Misunderstanding

In contrast to the brisk, winter air, a hot shower first thing in the morning was welcoming, though also risky for reminding oneself of getting out of the cozy covers to jump in the shower. Despite living up north for most of his life, Lance never could get used to the cold. His cousin used to joke that he should let himself go and gain more fat (and thus closer to looking like a Dragonite, she would add) in order to store heat longer. But there was no way he could give up such a figure for the sake of staying warm easier. Besides, warm water hitting bare skin was too luxurious to risk taking it for granted.

That was what his custom-made capes were for. Dragons shed their skin their entire lives, and never completely lose heat. Not one to forgo any opportunity to preserve, and to prevent breaking a motif, Lance used his Pokémon's shed skin for his famous capes, a craftsmanship he was personally proud of. He had plans for a fashion line until Clair ruined it with her tasteless fashion sense. That alone set everything back a good decade or so.

Reluctantly, he finished up and roughly ran a towel through his hair, then reached for the gel on the counter. Once he got it slicked to his trademark style, Lance carefully stepped out and admired himself in the mirror across. It had been a long-enough routine he didn't need to, but it never hurt to look at himself. Ignoring the LED clock reminding him it was still early in the morning to be up-and-about, he strode for his closet and opened it to admire his wardrobe.

And then he let out a long, drawn-out gasp.

“...one of my capes is missing.”

*~*~*

Dragon skin itched, but the extra warmth was welcoming. He usually wouldn't have bothered, but the weather gave him no choice—Blackthorn was harsher than he thought. It was going to be temporary regardless, though from what he had seen in the human's closet, he had enough lookalikes to spare. There was a low chance he was going to notice something was amiss for a few days or so.

The cape was tightly wrapped around Mewtwo's body save for his eyes and feet. His vision was cast toward the approaching dawn, the crisp air accentuated the pale pink and orange colors that gradually eased across the sky. The diluted silver moon hung high in the blue, minimalist space, which he had dismissed once sunlight grazed the horizon. It stung to breathe in the cold, though the clone ignored it for the sake of taking in the scenery. The cities he normally visited rarely looked peaceful in the early morning hours, even if the smog was at a low point. If he could develop a resistance to the cold, he may make an effort to visit the mountains more often if only for such mornings. He remembered Mount Quena had cool nights, yet that was during the summer, and he and his clones had not stayed long enough for a change in seasons.

His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet muffle of a sneeze, inducing him to breathe out a quiet sigh. It figured she followed him. He should not have written it off so soon.

Without moving another muscle, Mewtwo tilted his upper body to the side just as a crudely-made snowball whizzed over his shoulder. On a good day, he would have been amused by the moan of dismay, but he was too irritated by the weather and need for sleep to care. “How did you do that?” came the whine.

Keeping his eyes on the horizon, he responded, “You have poor stealth.”

“I do, too! I'm just cold!”

He snorted slightly, shaking his head. “How about that time in Petalburg Forest?”

“That's different, it was warm!”

“Two weeks ago?”

Mewtwo smirked at the stunned silence, sensing her irritation. Almost smugly, he glanced over to briefly meet Mew's gaze, watching as her knitted brows and pursed lips twitched in her attempt to quickly loosen up her expression. Her tail swinging in agitation gave herself away before she expelled a “hmph!”, and crossed her arms, turning her body around. He noted she was shivering despite her winter coat (which looked the same except it was more obvious she had fur), bringing him to wonder why she had bothered to stay.

“I suggest you leave before you catch a cold,” he told her, casting his eyes to the mountains.

She let out another huff. “What, not going to tell me I'm wasting your time, again?”

“It is exhausting to tell you that over and over again.”

His sarcasm was lost on Mew. “Then don't tell me. I already know you don't want me around, so that's why I'm here.”

“Your logic baffles me.”

“But it's true! You don't want me around because you don't want company, when deep down you really do want company, you're just too stoic to admit it.”

Mewtwo furrowed his brows. Sometimes, it was like she was trying to stretch his words out to twist their meanings into something else. “I appreciate the company, but I would rather not have you visiting me.”

“Well, why not?”

“For one thing, you waste my time. Secondly, you do not give me breathing room in between visits. Your unpredictability makes it difficult to relax when I am constantly avoiding you on a subconscious level.”

When it came to sensing presences, few Pokémon gave him as much trouble as Mew. It was as though she had a cloaking device designed for her aura that allowed her to sneak up on others even if they were fully alert to their surroundings. Given how their strengths were about equal, he shouldn't have been surprised by it, but it irritated him more. He had by now lost count of how many times she visited him out of the blue, yet he still couldn't track her unless she slipped up. While being pelted by a snowball was nothing compared to the likes of Aura Spheres (and he was covered up anyway), he still wouldn't have been happy with her. Her sneezing was a rather kind warning.

Mew seemed taken aback by his explanation. “But don't you like surprises?”

“No, I do not.”

“But... surprises are fun.”

He inhaled sharply when he swerved to face her, unfazed at the disappointment in her blue irises. “And that is another thing. All you can think of is 'fun', and thus you shirk responsibilities until the last minute, if at all. You have other, better things to do than following someone around.”

Emitting a groan, she slouched and threw up her hands. “But they're boring.”

“A mature, responsible individual would not whine as much as you do.”

“I so am mature!” Tilting her body to the side, Mew cupped her hands to her chest to lift and release for a slight bounce and ruffle of fur. “I am a full-grown adult Mew.”

The sex appeal was not lost on him, but its meaningless gesture left Mewtwo unamused. “Having a filled-out figure does not automatically make you a mature being,” he blatantly stated, eyes narrowing at the way she pouted. “I honestly cannot tell if you are purposefully messing around, or if you are just that ignorant.”

“Isn't this sunrise so romantic?” she purposefully sighed as she looked away, fluttering her eyelashes. One of her methods in brushing him off was to distract herself with whatever else was nearby. Her immature approach to it exasperated him more than it made him agreeable.

“I rest my case,” he muttered, flying off for the mountains and following the river away from the valley. He was no longer in the mood to go sight-seeing, but he felt it was pointless to Teleport elsewhere—no use in encouraging her more. Sleep would also have to be an afterthought unless she was feeling generous.

Mewtwo landed to kneel by a small waterfall, sticking his hand under it to test the temperature. He flinched from the cold, but decided to quickly splash his face, using the cape to dry off. It had a leathery, rough smell to it, with a hint of human scent and something else he couldn't put his finger on. He wrinkled his nose with a sniff, and fought back a groan and roll of the eyes when he spotted the pink reflection zip by.

“Stop following me, Mew.” It was nonsensical to tell her off at this point, as disregarding her presence had more power to it, however, he knew she wasn't going to give him a moment's peace otherwise.

He watched her reflection stop some ways behind him, folding her arms behind her back. “I just want to talk.”

She had to be playing innocent to pretend the past few minutes never happened. It was one of her oldest, most pitiful attempts at tricking him. Other Pokémon may have fallen for it, but he was savvy enough from the start, and she knew it. He guessed she constantly did it on purpose to mess with him, yet no matter how many times he would call her out for it, she would still do it, sometimes within the same day.

He was going to be more upset if it turned out he was being played the entire time, though he wouldn't put it past her to be that clever.

Slowly exhaling, the clone stood and faced her. “About what? Make it fast, I am not in the mood for a conversation, with you in particular.”

Mew shrugged, her eyes drifting about. “I dunno... anything you want, I guess. But I kinda have a question,” she immediately added right as Mewtwo raised a glowing hand.

Huffing, he dropped it and wrapped the cloak around him. “Just the one.”

“But it kinda would lead to other questions.”

“I am not in the mood for a conversation,” he snapped, his irises flashing. “Just ask the damn question, or leave.”

She scowled back at him before taking a breath. “I was wondering... um...” She averted her gaze, chewing on her lip and tapping her fingers together. Her expression softened as her voice lowered, “...how would you feel to meet another one of you?”

Mew was no stranger to absurdity, yet Mewtwo had to take a moment to process what he had heard. “What?”

Her eyes darted back-and-forth twice, her figure wavering in nervousness. “You know... another member of your species?”

He had gotten it the first time, but decided to hold his tongue. It had been a long time since she had last stumped him with a seemingly simple question. It was possibly one of her more absurd questions, though it had an air of sincerity to it like she had pondered on it for a while. He searched for a sign, any sign, she was hiding a smile or ready to burst into giggles.

“Why do you ask?” he cautiously inquired.

She shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching. “It was just something I was thinking of for a while,” she said. Then she appeared to tense up, raising a hand to grasp her arm. “If you're curious... um... I can transform right now.”

Mewtwo could feel something was off about the approach. Judging from how much he could interpret it, the conversation was going to go down routes that would end awkwardly. Nevertheless, Mew was unpredictable, giving him a slim chance he caught on to her message. Though as improbable as it may be, it might as well be the last thing he'd expect from her, he should not have to dismiss the thought of her seducing him.

He decided to take a shot at her own game to perhaps change the subject, or send her away. “I see myself every day. I do not want to see what I look like from someone else.”

A flush burned across her face as her ears flattened. “Are... are you saying I'm ugly?” she snorted out, her voice faltering.

He raised a brow, tilting his head at an angle to hide a smirk. “Well, where else did I get my looks from?”

Mew fidgeted in place as she mouthed for a few moments, fists clenching and tail sharply whipping about. Then taking a few irregular breaths, she exclaimed best she could in a strained tone, “You're mean, Mewtwo!”

It was as he expected her to act. He inwardly grew pleased to have been able to knock her down a peg for once. Still, since he was doing it on the fly, he figured he needed to dismiss her before it would get harder for her to leave. “Again, where else do I get it from? Now you asked your question, so please go.”

“You didn't answer my question!” she shouted, already slipping back to her normal state.

Mewtwo fought back the urge to groan. While he doubted she could bounce back so quickly, he should've figured it was harder than originally thought. “Yes, I did. I apologize if it was not a response you wanted, but I answered it.”

Mew appeared to have become more persistent, even beginning to close space between them, though he stood his ground. “But I really am curious about it! Because... well, haven't you ever wondered what it'd be like to have more of you?”

On any normal day, Mewtwo might have written off his counterpart's eagerness as her exaggerating her feelings. Despite her excitable, hyper nature, Mew was good at keeping her distance, or at least never over-stepping certain boundaries. He couldn't think of a time he ever had to bribe or even plead with her to give him his space. The moment she inched for him, he started to consider it, since using force most likely wasn't going to work in his favor, and she always found ways to neutralize any repellent he would cast.

The clone grew deeply concerned of what she was implying, hoping he was wrong in that regard. He decided to be blunt about it in case anything subtle would give off a different message. “That is the scariest question you have ever asked, and frankly, I am disturbed by it.”

She held on, her brows knitted in determination. “But haven't you? Aren't you lonely, Mewtwo?”

...that was the reason she asked such an odd question?

He didn't know how to respond, but he felt insulted. What gave her the right to pry into his life? Why would she even bother to care in the first place?

“Your definition of loneliness differs from mine,” he whispered, his gaze cold.

Mew's own stare sobered, a frown notwithstanding. “I'm serious, Mewtwo. No one should have to be alone forever.”

The clone exhaled slowly through his nose, and stepped forward. The tiny feline recoiled slightly from his approach, her arms shooting up before her as though to stop him. When he made no other movement, she curled them to her chest, her gaze locked with his as he felt his stare sharpen. Hesitantly, he knelt on one knee to be more at eye-level, noticing for the first time since she had arrived the darker color to her cheeks, which he couldn't tell if it was from the cold breeze or something else. The moment he spoke, she became more at attention.

“I want to make this very clear, Mew: I am not attracted to you.” What appeared to be shock sparked in her eyes, though he quickly overlooked it to continue, “Even if you were to transform into a female version of my species for the sake of wanting to know what I think about it, it will not change anything between us. I do not know of your intentions, but if you are that desperate, go transform into another Pokémon, or even a human. I am sure one of them will gladly take you in.”

Her figure's stance tensed, wavering in her levitation as it sank in. Anxiety transitioned into her gaze before she looked away, ears and tail drooping. “...I'm sorry, Mewtwo,” she mumbled, her somber state genuine. Then momentarily, she hastily enclosed, “But please don't assume that I was going to take it that far. I-I just wanted to know your thoughts on another you, is all...”

“There is never going to be another me,” he emphasized, biting back a growl. “Why should I think about such an impossibility?”

Mew gave a half-hearted shrug, dropping her eyes as she backed away. “Sorry about all that... didn't mean to make you mad.”

“I am not mad, Mew, I am just frustrated.”

“I bet you hate me, too.” She shot him a glance he noted was remorseful, then turned her back on him.

“It is not like that.” Mewtwo let out a sigh, rubbing his temple. “You irritate me, but I do not hate you.”

“That's a lie.”

Without waiting for a rebuttal, she flew off toward Blackthorn before turning a corner and disappearing, possibly through a ravine in the mountain or another path. Conflicted feelings rose up inside Mewtwo, making him further frown as he stood and kept to the river in the opposite direction. He let the moment go with a simple thought:

“She will come back.”

*~*~*

Something had gone wrong. She couldn't put her finger on why, but Mew was slowly coming to the conclusion she said something wrong, and made things complicated. While she had wanted to confuse him from the start, she had to have told the truth a little too true. It was the truth that she had wanted to know how Mewtwo would react to seeing another him, knowing he was one-of-a-kind. He rarely ever talked about himself, whether it was of his past or his own personal thoughts, and even if he brought it up, it wasn't of anything happy. It was one reason why she hadn't asked him such questions as she didn't want to risk him getting angry.

If she had planned ahead, perhaps she should've just shown up Transformed just to get a raw reaction instead of attempting to get his permission. Then again, she could've botched it up. As much as she was proud of her memory, she knew she didn't have Mewtwo's DNA in her, at least not when it came to him. Unless she were to be in front of him, she had a high chance of messing up a body part, his height, weight, even color.

The thought still remained when Mew came to a rest on a boulder. “He sure took it personally,” she mumbled to herself, crossing her arms on her knees. The image of him getting in her face as he told her off flashed in her mind's eye, and she frowned. “I wonder if he meant all of that.”

A hollow ache spread in her chest the longer she lingered on it. It was such an odd accusation that she didn't have the heart to correct, yet it felt like he broke something inside. It had not once crossed her mind to use the Transformation prank to seduce him, but she would have never messed with his emotions as such. She liked him, she would admit to it, it was just nothing like what he had said.

But at least it's future reference for when that happens.

Even though it saddened her, Mew was confused as to why it sparked such an emotion in her. It was obvious Mewtwo meant more than “I never want to be your friend because I do not like you”, but it never bothered her before. Was it the way he was so specific about it, from the way he used “attracted” and “desperate” to shoot down her so-called advances?

It just wasn't making much sense.

The distinguished bellow of a Dragonite piqued her attention. Ears flicking, she craned her neck to look around, catching sight of the Pokémon swooping down from the sky to land somewhere beyond the large boulder. Mew slipped over for a peek, watching as a human slid off the dragon's back, a cape similar to what Mewtwo had draping around him.

“Looks like we lost her.” He had a relieved tone of voice, and ran a hand along his spiky red hair. Then he chuckled and straightened up with a sigh. “Lance, you are one clever bastard.”

Judging from how the Dragonite briefly rolled its eyes with a slight shake of the head, Mew guessed it was a normal occurrence. Still, she took notice of the stance of both trainer and Pokémon, and could tell they were strong. The Dragon Pokémon was rare to come by to begin with, but this particular one had to be different from all the others. Even if its trainer didn't act like he was being serious, there was no doubt he knew how to train it.

Mew suddenly got an idea.

An opportunity to have fun with a Dragonite didn't come around easily. Since it didn't work out with Mewtwo, she might as well go for the next best thing. And as it was a trained Pokémon and not a wild one, chances of it going Outrage without warning was fairly slim despite being a male.

What could go wrong? she thought.

The human named Lance stroked the antennae of his Dragonite, smiling at how he crooned. “Who's the most handsome Dragonite of them all?” he cooed, pressing his cheek against the head. Glancing to the side, he added to himself, “Though second only to yours truly.” His teeth glinted in the sun.

It also didn't look like the Dragonite had ever had a lot of fun. It would do the dragon some good to get away from his odd trainer for a little bit.

Mew licked her lips in anticipation before backing behind the boulder, taking a breath and closing her eyes to concentrate. A warm sensation built deep within as she willed her body to change. It was a fleeting change for her body to blow up several times its size, though she winced from the wings growing out of her back. Peeking down at herself, she marveled at her dragonesque figure, tugging at the antennae on top of her cranium, feeling the small horn and down along her sides to her tail that she tugged at with her claws. Smoothing a hand behind her head, she fluttered her wings and strutted out with a small bounce to her step.

“Come at me, big boy,” she purred, hiding her smirk. Even if it wasn't clever, it sounded funnier in her head since the Dragonite happened to be big and a boy. She should say that to Mewtwo once everything blows over, and see if it at least makes him roll his eyes.

The larger male looked over in interest, and his irises lit up from intrigue, his wings fanning out at the sides which startled his trainer. “What is it?” Following his gaze, Lance blinked in surprise. “Well, what do we have here? I didn't hear you coming—which is peculiar, the beat of a dragon's wings never escapes my ears.”

Ignoring him, Mew swayed her hips slightly and droned out a few notes. Admittedly, while she wasn't tone deaf, her singing had been needing work. She hoped the Dragonite wouldn't notice, let alone care to hesitate. If all else failed, showing off in a battle would do the trick.

“You're a beauty, aren't you?” the redhead continued to note, resting a hand underneath his chin. “Never thought I'd say this, but you look more perfect than my own Dragonite, who is only the most perfect being this side of Kanto.” He then dramatically fanned out his cape. “For a Pokémon, that is.”

Mew felt her face falter in slight embarrassment and repulse, but kept her attention to his Pokémon. Turning around, she shook her tail about in a circle, kicking up fallen leaves. She froze, staring in near-horror at what she did. Oh, crud! No, get away, shoo! She blew from the side of her mouth, leaning away.

As perfect as her Transform was, if her focus was ever lost, she would revert back to normal. Sneezing and hiccuping were her weaknesses, something she meant to work on, but kept forgetting since transforming wasn't something she did often. Though depending on the sneeze, she might be able to bounce back without anyone noticing.

Then again, it also depended on what it was she was Transformed as.

From behind, the male Dragonite let out an excited bellow, and she glanced over her shoulder to find him lifting up from the ground and launch for her. His trainer was nearly blown off his feet, his cape wrapping around him from the wind.

“Dragonite, hold up!” Lance called out, struggling to untangle himself.

Still taken aback from the quick response, Mew hurriedly flew off herself, trying to gauge her speed to be even with or faster than the Dragonite. Unfortunately, she wasn't used to the weight gain, and she had underestimated the male. She felt her stomach twist when he came upon her and body-hugged her, causing the two of them to drop and roll down a steep cliff, her startled yelps trailing after them.

*~*~*

The steep mountain path came to a close right as Mewtwo found a cave opening near a small wooden area. After a quick wash-up in the river, he stepped inside to rest by the entrance, wrapping the cape tighter around himself. His eyes drifted toward the darkness, hearing echoed, subdued squeaks of Zubat from somewhere within. The morning may have just arrived, yet their activity wasn't slowing. Based on it, the location of the cave, and how deep the darkness went, it had to be what the humans called Dark Cave. From what he had gathered in his travels, it wasn't a place humans would explore often because of the never-ending darkness and difficult navigation.

Once the weather warmed up, he might consider taking a further look inside. It might be a nice place to get away from any outside influences, and he doubted Mew explored it. He imagined she had taken one look inside and immediately refused strictly because of the darkness.

His lips quirked at the thought until he recalled her last words from moments ago. She wasn't always easy to read, living up to her enigmatic legend, yet the impression she left behind was very direct. There were times she had left in a sad mood because of how he would chase her off, but it wouldn't be long before she came back happier than ever. He had grown so used to it he had stopped sugar-coating everything, knowing that regardless of how scathing he was toward her, the worst she would get was call him childish names. A simple “You're mean!” would even suffice.

So why did it bother him that she accused him of lying?

Mewtwo lifted his head when he heard rocks crumble, peering out to find two Dragonite clinging to one-another as they rolled down the adjacent mountainside. He raised a brow at their actions, having never witnessed such behavior in Pokémon other than the Golem line; though he had never before seen two Dragonite at the same time, let alone some miles away from the Dragon's Den. Judging from how closely intertwined they were, they had to be playing or in the middle of coitus.

And he thought human mating habits were odd.

They came to a stop a few yards at the bottom, the one he assumed female landing heavily on her stomach. The other continued to cuddle on top, drones and coos belting from within its throat. Though struggling to throw the one off, the female glanced up, and did a double take when they locked eyes. Inwardly, Mewtwo winced at how she appeared to recognize him, her gaze transitioning to that of panic and relief.

And then he noticed the irises, a color unlike that of a normal Pokémon.

“Get him off!” she shouted, waving her paws around. “He's squishing me!”

The clone ended up shaking his head in an odd combination of disgust and amusement. “Nice try, Mew,” he told her, watching as her face grimaced. “You got yourself in that predicament, you can get yourself out.”

“I didn't mean for it to get this far!”

He blinked, but didn't move. “Did another one of your pranks backfire?”

She flushed, and let out a squeal when the Dragonite squirmed and pressed himself more into her. “Babe, you're not even trying,” he said, attempting to roll themselves along the ground, an action she fought back against. “I thought you were into it, we were having so much fun.”

Mew whimpered. “U-Um... I'm sorry, but... this isn't working out.”

“Nonsense, we haven't taken flight yet! We shall fly for the moon, serenading one another and surrendering to our instincts!”

“I-I, uh... thought you were my brother!”

An awkward silence fell upon them.

“...I didn't mean that...”

Not wanting to get further involved in the trainwreck, Mewtwo gave her a look of pity and shot off over the mountains toward the trees. He briefly glanced over his shoulder, knowing she would find her way out of the mess, yet he couldn't help wondering why she was taking his words to heart.

Mew felt her heart sink watching him leave, unsure how she was going to explain herself the next time they meet, if at all. She continued to squirm beneath the Dragonite, giving him another plea, “Let me go, please. I didn't want to do this.”

“There's my handsome prince and his bride!” Lance waved his hand as he climbed over a hill. “I hope I am not too late!”

Snorting, she pushed herself up to toss the male off, only to fall back when he caught on her tail. Face planted into the dirt, she felt an itch in her nose, and didn't try to fight it off that time. With a sneeze, Mew reverted back to normal, a fairly dizzying process, flinching when she felt the impending doom of the dragon's weight, though he had backed up in surprise.

“My word! Is that what I think it is?”

Gasping, she closed her eyes and Teleported without a second thought.

*~*~*

It was a warm afternoon near Ecruteak City, but it wasn't enough for Mewtwo to remove the cape as he sat on the top of Tin Tower, overlooking the quiet city and the trees. Despite the winter season, it was as though the grove was in a perpetual state of autumn, a splash of color a welcoming sight to the otherwise graying scenery. Below was one of the sages raking the leaves on an equal level along the trail, the only other human life he could see.

A prickle on the back of his head brought him to sigh. “I see you made it out in one piece,” he quietly uttered, not bothering to look behind him.

Mew sat down a few feet away without a word. The clone glanced over to find a stoic expression on her face, her tail scarcely drifting behind her. He took her silence as a hint she didn't want to talk about it, though if he had learned anything from his many observations, it was better to discuss it than let it fester. Deep down, he felt a little bad for her, even if he only had an inkling as to what went on behind it.

“I take it I stumbled upon something I was not supposed to,” he cautiously started off.

She shook her head, drawing her knees to her chest. “No... it's not that...”

He took her solemn response as a good sign. At least he could relax knowing she wasn't going to bite his head off over it. “I understand if you are lonely, Mew, but you did not have to forgo your happiness out of embarrassment.”

Her face flushed, and she buried her face in her arms. “It's not like that.”

“If you were trying to make me jealous, you were highly mistaken.”

Her ears lowered. “Of course you'd say that,” she muttered.

Mewtwo cast his eyes back toward the city, starting to sense a heavy atmosphere pressing down on them. “It really is none of my business who you end up with—”

“Can we just drop it?”

He sighed through his nose, tilting his head in her direction. Her fingers flexed where they hung, her eyes glossed over in thought. As much as he didn't want to know what had happened, the clone was concerned about her behavior. It somehow didn't take her that long to find a Dragonite to do whatever it was she had planned—and ruined—which he had to admit it was an impressive feat. If it had been more mischievous, she would've been proud of it.

When the realization hit him, he started to feel bad for thinking her intentions were impure. Her way of thinking was rather out there, if she ever managed to think up of things ahead of time, but her immaturity was obvious. However irksome she could be at times, her innuendos were completely accidental. There was that high chance the Dragonite took things the wrong way than what she had foreseen.

In a way, he was sorry for her.

“Just so we are clear, Mew, I do not like you.” She gave a brief nod of acknowledgment. “If you thought that stunt was going to change my mind about rejecting you, it did not change a thing. I would go so far as to say you made it worse.”

She dropped her head back in her arms.

He struggled with his next sentence for a few moments. “But... that does not mean I dislike you.”

Glancing over, Mew muttered, “Is that a good thing?”

“Neutrality is neither good nor bad.”

She turned away, but not before he saw the hint of tears.

In near-hesitation, Mewtwo leaned in to take her by the chin for her to face him. “I know you like me, Mew, but you need to straighten out your priorities.” He released her to sit back. “Just because I do not decide to rip your head one for a day does not mean I want to be with you, whether as a friend or companion.”

“So you hate me.”

The clone's jaw locked up. He couldn't tell if she was misunderstanding him, or if he didn't word it correctly. “I said I do not, Mew.”

She tucked her chin in, sniffing as she wiped at an eye. “I just want to hang out with you,” she whispered.

He figured that was her entire reasoning for following him around, though he wanted to get more out of her. “Why?”

Unsurprisingly, Mew slowly shrugged. “I dunno.”

Mewtwo let out a groan, rubbing his neck as he turned back to the city. “This conversation is pointless,” he grumbled.

A quiet whimper escaped her. “I just want to make up for everything I've done by being friends, is all.”

He glanced over with a narrowed stare. “You can do that by just respecting my privacy.”

The rosy feline tilted her head back to look at the sky, her gaze going out of focus. “I don't like being alone... I don't know how you can stand it.”

To him, it sounded like she was guilt-tripping him—and for all he knew, she might have been. The way she spoke struck a tiny chord inside him, a sensation he couldn't explain how or why it did. For all the trouble she caused, and the headaches she put him through, it was like he could forgive her for all of it if she were to keeping talking as such. It was proof that she had the potential to be a good companion outside of his clones, a hint that they had more in common than before.

Though he had to wonder if she was even aware of it. He wouldn't know how to feel if she had changed her attitude around him purpose.

Taking in a breath, the clone gave a proposition, feeling he was going to regret it. “Give us a month to let this all blow off. When the new season begins, I will allow you one day a month to visit me.”

Mew's eyes flashed when she whipped her head up. “Really?” she gasped.

“I can change my mind at a moment's notice.” He meant it more as a mental reminder for himself, though it wasn't going to hurt warning her. Better than having her fight over it if he decided out-of-the-blue to take it back.

She shot up into his face, which he sat back from on impulse. “But do you really mean it, Mewtwo?”

As tempting as it was to break eye-contact, Mewtwo curtly nodded. “I never tell a lie.”

Mew gave off a bright grin just before throwing her arms around his neck for a tight hug. He grimaced and stiffened, but willed himself to put up with it, fighting off a shudder once she released him and planted herself down beside him. With an audible purr, she leaned against his side, and he had to keep from psychically repelling her. He silently cursed missing his chance to cover himself up to prevent skin contact.

“You know, it's considered sacrilege to be up here.”

He rolled his eyes to the sky. “Do you think I care about that?”

She snorted out a giggle. “Thought so.”