. He'd have to be a complete fucking moron not to lead Lucario, but if he didn't, and we sent Infernape, then all he'd have to do is hold it back until he could knock Infernape out, and we'd be totally fucked."]
Nice to see him a) thinking through this and b) discussing with the team!

[Mightyena doesn't want you to send Raticate out against the lucario because if he takes too much damage he won't be able to beat the azumarill."]
Good if you to actually help, kid!

[Uhh, tell him, tell him... tell him my favorite color is red. Oh, and ask him what exactly happened with the Viridian Base and Mewtwo, I still don't really get what went on there, oh, oh, tell him he's the best trainer ever and I love him!"]
Omg omg omg

[here, look, you don't have to hang off the edge of the table like that." He gathers in his things to make more room for you on the desk. ]
Oh man they’re going soft on each other. Shows how much of the hellfire is a defense mechanism.

[The two of them together sound like they're coming up with something almost as good as you could.]
But let’s not forget who’s the Most Important, hahaha. This is a compliment too, which is so sad.

I want them to become friends... The battles are really well-described. And I wonder what happened to Mightyena..

Oh, wow! So mysterious. This story has me hooked.

[you could catch one and buy a metal coat with your prize money and the great Nathaniel Morgan would never know the difference.]
The child can be *quite transactional.* I can’t tell if they miss their friends ... or if they’re only inconvenienced by their absence and enraged at being tricked.

[But that would be stupid. You don't go and give pokémon to Team Rocket. ]
Amazing. Stupid for the wrong reasons. Also funny that the child insists on seeing Nate as a Rocket when it seems pretty clear they’re done with each other.

[She follows at a measured pace, like she's pursuing an animal that's fled into hiding.]
Cat cat cat cat cat. I love that’s she’s simultaneously all business and all play here.

[Unlike some dipshits I know, most people think cheating is kind of a huge fucking deal]
Yeah, the child’s moral absolutism seems to be fading.

[I did not make him cry. That was his choice]
OMG.

[He runs his hand over the pokéballs at his side, an unconscious gesture that ends with an awkward jolt when his fingers pass across the empty fourth clip. ]
:(

[You wanna start doing the infernape thing already?]
Interesting. I’m surprised not to see something psychic- or flying-type to cover the fighting-type weakness for Nate’s team. I guess it doesn’t strictly matter in your setting—Pokémon are tenacious and can take hits.

["No. I mean you cannot catch me because pokéballs do not work on me."]
I’d be skeptical if I thought the child could at all lie.

[They stole my wallet!" you snap at the great Nathaniel Morgan after a quick rifle through the pockets of your discarded pants. "They took my money to go out and buy all of that!"]
Payback haha.

[But it's Indigo Plateau in the middle of the League Championships. Everything's lit up like a party as sunlight leeches out of the sky, the streets mobbed with laughing, chatting people milling around bars and restaurants or migrating towards the park, where a band's tuning up for a free concert. ]
Great descriptions.

[You know how to handle ghosts, and she really has no idea what you're capable of.]
I’m not sure the child is aware of the dual typing.

I’m kinda glad for Nate. He’s back in full power, sorta. And yet, I feel the child’s frustration and sense of injustice too.

[Oh. Umm... Then I'm the awesome Allie Wilson, I guess!" She laughs and punches the air.]
Amazing. I love how nobody knows how to respond to the child but they try really hard to make them fit into ... some kind of framework.

[There is a time limit of one hour for this match.]
That feels LONG!

[so you aren't fucked over just because the awesome Allie Wilson put her pokémon out of reach.]
That’s a shift! Is this from taking on Nate brain?

[The two of them wobble around in an unsteady waltz]
Lovely.

[gives his trainer a thumbs-up with a thumbless paw]
Isn’t that just raising a paw to her?

The tail-tugging and the iron tail was a little hard for me to follow, maybe because it’s just such a different mechanic than I’m used to thinking of with that move.

[Instead she veers straight into the energy barrier. The impact makes Raichu drop to all fours, and then Graveler knocks his legs out from under him with another quick change of direction. He's spun down under Graveler's body and flung out behind her a second later, covered in bleeding scrapes.]
Yes. Very nicely done.

[He grabs for the railing again, but his hand's shaking and his fingers slip right off it. "Come a little closer, see what I'm, I'm 'clearly'..."]
Feels very real.

[She has the 'run away' ability."]
Aw man. Sarah with fighting with love, not strategy.

[Just half of them," Mightyena says with a brief wag.
"Like you even count," Raticate grumbles. "You stole him, more like."]
So cute. I need that backstory.

[What kinds of things do they even sell there? Spare organs? That would be so gross.]
Nice slip into kid brain.

[The alley fills with a sour ashy smell as her arm chars to black, but this only inspires her to shove her whole face into the flames and commence chewing off your index finger.]
Delightfully horrible Sméagol vibes.

[The doctors there just can't seem to mind their own business.]
LOL

[I will make your life such hell you will wish Mewtwo would use your brains for a fucking art project. ]
Creative.

Halfway mark!

[I mean, I didn't come back here just because I wanted to be in the tournament or anything."]
I can’t tell if this is a personality flaw or a glitch in the wiring. A vestige if humanity that keeps popping back up irrationally.

[I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I don't like Team Rocket, but..."]
Huh, a shift in the black and white worldview.

[And of course she walks out then, before the child can even start to protest. It's so stupid how she just leaves an argument if she can't win.]
Hahaha.

[Of course the great Nathaniel Morgan would get septitis or whatever. That's exactly the kind of thing he'd do.]
Incredible.

[That was so stupid! He was not even burned or anything. Everyone was making a huge deal out of nothing." ]
It’s me, your very normal, concerned sibling.

[Is he unusually psychic reactive?]
Oh, that’s an interesting concept.

[In fact, they healed so quickly that they trapped the infected fluid inside his chest cavity, ]
Goddamn it. This kid doesn’t learn.

[Mightyena whines and shoves her snout under the great Nathaniel Morgan's hand, but his fingers stay slack and unresponsive.]
My heart.

[His teammate's leap ends in a skid as Absol vanishes into shadow. Mightyena dives after her, and Absol pops back into reality a second later, only to disappear again as Mightyena comes charging after. They flash in and out of darkness, weaving between realities in a blur of black and white.]
The shadow play is very cool. (Understatement there.) I also appreciate Mightyena’s disinterest un hearing out the child, her loyalty to Nate.

["I'm not scared!" You do want to fight her, you do, but using the pokéball is the smartest option. There's nothing cowardly about avoiding a dangerous battle.
But you could take her, couldn't you?]
Looks like she’s learned some things from Nate about pushing people’s buttons.

[We fight for Nate, the real one, always."]
Sweet. Though! Sounds sounds the child hurt them enough to make them concede something.

[I knew it! he snarls. I knew the League was working with the Rockets. You humans are all alike.]
Yeah, that kinda checks out. (Also canon to the manga, I believe.) Though I have to wonder how or if the red gyarados plot and Lance’s raid in that base tie in.

[We can see through your eyes, Mewtwo. And where we can see, we can go."]
Ooh, hello, Queen of the hive mind.

[through the wall of power seeping from the ring of humans.]
Wait, I’m confused. Has Sabrina brought human psychics with her too?

[and that is it, you're done with this, you're done with all of it. You tear the reader off the wall and grab the mess of wires behind it, and a thundershock makes the door slide open with a cheerful beep, like it was just kidding, it wanted to let you through all along.]
Beautiful. When in doubt, hissy fit it out.

[Inspiration strikes, and you climb up on top of the clone's boulder to flop down in his usual spot. It really is nice and sunny and warm.]
Hahaha

[You and your friends—that Mewtwo took. Suddenly you're not tired anymore.]
YUP

[But no. They have to be here somewhere, they have to.]
Reminiscent of the scene in Little God where Mew throws Titan’s ball. Lesson ... not learned.

[There's something red tucked in a patch of grass near the edge of your campsite. You're on it without conscious thought, clutching at it before you even realize what you're doing with your heartbeat loud in your ears. It slips and crinkles through your fingers, and you shred it apart with a howl of frustration. Just one of the great Nathaniel Morgan's wrappers.]
I’ve been there. So good.

[he never listents to anyone and just does what he wants, ]
Now who does that sound like?

[You scoop up a handful of boulder and watch it drip back through your fingers, admiring the glowing yellow veins running up your arm. Mewtwo calls you weak. He thinks you're the stupid one. He doesn't know a thing about you.]
Hoo boy.
I’m stressed about that computer staying intact.

[Obviously if he had to battle somebody like you, ]
LOL uh huh

[And I got a proposal for you: go fuck yourself with a cactus, you shit-sucking, cum-guzzling little wankstain." ]
Poetry

[I cannot just pick some random trainer," you say. "What if I picked somebody who is bad? I need to win. ]
Boy, the child sure is good at compliments.

[At last they all tumble out in a rush. "And anyway, you are better than me. ]
WOAH growth.

["Oh fuck you. You went and ripped off that dude's team along with all his money and shit? Just 'cause you stole those for me don't make them mine now, dumbfuck."]
To be fair ... the child would totally do that.

[The rest of the great Nathaniel Morgan's words are too garbled by sobs for you to make out. He buries his face in the mightyena's mane, his whole body trembling with the force of crying, and clings to his pokémon like he's afraid she'll vanish if he lets go. The dark-type stands frozen in shock, half turned back towards her trainer.]
I was about to complain about him not giving them names but ... snbvdsannggfds. He loves them.

[Usually they don't really catch on to the clothes thing."]
Ha!

[you grab him and haul him upright, ignoring his struggles—"are going to the hospital."
And so he does. There's nothing he can do about it now.]
Beautiful.

[don't know about you, but I'm all for shoving that asshole in the first PC we see and pretending none of this shit ever happened."]
Good try, Nate.

[Why would I try to get rid of him now?"

"I don't know, because he's a giant douche?"

You frown at the human. "That is not a good reason.]
Wasn’t a good enough reason to get rid of Nate, after all, was it?

[The human smells spoiled, like something's rotting away under the blood and dirt sticking in his unwashed clothes]
Probably is! Oh man.

[You're still cringing at the resulting dents, hoping no one will notice,]
This bit is funny every time.

[Yes. I am from Viridian base," you say, wondering why the Rocket's lurking around in the corner instead of taking you through the door on the far wall.

"So I guess you left early enough to miss out on... you know."

It takes you a few seconds to work out what he means. "Yes."]
The child’s weird, utilitarian speech pattern really stands out next to the Rockets.

[I've got that dumbass' number on speed dial, but I need your ax."
"My what?"
"Your ax." When you don't say anything, she glances at you over her shoulder. "Your access identification number?]
Amazing. The shorthand fits so well.

[The guards stare at each other for a moment. Then they spring into action, shoving the papers on the desk into neatish piles, sweeping cigarettes, dog-eared magazines, half-empty packs of gum into a drawer. The houndoom grabs his squeaky toy and hands it up to one of the humans for concealment. One guard starts dumping empty drink cups and take-out boxes into the garbage while the other stands in front a spreadsheet taped to the wall, scribbling away with grim determination. "So we probably had... eight? In July, and..."]
Great sequence.

[You too. But Eleanor Fairchild knows about Mewtwo]
Oh boy, and the kid thinks they’re a good actor. Lucky for them human brains work really hard to try to make the world around them make sense.

[This is Saffron, after all. It's Sabrina's city. Outside of Red, she's probably the only human the experiment fears.]
Eyes intensify.

[Putting aside certain... disciplinary issues, you've led a career with an almost singular lack of accomplishment.]
HA! That checks out.

[Something stirs in the darkness under the great Nathaniel Morgan's seat, a double row of triangular teeth glinting where none were before.]
Very goooooood.

[When two sableye meet, they exchange eye-stones and compliment one another on the quality and cut. It's a matter of social rank to them,"]
What a cool idea.

[You always drag the humans away before I get a chance to put them back. Rude!" ]
Amazing

[You should ask Eleanor Fairchild. I bet she would know."

"Yes, thank you, Tony]
Cackle. The child’s Tony impersonation reminds me of Derek in The Good Place, the one Janet constructs. Or the character in Bojack who’s literally a couple kids in a trench coat with brooms for arms.

[He tries to shift to a more comfortable position on the bench, but freezes when Eskar lets out a sleepy jabber. "You ain't got nothing I want no more anyhow. So you can kindly go to hell, ma'am."]
Wow, he’s either more scared of Mewtwo than her, or he became REALLY disillusioned with Team Rocket. Or both.

[Well, go ahead and finish it up, then. Apparently someone's very concerned about proper protocol today."]
Oh nooooooo

[I—I forget."]
Amazing. Big laugh.

[This time you don't catch the command, but a froslass appears at the boss' side in a whirl of ice crystals]
But, like, this MUST be Agatha, right?

[It must be nice, being a psychic like Mewtwo, and never having to worry about someone sneaking up on you.]
I guess it hasn’t occurred to the child to try it on for sure.

[h the buzz of psychic pressure so powerful it feels like it's going to vibrate your brain to pieces.]
Yesssss

And oh no. Forever oh no.

the moment when the human either awakens or slides from sleep down into death.]
Oof

[as day unspools into evening,]
Ahhhh lovely phrase.

[The child changes its brain to something more sensible,]
Let me slip into something more sensible ...

[The child smiles as a ripple of amusement moves across Mewtwo's mind. Quite.]
Cackle. Yesssss.

[and after a few seconds of concentration Mewtwo's absorbed all it knows about how grocery stores work. ]
Horrifying all by itself.

[Actually, I tried some of that before, and it wasn't b—"]
Hahaha

[It's not until you find yourself trying to explain to the police why you're wandering around in the garb of an axe murderer that you remember to change your brain back to human, too.]
Genuinely made me laugh.

[You buy six different kinds of fish for Mewtwo to try because why not, then wander down the aisles, choosing whatever looks interesting, picking up some of your favorite snacks as you go along. ]
Human brain is clearly still Child Brain. Oh my goodness.

[Well we don't want him to die yet,"]
Secret friendship ...?

[It can't deceive us. ]
They’re an us now!

[Yes, Mewtwo says after a moment, though there's a hint of uncertainty in his words. Yes, I suppose it's like those things.]
Amazing. He doesn’t like to look stupid.

[You'll be like Aleksandra Aksakov, international super-spy, whipping out your pen that's actually a laser and tossing off a pithy one-liner while you fry some bad guys. "I guess the pen really is mightier!" It's going to be awesome.]
Double amazing.

[As far as I'm concerned your cunt of a mother can rot in hell, and serves the bitch right if she's anything like you pieces of shit."]
Nate is not known for his tact, but that was EXTRA spicy. That’s what my coworker calls a spicy double-down.

[It's not the human I'm worried will cause problems tomorrow. It's you. You have no self-control. You allow the human to provoke you, and your petty anger endangers all. If the human is weak, you are the weaker for giving it power over you.]
Mic. Drop.

[i don't fancy dragging that worthless sack of flesh around on foot.]
Two kinds of people.

[Mewtwo's eyes glow, somewhere far off, but their purple light is lost in the springtime sunlight glaring off the bank's marble facade. You shift the briefcase to the other hand, flexing sweaty fingers and resisting the urge to wipe them on your pants. ]
This sequence was really neat. Very effective and evocative.

[Instead you feel... cold. Prickled. Sideways? How'd you end up on the ground?]
Amazing.

["Oh my fucking God. Will you shut the fuck up already? I'm trying to die in fucking peace over here."]
Never change, Nate.

[but at least you don't feel like you're getting cooked alive in the spotlight of Mewtwo's rage.]
What an image.

[Somehow things aren't going quite like you thought they would.]
Imagine that.

[The mightyena by his side sniffs at a shelf, ignoring you completely. ]
Got his Pokémon back, I see!

[You clench a fist, gathering spores inside, then leap aside just before you two collide and scatter the powder in the dark-type's face as she goes sailing past.]
Loooong sentence

[His ribs give way under your weight,]
LOL, once again.

[you haul the human up and hold him out in front of you as a shield. The steelix twists aside to avoid hitting the two of you]
Very nice

[you can smell hot metal as his tail strikes sparks from the floor.]
Intense.

[trapped in the slow bureaucratic whirlpool of the justice system.]
Oooof yes

[few fall, and the screaming of humans mixes with cries of pokémon as unlucky riders topple from their mounts]
Oops!

[The clone's rage is so sudden that the child drops flat against the ground, stunned. ]
Yeah, I bet. Great description!

[The air here is so wonderfully light without Mewtwo's thoughts to weigh it down, and it even feels cleaner as the child draws deep breaths into its lungs.]
Really bringing pressure to life.

[Yes, but only because we're enemies.]
So proud.

[The clone wriggles into a little alcove at the base of the ridge, sweeping leaf litter around himself with his tail and curling into a comfortable ball.]
Catcatcatcatcat

[fliers carrying camera crews]
Nice world-building.

[and yes, there he is, a calm eye in the raging storm of activity.]
I thought this was Mewtwo at first. But! A very good way to describe Red. Very fitting and easy to imagine.

[Blue looks no worse for wear after your gym battle.]
Thank goodness! (Skeptical of the child’s assessment though, lol—“It’s just a missing arm. Walk it off.”)

[We still don't know how Mewtwo escaped or what purpose he might have in Viridian. However, local police have identified the building he demolished as the office of a suspected Team Rocket front business. ]
Very nicely done. The news report language feels spot-on. Tells us what the authorities don’t know and answers some of our questions right away.

[Did you enjoy flying?"

"I could have flown the whole way," the charizard huffs.

"I know. We just had to get here really fast, that's all."]
This confused me though. I was under the impression that they did fly the entire way, but clearly not?

[And this is much less conspicuous than tearing a hole in the street.]
LOL

[and emerge into fluorescent glare.]
Sets the scene so nicely.

[Not stalling, of course.]
Of course.

[You change your mind a little to better process the burst of sensory information, input a human brain doesn't usually receive.]
Fascinating. This is the first time I can remember the child actively changing their brain ... but based on Mewtwo’s comment, they do it all the time.

[suffering from some kind of virus in recent weeks. He's probably the one who gave it to his girlfriend, ]
Ha! This is such a tiny thing, but I loved it. Made the Rockets feel real and alive and messy and human.

[your enhanced nose too sensitive to the smell of curdling fluids to keep with you all the time,]
Second part of this was just a smidge too long to parse easily. It’s the “keep with you” part—I scrambled up enhanced nose and curdling fluids as the recipient of that phrase.

[clothing against metal as the creature drags itself forward. Sightless eyes stare, a slack jaw gapes as it pulls itself towards the smell of life, fighting ruined joints and leaving behind a trail of bile and shredded membrane rent from the gaping hole through its torso.]
I couldn’t tell how literal this was, and it tripped me up. Very visceral though!

[leaving a sweaty handprint behind. ]
Ugh, yes, great detail.

[It's cut to bone where the pidgey tore at it, gentle at first, then ever more violent as it tried to rouse a response, tried to pull the human from underneath the rubble.]
Oof, brutal. Reminds me of stories of cats eating their dead owners’ faces.

[It's not fair. You stomp your foot, and a metallic boom drives back the silence.]
Peak the child.

[There is. You can get into the subway up above."]
The “there is” didn’t follow for me. Had trouble linking it to the trainer’s order.

[around a skinny middle-aged woman who looks absolutely terrified.]
The timing of this felt a smidge off. It seemed like her terror must be the situation in general, but it feels like it’s the hitmonlee she’s afraid of. I think it’s also that she’s “a middle aged woman” and not a middle-aged Rocket that was jarring.

[and you draw darkness to yourself to ward it off, ]
Yesssss.

[the air is filled with a high ringing note, the kind to shiver glass.]
Excellent.

[bloodstains blossoming around waists and pockets, wherever they keep their pokéballs.]
Fuck.

[One spearow laughs as he turns, claws open and flashing, and latches onto a Rocket's face, tearing with his beak. "Not so high and mighty now, are we?" the bird crows, nearly drowned out by the man's shrieks.]
Oof, brutal. So, is there something in the pokeball that makes them more docile? Or is just the knowledge that they can be recalled at any time enough to disuade this behavior?

[moving with a fluid, low-gravity grace. ]
Lovely.

[He has his master ball with him,]
Ah so he still can’t get too far from it. It’s just not tracking him now.

[Here and there, though, Mewtwo pays more cruel attention to a particular individual, crushing or flaying with no more apparent effort than it takes him to snuff out the others]
Huh! I wonder what inspires this.

[And he does, you suppose, leveraging a familiarity that isn't his]
Nice.

[Haven't you ever seen any movies?"]
This was great. I love the child’s naïveté, not understanding that Mewtwo might not has seen movies, and Mewtwo’s inability to understand why he should. A good reason to work together, but not articulated well enough to make it compelling.

[It ties itself into a messy knot around his waist, and hangs there askew.]
I love this little bit of hypocrisy. He wants them free, but in the meantime he will wear the bent. He’s still the arbiter of their freedom. And in the meantime, he’ll continue to be the arbiter of life and death, killing Pokémon and humans.

[No, wait, I'm—I'm not a slaver! I'm a good trainer! What—?"]
Champion of the debate club,

[How awful that their freedom would be inconvenient for you.]
OOOOOOF.

[After a few minutes, you're starting to feel almost cheerful again.

You hope the great Nathaniel Morgan hasn't gone far. For once you'll be happy to see him.]
Sounds like another fun time for Nate! Not sure how the child expects to leverage him, but I guess we’ll see!

The sense of space and movement and dread in this chapter was on point. Mewtwo is a sight to behold. Yet he’s a blunt, inefficient, and somewhat arrogant being, too. The child continues to be inelegant and stubborn ... but something is stopping Mewtwo from killing them, at least!

Things I've been enjoying so far:

1) The mix of dark and light. Lots of upsetting things here, which make moments like Titan bringing you frozen lemonade are such a shining delight.

2) The battles. They're so clean and easy to visualize, but fun! You make really good use of the quirks of each pokemon (from throwing Alakazam's spoons to the limits of what War can reach with his tentacles. A lot of the characterization comes through during the battles too, which is part of what makes them so good. The Blaine battle really stands out - you/Sara/the child is ...ultimately still a child. Little to no strategy beyond brute force, sloppy, easily taunted. Blaine has finesse and strategy. You manage to show the child's incompetence without leaning on the old fic trope of Baby Trainer Forgets Type Matchups / Move Names. And the child isn't the only one to lose a cool in battle - Rats and Titan are also rage fighters, for better and for worse. The pokemon in your world can really take a beating, which I appreciate - it means we get to enjoy the battles for longer than we might in a truer-to-game setting. Some of the battles bordered on exhausting my brain because they are quite long. Chapter 13 stands out... but I also don't mind because I think that was intended to evoke the child's experience and headspace. You do always manage to pull it back in before it goes too long, so the balance has worked so far.

3) Nate and the child both have distinctive world views and for different reasons. It's fun to watch them clash, fail to understand each other, and refuse to budge.

4) You've got powerful characters who still manage to get dunked on through their own arrogance and poor choices. No one here in invulnerable, but we still get to play with large scale power and strength. Some of my favorite moments (even though they made me wince!) were when injuries healed wrong.

I know you've said before that the mystery aspect in the first ten chapters or so is a bit of a shortcoming since it's a result of a directional shift partway through the writing, and I don't disagree with that. I don't hate it, but I also wouldn't have been upset to get more hints about Sara sooner. That said, I've been enjoying it immensely all the same. The weirdness was compelling enough to drive me forward in spite of being initially bewildered.

On to chapter 14...

Nice to Absol back! This feels like a good moment for her to return. I'm surprised how handily Absol got them out of trouble though! Did she shadow-walk them to safety? I can't tell where we are.

[It looks like you're going to find out for sure if you can't get sick.]
Amazing how even in this moment, the child is so detached. Hell of a character.

[They're barely recognizable under a layer of mud, but they're there,]
That's lucky.

[Absol must have dragged this pack through the dark ways to get here—not terribly far, since it's still in one piece, but far enough that it's aged beyond usefulness.]
Fascinating bit of mechanics here.

["Yes, after. I know it's the most important thing. I know I can't get distracted, you don't have to tell me."]
Hahahahaha - "I'm behaving, see? I'll do my murder LATER."

[It hates him. It thinks that, over and over, until it can forget it was ever afraid.]
Oh yeah, anger is like fear and sadness but with energy behind it.

[ Hi Hon, Thought I'd pack a little surprise for the first day of your journey.]
Shit. Sorry, kid.

[ I want to be a real person."]
Aha! Here's the pulsing gooey core of it. That's a really, real insecurity when even your face isn't permanent.

[After a while she starts licking its ear where it shows over the edge of its arm. ]
Sweet gesture. Both maternal and very inhuman.

[Yes, the sun falls golden-slantwise between the trees, and crickets sing from deepening shade. ]
Golden-slantwise! I adore that. You don't give in-depth descriptions of space often, but this one was a slam-dunk.

["So you decided he likes crazy tattoos and adorable charmander sweaters, huh?"][
Keenan is my kind of guy then, made-up or not.

[Tats McSweaterson]
Ha! It rings true to me that the raticate would have the best grasp on human slang and teasing - rats scuttle through human leavings of all kinds.

["Ooh, sorry my feelings annoyed you, your highness."]
Oooh tensions really aren't easing here. I wonder if the child will be able to hold onto their team.

[the raging hate-on]
OMG I love this phrase. This resonates so deeply with me re: my rage fic.

[But she pauses mid-turn, then gives a slow, deliberate nod.]
Damn, Rats. Radical honesty.

[I guess it's kind of cool that you can like bench cars now and stuff, ]
HA!

[I told you your trainer was dead back at the beginning."]
Every line in this conversation is so effective and brutal.

[Rats twitches her whiskers at you, a raticate shrug.]
What a great detail.

[ Mewtwo wants the same things it does, after all. He'll have no quarrel with the child.]
Aaaaand now I'm skeptical.

[ in the center a metal stand squats like a tiny alien landing craft, its mushroom top clutching a single pokéball. A master ball.]
Trophy.

I enjoyed the tiny glimpses at Red's home and wish we got a little more - I have so many questions about Red in this universe.

[while the child is stuck the same way forever.]
Hilariously younger sibling - earlier they were complaining about not having a fixed identity. Here, they've forgotten.

[this is the sort of thing that makes those clever little hands of yours useful. ]
Good trade-off. I'm more powerful, but you can do types of things I can't.

[No, I mean how did you change your thoughts? Their composition is completely different now than it was a couple of minutes ago.]
!

Aside from my confusion about how the child got away at the beginning of the chapter/end of last chapter... Enjoyed it very much. The conversation with Rats was the star of the chapter - really digs down into some of the emotional core of the story and the child's arc.

Can't decide what mewtwo is about here. I'll have to keep reading to find out! :D

[You don't actually feel that first blow, dazed and winded and from your fall]
Extra “and” after winded.

Definitely a chaotic jumble at the beginning of the chapter... but since that’s how our protagonist experiences it, I think that’s right. Took me a while to realize how many trainers were involved. It’s great to see how, in spite of Sara’s immense power, she can still be distracted, tricked, inconvenienced, and hurt.

[One of his eyes is caked shut with mud, ]
Poor baby.

[dragon rage and energy ball and thunderbolt and thunderbolt again and you're standing in a clear space amidst downed opponents, breathing hard. Formless energy crackles over your scales, ready to leap at anything that comes near. The mud at your feet bubbles and lets off a stink like cooking garbage.]
Very effective passage.

[You duck to the side, but the attack was never meant for you. "Wait! Thunder!"]
Enjoyed this sequence!

[You look down at one of the little fletched things lying in the mud, and an acid tingling spreads across your body as you realize what it means.]
Yes, excellently described. Though... oh no.

[in your left hand the sheer cold is growing larger, a vortex of white and blue light that sucks greedily at the heat of your body and drains the warmth from the air around you. Your breath comes in billowing white gasps, and frozen raindrops patter to the ground around you.]
Another great description.

[That's funny. You thought she threw it away earlier, but no, it was just lying there for some reason. Funny.]
Ruh roh.

Dang, what a shame to have to stop here for the night.

At the top of the chapter rats and pants have too much assonance. Suggestion: huffs, breathes heavily?

[You can feel her before you see her, psychic pressure turning the inside of your skull close and buzzing.]
Wonderful approach to it.
Love the gender bent Alakazam. Mustaches are for everyone.

Blue’s snark worked well.

[Another lightning strike catches nothing but air]
The prose continues to be simple yet effective.

[Thunderstorm is in no position to dodge while it's trying to pull its bodies back together.]
Ouch.

[day," Blue says, running a hand through his hair to fluff it up. Gossip magazines attribute his hairdo's increasing height to the fact that Red's started shooting up in growth spurts, while Blue hasn't.]
Ha! Fun bit of world-building ... and shows our protagonist is losing focus.

[Leave it to me. I think I know how to finish this." Thunderstorm shoots across the arena towards Alakazam, starting to spin as he goes.]
This was jarring in part because I think this is the first time we’ve heard Thunderstorm speak and in part because of “he” — you used “it” before.

[Blue dazzles of random discharge spark around her fingertips as she tries to summon a future sight;]
Thought this was the trainer for a second. Pretty visual though.

[It's dotted with scorch marks, one eye cracked and blank.]
Ouch. Nice details.

[Thunderstorm lets out a popping cry of distress as the floor heaves and lurches under it, throwing off its anti-gravity. The magenton falls and bounces, smashed into the floor again and again as the earthquake wracks the arena.]
So good, and I love the detail about it affecting its ability to hover. Makes a good deal more sense than what precious little canon offers in that department.

[Dragon dance may not be an attacking move, but it's plenty dangerous when it's being used by a twenty-foot-long sea monster.
Gyarados coils and twists back on himself, moving in a complex, undulating pattern you can't predict. Going near him risks getting crushed by an unexpected movement of one of his heavy coils. Rats stands near the edge of the arena and simply watches the fearsome display, seeming hypnotized by the play of light off Gyarados' cobalt scales.]
Wow, way to make use of a stat boost move — really creates an ambience.

[With your head down like this, no one can see the glow of psychic energy in your eyes as you reach out and stab at Blue's mind. The arena's defense systems prevent you from interfering with the pokémon, but there's nothing protecting the trainers against attacks from outside the battlefield.]
Holy shit.

[cuts out in a shout]
I’d replace “shout” for the same reason as Rats/pants earlier.

[and his arm shakes as he tries to push himself upright again.]
Scary. Humans are made of squishy stuff. Sweet seeing his pokemon’s concern for him. I’m concerned too.

[It's not much of a park, hardly more than a few flower beds ringing a monument to of one of the gym's old leaders. She held back an invasion from a Johto clan during some half-forgotten old conflict, back when gyms were there for protection from human and pokémon alike. Gym leaders are still important in the region's defense, of course, but in these days of peace and prosperity that function is a distant second behind mentoring rising trainers.]
Enticing.

["I do not even know why she goes near you," you growl at the great Nathaniel Morgan. "Togetic are supposed to avoid bad people."]
Huh. Either a dex flaw... or Nate’s got some inner light waiting to be revealed.

[You offer them a huge smile, then, noticing your hand is covered in blood, hastily stuff it into your pocket.]
Nothing to see here.

Ooh a conspiracy! Exciting.