SUMMARY: When Mewtwo lured six trainers into his trap on New Island, he'd planned to begin his reign of terror on the human world. He hadn't planned on being nearly destroyed by the battle that ensued, or on being nursed back to health by a human- a member of the species he'd despised enough to want to eradicate from the earth. Now, Mewtwo is torn between his hatred for his creators, and the new, mysterious emotions he feels for Misty, the human that saved his life. Once again, his true purpose is in question: will he still choose to destroy the world, or will these unfamiliar insights change the way Mewtwo views humans, pokemon, and even himself?

Author's Note: Foreword

This fic originated from a tiny spark of creativity I had while watching Pokemon: The First Movie (has anyone else noticed that flick has 3 different titles?) over 6 years ago, and it grew into a wildfire of a multi-part series I never intended to spend so much time writing (but it has been very rewarding!). The contents of this story have been altered, edited, and spliced together in different arrangements more times than Mew's DNA (what you are reading now is the second revision of this fic, or the third version overall. In my opinion, this adaptation is immeasurably better than its predecessors). In addition, I do not consider this an AU fic, but there are several details that diverge from the canon. I have listed them here:

This "universe" in this story is somewhere in between animeverse and gameverse— Mewtwo was created on Cinnabar Island, as he was in the games, but he built his own lab on New Island after escaping from Giovanni. In other words, Mewtwo was not born on New Island.

Giovanni did not fund the Mew cloning project of which Mewtwo was the product of. It was an independent research project performed at the Cinnabar Island Laboratory (as I believe was the case in the games). However, Giovanni did follow the project, and, after Mewtwo destroyed the lab, Giovanni convinced him they would be "partners" as he did in the anime.

On New Island, Ash never physically interfered with Mew and Mewtwo's battling, so he was never killed. Therefore, Mewtwo's "epiphany" did not occur that night, and, instead, the events of this story unfolded.

Ash, Misty, and Brock are older than they are in the anime. Ash is 15, Misty is 16, and Brock is 20 years old in this fic.

Also, for you extreme pokefans… I believe there are 4 lines from the first movie hidden in this fic. Can you identify them?

Enjoy, and, as always, please take the time to review!

~TheFrogFromHell

Chapter 1

These humans care nothing for me.

I was not born a pokemon; I was created, and my creators have used and betrayed me, so

I stand alone.

…..

I am everything, Mewtwo thought as he looked around the room at the situation he controlled. He could create a new world, choose what beings were allowed to reside in it, and rule with absolute, unrivaled power.

But I am nothing. He was a synthetic being in a natural world. Created as an experiment. He had no real purpose. Humans were so cruel, both for abusing him and for ever creating him in the first place. He despised them, and though the humans in the room with him now cried for their lives and the lives of their pokemon, he could feel no compassion for them.

Mewtwo could never feel compassion for anyone, human or pokemon. All that mattered to him was power, revenge, and domination. Mewtwo now had a new purpose that he had determined by himself— destroying the evil beings that had brought him into existence and all who served them. He would forge a new future, with only himself and his cloned pokemon allowed to exist in it.

But in creating this new reality, he stood alone. Although his cloned pokemon obeyed him, they did not identify with him or share his goal. He felt no real connection with them at all. Even they, created in a laboratory like Mewtwo, were not the sole members of their species. They could never understand.

But Mewtwo was meant to be alone. He was so vastly superior to all other beings on Earth that he knew there could never be anything, or anyone, to match him. He readily embraced a life of solidarity, hoping that it would at least prove to be superior to the meaningless, wretched existence that existed in the shadows of his past.

….

Misty's large blue eyes followed Mewtwo as he blocked his opponent's attacks over and over again. Encased within his sapphire orb, he had effortlessly crushed all opposition— except Mew. It seemed odd; he was so large, and his competitor was so minuscule… yet neither one was winning.

Misty realized that automatically, she had been referring to Mewtwo in her thoughts as "he" and "him". Being a genetically unique, one-of-a-kind superclone, it made no sense that Mewtwo would have a gender, but it felt wrong using "it". As frighteningly exceptional as Mewtwo appeared, somehow he seemed strikingly humanoid to Misty. Like a super intelligent criminal mastermind, she thought. She felt as if she was inside of a science fiction movie. It was insane to think that just a few hours earlier, everything had seemed so normal— she, Ash, and Brock had been eating lunch, excited about going to a pokemon match.

Looking around at the pairs of pokemon attacking each other, the clones just barely distinguishable from their originals, Misty felt small. All of these creatures were battling to the death, Mew and Mewtwo the epicenter of the conflict, and all she could do was stand there and watch it all happen.

"I wish that thing would just kill Mewtwo," said the female trainer next to Misty angrily, watching attentively as Mew and Mewtwo fought. "He shouldn't have ever been created! Scientists are supposed to be smart, but they do such stupid things, like making a psycho clone that wants to destroy us!"

Somehow, that comment bothered Misty, but she didn't fully understand why. She couldn't bring herself to feel anger towards Mewtwo, only sadness. Maybe it was because she realized that as powerful and intelligent as Mewtwo was, it meant he was matchless— forever alone, on a different plane than all other life on earth. How would I feel if I didn't have Ash, Brock, and my sisters… or anybody? Misty thought, that would be horrible… I would be so lonely. Also, Mewtwo looked so dissimilar to other pokemon. People, and, probably, other pokemon as well, would be terrified of him just because of the way he appeared. Seeing himself in the mirror every day must remind him of how different, how artificial, he is, Misty considered, not a human, but not a regular pokemon either. Maybe she could understand, just a little, why Mewtwo was behaving so… psychotically, to use the same word the trainer had.

Misty's thoughts returned to the present moment. Ash had run off to save Pikachu, and now he was nowhere to be seen. Worried, she scanned the arena for signs of him. Although Ash could be immature sometimes, he was a very caring person. He was the only one of these trainers that was willing to sacrifice his own safety for his pokemon, Misty thought, and she found that very admirable. Ash had run up that slick spiral platform, nearly falling to his death more than once, and he had (stupidly, but nobly, Misty noted) tried to attack Mewtwo with his bare hands.

She had been thinking a lot about Ash lately. She'd been getting the feeling fairly often that he was interested in her as more than just a friendand fellow pokemon trainer, mostly because of the looks that he gave her, and how sometimes she would catch him gazing at her when he thought she didn't notice. Also, the dynamic of their friendly squabbles had changed recently; instead of just insulting her back when Misty poked at him, he would blush embarrassedly and end the conversation.

However, Misty was unsure of her feelings for Ash. Do I like him back? In that way? There was no question that she loved Ash as a friend, and, underneath her teasing comments, she did respect him. But was there more to her feelings? She really didn't know.

Misty then turned her eyes to Brock, who was stood a few feet away. Brock, though he sometimes didn't act it, was older than both of them; significantly older, to the point where he wasn't quite on the same level, mentally. He was their friend, yes, but Misty often suspected that he was in an entirely different world in his thoughts.

….

Mewtwo physically could not continue this much longer, but backing down was not an option. If he were to fall to the cold ground, there would be no one there to catch him. Because of what he was, and what he planned to do, all these humans despised him as he did them. He was alone in this fight, in complete solidarity. The only human who had ever wanted him was Giovanni, and that was just so that the Team Rocket leader could control his power. Humans are disgusting creatures, drowning in their own self interest, thought Mewtwo furiously, I shall not let them win!

….

Silence.

The two catlike pokemon had disappeared up into the sky, and a hush fell over the crowd as they waited and prayed for Mew's victory over Mewtwo. Even the pokemon had stopped battling.

But Misty could sense something was wrong. The storm still threatened them.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and people jumped and shrieked in alarm. Suddenly, a figure plummeted from the sky. With an audible thump, it hit the ground… hard. A cloud of dust surrounded its pale body. People gasped, all with the same burning question in their minds: was it Mewtwo… or Mew?

Shortly after, another figure appeared. Misty's heart raced when she realized it was Mewtwo. He had finally managed to overpower his only opposition. It was over for humans and pokemon. The world, as they knew it, was going to be destroyed.

Mewtwo floated gracefully down to the floor and promptly collapsed.

Ash, who had found his way back to Brock and Misty; Brock; and the other trainers cheered and applauded. But Misty… she felt sick inside. Something told her that she should be helping the injured… pokemon? Mewtwo didn't seem like a pokemon at all. She could sense his profound intellect, his powerful psychic abilities, and, most of all, his anger. Never had she sensed such human emotion in a pokemon. Somehow, Misty just knew that such pure, raw energy could never be tamed; Mewtwo could never be harnessed, kept and trained like a normal pokemon. Mewtwo despised humans with all of his being, but, ironically, he was very close to human himself.

The trainers quickly came to their senses and began to retrieve their pokemon and flee the island. Without Mewtwo awake to keep it brewing, the storm was subsiding, and the water was becoming tame enough to reach the mainland safely.

"Come on, Misty!" Ash yelled over his shoulder, "We have to get out of here before it wakes up!"

"Okay," Misty replied, eyeing the fallen Mewtwo. She was about to turn away when she noticed his eyes, opening slowly.

"Misty, what are you—"Ash gasped when he saw what Misty was looking at. "Brock, RUN!"

Misty tried to run, but her legs felt like jelly. She couldn't stop looking at his violet eyes; it was like she was in a trance. She backed away slowly, terrified. Mewtwo began to get up, but he was very weak. Misty finally broke his gaze and started running towards the heavy double doors. Mewtwo clenched his digits together and the portal to freedom gradually began to close. Ash and Brock easily made it out, but at the rate it was shutting…

"MISTY!" Ash and Brock called desperately, holding out their hands.

Misty realized she wasn't going to make it. The crack between the doors grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared, and she missed it by a long shot; she was roughly a hundred feet from the exit when the doors closed. She stopped in her tracks, staring down at her shoes. Her heart was beating unnervingly fast. She whirled around to face Mewtwo. He was standing, but barely.

Human, Mewtwo projected, attempting intimidation but only managing to sound tired, how dare you attempt to escape my power… but he was simply too exhausted and collapsed again. Misty looked at the sealed exit, and then around the arena. She couldn't see another way out. She looked at the powerful Mewtwo, now reduced to a limp, motionless heap on the floor. Gasping for air, Misty couldn't believe what had just happened.

And she was in even more disbelief at the next thing she did. Instead of running away from Mewtwo, she chose to act on a strange impulse she had to advance toward him. Why? she thought to herself, he's evil… and dangerous! But she found herself kneeling next to the strange pokemon, studying his face.

Unconscious, Mewtwo did not appear threatening at all. He looked helpless, and— Misty noticed the cuts, scratches and bruises resulting from his battle with Mew— badly hurt.

But she was too weary to do anything now; a wave of exhaustion had come over her the moment she stopped to think. With no ideas of anything better to do, she lay down on the hard ground next to the fallen Mewtwo and fell into a troubled sleep.

…..