Episode 53:
The Ace: Part II - All Hands Down

Windstorm landed on the shores just a few meters away from the lighthouse. “Windstorm, return!” The tired Pidgey returned to its cozy pokéball. “C’mon Sara, let’s find out what Bill knows about this egg.”

“Wow, it’s pretty.” The egg had multi-colored dots speckled over it. Icy figured it would hatch soon since the shell was beginning to crack. “Who’s Bill?”

“Bill is a scientist. He does a lot of research on pokémon. He’s quite famous.” Icy hadn’t taken another step before the world changed to resemble the dark Void again. But this time, Sara was with him, alive.

“Icy…” she shivered. “Where are we? This doesn’t look like the beach anymore…”

“It’s not. Mewtwo is playing games with me again. We’re inside the Void.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s kinda complicated to explain…”

“Welcome back Icy. I must admit, I wasn’t sure you’d come this far…”

“What do you want from me Mewtwo? Tell me now!”

“Tisk tisk tisk… Have a little patience why don’t you…”

“Not with you! Tell me why I’m back here again! NOW!”

“Silence!” Icy found himself unable to speak or move. Sara was also disabled. “I’ve brought you two here so you could learn more about events you didn’t have the chance to see. Your pasts are linked. They combine at many intersections. But you both don’t seem to make the connection. It’s vital you do. Now, watch…” Mewtwo pointed in front of him as a scene appeared.

In it, they saw a small house. It was Sara’s house. The human Sara. She was playing in the yard with the Butterfree her father had brought home to other day. Suddenly, a black van pulled up. Two dark men jumped out. They pulled out a strange looking bazooka-like weapon and fired. The shell exploded opening a net that captured the Butterfree. It struggled to free itself but was unsuccessful. Sara began crying and tried to save her new pokémon. The other agent pulled out a different weapon this time. It was small, looked more like a gun. The scene vanished just as he pulled the trigger.

“Wait, what happened?”

“Those are the last of little Sara’s memories of that event. I can’t just create memories out of thin air.”

“But. That weapon…”

Sara, having heard her name used so many times was trying to put the pieces together. “Are they talking about me?” she wondered.

“That weapon should look familiar. You’ve seen it before Icy.” A new scene appeared. Icy recognized it immediately. It was the lab in the lighthouse, the day of the accident.

“Why do you pick that scene Mewtwo?”

“Shhhh… you missed it during the real timeframe… Don’t miss it now.”

“Miss wh…” he stopped upon seeing a shadow in the corner of the room. His keen Pikachu eyes focused in on the weapon in the figure’s hand. It matched. “Oh my…”

The beam fired. But this time, Icy saw who fired it. It was a TR agent. He ducked out of the scene as the explosion occurred. That was it. The link. The agent who fired the weapon was the same one who was holding the strange gun to Sara from before. Mewtwo read Icy’s thoughts and grinned.

“Now you are beginning to understand. All is not lost Icy. You and Sara suffered the same fate by Team Rocket. And although my hatred towards you boils warm, my hatred towards Giovanni and the rest of Team Rocket is hotter than the fiery pits of… umm… almost forgot, this is supposed to be a G rated story…”

“But if that was the same agent and the same gun, then that means…”

“… I knew you from before…???” Sara was very confused.

“I think so… I remember now. You are the same girl I knew when we were little.”

Mewtwo grinned again. “Sara, Icy is correct. You both have suffered similar fates. But I know of the way to fix all that. I have done much research on the Pokéfier Gun. Icy, now you know the truth. Your existence, and everything about you has been revealed…”

Icy stood speechless. His eyes went back and forth from Mewtwo to Sara and back again. “I… I…”

“So I was that little girl? But, I don’t remember being a human.”

“That’s because it’s been too long since you were transformed.”

“Wait a sec… I was transformed into a Pikachu because that was the pokémon closest to me at the time. Why didn’t Sara get turned into a Butterfree?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that question Icy. Perhaps it was set on a certain DNA strand… But never-the-less, I think I know how to cure you both.”

“WHAT?!?” they both said in amazement. Mewtwo turned away from them. The scene vanished.

“That egg you have. It is the key to reversing the effects. It contains a very special pokémon.”

“What?”

“I know not its type, only that it can cure you, and Sara. You must go to Bill and give him the egg. He’ll know what to do. I must leave you now. Oh, and Icy, this doesn’t change me feelings against you. While a cure exists for you, none can cleanse the hatred I have plaguing me against humans. But you have helped, a little. Now go!” With that, Icy and Sara found themselves on the beach again. It was dark. Mewtwo was gone. In the distance, the light from Bill’s tower pierced the ocean waters. Icy and Sara looked at each other confident this would be their last night together as pikachus…