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Pokémon Despite Everything (one-shot)

Thread? Mark!

Bluwiikoon

waow!
Location
Gensokyo, Past and Present ~ Flower Land
Pronouns
He/him
Partners
  1. nosepass-bluwiikoon
Content Warnings: Depictions of anxiety, loss, grief, mentions of abuse, and mentions of deadnaming. A kind of sequel/epilogue to my Mewtwo short in Legendaries of the Present World. Enjoy!




Fidgeting with and turning the small, lettered tile in his hand, Mewtwo sighed. The word-composing board game was a lot more dull without Alisha's company.

He regarded the board of words for a little while longer, before finally placing the tile back upon the table, tail flicking in frustration. He contemplated the tile, for a moment - and then, tail flicking even more - slowly scooted the tile over the edge and onto the floor, chuckling to himself as the little tile made a satisfying clacking sound on the wooden flooring. It never got old.

Stepping to his feet, he paced towards the kitchen and glanced at the clock, reading the time ticking upon it but not really taking it in at first. Checking the device again to fully perceive it, he hummed in thought. It would still yet be a couple hours until lunch time, but he didn't have much else to do at the moment. Certainly, nobody was currently around to tease him about his "crippling bagel addiction". So be it, then.

As he reached for the container of butter within the fridge, his eyes wandered towards the lone pack of corned beef. It was still unopened, yet alarmingly had its expiry date within the next few days. Hmm. Well, hopefully Alisha would be home soon, to consume the foul-tasting substance before it became even more foul. He instead picked up the pack of honey-glazed ham slices, which was clearly an objectively superior meat.

(Too bad she wasn't here to disagree with him, even if her opinion was the wrong one.)

Idly slicing the bagels and carefully buttering them, his mind drifted towards the last time he saw her. Her tears as she received the phone call, the swell of sad emotions emanating from her mind. The things he tried to say to help her, and the feeling of helplessness of not really knowing just how to help. It... was difficult. Even when utilising the strategies he had been taught by his therapist, it didn't seem like the kind of thing that someone could actually meaningfully help with, or solve in any way. Were his attempted words of comfort enough?

He had just about finished preparing his bagel, when a familiar presence emerged next to him, with a signature blip of teleportation. He sighed overdramatically, earning a giggle from his house guest.

"Oh! Good timing by me," Mew said, drifting toward the bagel with their paw outstretched.

"You know, it's rude to come in without any notice," said Mewtwo, resignedly beginning to prepare another bagel.

"You say that, but still do not enact a teleportation barrier," they replied, taking small bites out of the doughy treat. "Is the human here today?"

"Not yet," replied Mewtwo, a hand on his temple. "Is this... normal?"

"Well," Mew hummed, tail flicking in thought. "Every human is different. Sometimes they need a while to cope with their emotions." They paused, licking a stray glob of butter off their paw. "It is a shame that they lead such short lives."

"Mmm," Mewtwo agreed, slathering the new bagel with butter. "It just... confuses me, in a way. She does not often speak highly of her family."

"It can be complicated," Mew said, taking more bites of the bagel and tilting their head. "Sometimes humans still love their family, even if the family have hurt them."

"The same way I've hurt you, before?" asked Mewtwo, frowning.

"Ha! It is different for us." Mew giggled, twirling in the air. "We can fight and have fun. I like it when we battle."

"You know that isn't what I meant," grumbled Mewtwo, tail flicking in irritation.

Mew paused for a moment, before gliding over and placing a paw on Mewtwo's arm. "I know you, and I know you have been hurting. Any things you have said to me are because you were hurt, and I forgive you." They tilted their head, eyes looking deep into their son's. "You were not malicious towards me, but you were lost. And now you are finding yourself. I hope you know that I am proud of you, Mewtwo."

Flustered, Mewtwo couldn't help but glance away from Mew, a well of emotion causing distinct feelings at the edges of his eyes. "Damn it, Mew."

They burst into giggles, gleefully flying around Mewtwo in a circle. He tactically batted their encroaching tail away, not wishing for their sneaky attempts at an embrace.

"Of course, sometimes a family hurts you so much that it is better to never see them again," said Mew, munching away the last of their bagel. "And that is okay. It is better for humans to spend their life enjoying the time they have."

Mewtwo nodded slowly, eyeing Mew warily as he finally took a bite of his own bagel.

Sensing that they would not be able to pilfer yet another snack, Mew lazily drifted around the kitchen. "I do hope I can watch you both play the word game again soon," they said, peeking into the living room area. "I like seeing you have fun."

"I hope so, too," he replied, thinking of their last game. It was difficult to compete against a psychic, so him and Alisha would simply work together to attain as many points as possible, quietly chatting and joking along the way.

Mew hummed to theirself, seemingly growing bored. "Well, I shall see you soon. Do look after yourself."

He nodded to them in farewell, and they blipped away to another place. Yet again, the house was empty, and his meal somehow didn't do much to ease the emptiness he felt.

Stepping back towards his favourite armchair, he contemplated the framed photos upon the countertop. One of them was taken just a week after they had moved in together - they had met at anxiety support groups and had got along pretty well, and she mentioned that she needed a new roommate. He was very surprised that she asked him, of all people, and even when he did move in, he definitely didn't want to leave his new room for the first few days. And then... reflected in that photograph, both of them smiling shyly but happily, was Alisha, Mewtwo, and the first meal they had worked together on. He had smelled the tantalising onions that were beginning to sizzle, and had investigated out of curiosity and hunger. They learned that while Alisha was adept at cutting vegetables, Mewtwo found stirring the pan to be far more entertaining. They had helped each other with the task that they found least fun. It was a good day.

As they both became less and less shy over time, he began to truly appreciate how good it was to have someone he could be comfortable around, someone he could trust and work together with. His therapist was thrilled, of course, but it also made him feel... happy. They both had bad days at times, of course, but there were also a lot more good days. He considered Alisha a friend, and that in itself felt like a huge step.

Settling into his chair, he regarded the photos and the memories within them fondly. It was too quiet without her here.



The day drifted past in a warm haze, with but brief snapshots of the sunlight's journey across the floor interrupting his dreams. It was comfortable to think about nothing, to simply rest within the chair and-

Click!

He bolted upright, eyes wide with alarm. Heart pounding, it took a moment for him to adjust back to reality, dispelling the psychic energy forming around his hands. It was merely the door, and not anything to be threatened by. He kept forgetting, sometimes.

-wait, the door? That means...!

He wanted to rush out to meet her, but reconsidered, thinking that perhaps such would be too overwhelming. Hearing her mind approach the living room, he stared firmly at the switched-off tv, anticipating her arrival yet not wanting to seem too eager, too concerned.

"Hey, Mewtwo," Alisha said quietly, her familiar form pulling a suitcase into one corner. "It's, uh, been a while, huh?"

Mewtwo got to his feet, beginning to walk towards her but then stopping, awkwardly. "How did, it... go?" he asked, feeling like an absolute buffoon.

"I mean.. it was okay, I guess," she replied, crumpling onto the sofa with a sigh and brushing her coiled dark hair away from her face. "The funeral was nice. Everyone kept forgetting to use my, uh, real name." He felt the pangs of emotional pain from her mind, and frowned in sympathy. "I kind of wanted to come home the whole time, to be honest, but my, uh, mother said I should stay a while. And, you know... I felt bad, because I didn't get to see Uncle Tom before he... yeah."

Mewtwo... stepped closer, feeling uncomfortable and unsure, but yearning to help his closest friend. "Is... is there anything I can do for you, Alisha?" His tail had drawn close to him in his uncertainty, with him feeling yet again that powerlessness of not knowing what to do, the powerlessness of seeing someone you care about go through such anguish.

"I think... I'll be ok," she said, wiping the beginnings of tears away. "It's hard, you know? But... I'm really glad to be home again." Alisha sniffled a little, digging through her jacket pockets for a tissue. "Thank you, Mewtwo."

He stood there uneasily, trying to think of something to say. Anything to say. And, he remembered another time, in which Alisha had dispelled his anxieties by saying something of humour.

"You know," he started, carefully sitting down next to her. "That foul lunchmeat is still waiting for you. I made sure not to touch any."

Alisha burst into giggles, wiping tears from her face in-between sniffles and hiccups. "God, I don't know how I'd get through this without my corned beef. Good thinking, Mewtwo."

The sniffles slowly faded away, and her tears began to dry. As her breathing returned to normal, she looked at Mewtwo and smiled, warmth gleaming in her brown eyes.

"I really missed you," she said, fidgeting with the ball of tissue in her hand. "I was thinking about it the whole time, like..." she paused, glancing away awkwardly. "I hope you know that... I really appreciate you. And I'm really grateful that you're here, you know?"

"I'm... I'm grateful you're here, too," replied Mewtwo, similarly glancing away.

Alisha giggled again, clasping her hands in glee. "We really are no good at the social thing, huh?"

"Hmm. Nope," said Mewtwo, smiling back at her.

"Do you mind if I...?" Alisha questioned, opening her arms wide and turning towards him.

He... considered it. He had never really given anyone a hug before. But, ever so slowly, he moved towards her and allowed Alisha to embrace him, his arms resting upon her in return. It was... warm, and nice. He didn't realise that hugs were actually this great, nor that he would find himself completely unwilling to let go, grasping his friend yet more tightly instead. A strange feeling bubbled up in his throat, something he didn't yet recognise.

"...Oh my god, are you purring?" Alisha pulled back in surprise, eyes wide at Mewtwo.

He flinched, feeling a sharp pang of shame. He was purring!?

"I... I apologise," he stammered, tail curling around him defensively.

She reached towards Mewtwo, holding his pale hand gently with her darker ones. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. I think... if you're purring, that's a really good thing."

"I didn't even know I could do that," he muttered, unable to meet her eyes in his embarrassment. "I... well... that was... that was a nice hug."

"Well, hey," she said, patting his hand. "I don't usually like hugs either, but, uh, if you ever want more, I'm right here."

"Mmm." He was starting to feel a bit better about it. The purring was actually a pretty comforting experience. The hug... even moreso. Yes. This was good.

"...heh, Mew's gonna be so excited when we tell them that you purred."

"Don't you dare, Alisha!"

She cackled gleefully, ducking behind a corner as Mewtwo gently tossed a cushion at her. He acted annoyed, but he was also chuckling to himself. He was glad that she was home.

She returned a moment later, holding a small bag and with her mind bubbling in excitement. He could do little but stare at her in confusion, as she offered the small bag to him.

"It was your birthday a couple days ago, right? Sorry I'm late for it," she said, sheepishly.

"I... what?" he frowned, even more confused.

"Your birthday is the 6th, right? I, um... I hope it's not weird that I looked it up, one time."

And then, he realised. He remembered. Humans didn't just mourn the deaths of their loved ones en masse, but they also celebrated each year that their loved ones spent with them. And Alisha... had chosen to celebrate Mewtwo's life, and the fact he was here.

"Alisha... thank you so much," he said, overwhelmed in his sea of emotions. It was the first birthday present he had ever received. He didn't know what to say, but he didn't have to.

As they celebrated the evening together, enjoying some delicious birthday chocolates and cobbling together elaborate words on the board game, Mewtwo felt a deep sense of gratitude. Despite everything, he had made it to a happy place in his life, a stable place, and he finally had a friend. He was comfortable in his new life, and that was everything he ever needed.

...All that was left was to win the Great Sandwich Meat Debate. Perhaps one day, Alisha would gain some taste.


Thanks for reading!
AO3 Link:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/36621556
 
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unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Hi Bluwii! Happy born AGAIN! Can't believe I wrote this in TEN FUCKING MINUTES.

[screams with effort]

More Mewtwo content! I love your takes on this kitty. 'Alisha' threw me for a loop for a second, since that's an OC's name in DE, which also features Mewtwo. Are you reading my mind, you li'l fucker? <3

I adore the idea of a mewtwo with a bagel addiction. I think it's adorable. I have such a soft spot for Mewtwo secretly being a softie who likes simple pleasures. Who is this Alisha with whom he lives? A trusted friend? It's cute that he wants her to be present in order to disagree with him. There's a very domestic feel to this, and I love the image of a mewtwo doing mundane household tasks like feeding himself in the kitchen.

I love the comparison of humans loving their problematic families to Mewtwo and Mew evidently having a relationship here despite them having fought in the past, presumably in the same sequence of events as laid out in M01. Mew is well-characterised here, being a cheeky little shit with some amount of wisdom. I assume the word game is Scrabble and I adore the alternate means of playing it.

I assume this is a sequel to that Legs of Today oneshot? I'm so glad therapy worked so well for this grumpy bastard. I'm proud of him too, Mew.

Trans Alisha??

Hugs good! Purring good! Gods, this is so cute, while still having a certain hard edge to it I appreciate, given the topics at hand. Perfect for me.

This was cute as hell! I loved it! Thank you~
 
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Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. lugia
  5. quilava-fobbie
  6. sneasel-kate
  7. heliolisk-fobbie
Heya, dropping in for another review off my hitlist, though you made a sequel to your M2 one-shot from LotPW? I admittedly wasn’t expecting that. Though I remembered that oneshot being pretty cute to read, and from an eyeballing, this looks pretty digestible and well-suited for a worknight, so good enough! Let’s go ahead and see what this followup involves:

Fidgeting with and turning the small, lettered tile in his hand, Mewtwo sighed. The word-composing board game was a lot more dull without Alisha's company.

… How does one even play Scrabble by one’s self anyways? .-.

He regarded the board of words for a little while longer, before finally placing the tile back upon the table, tail flicking in frustration. He contemplated the tile, for a moment - and then, tail flicking even more - slowly scooted the tile over the edge and onto the floor, chuckling to himself as the little tile made a satisfying clacking sound on the wooden flooring. It never got old.

I actually wonder if this is something that cats do in reality. Since it feels like something that feels suspiciously like a “cat owner anecdote”.

Stepping to his feet, he paced towards the kitchen and glanced at the clock, reading the time ticking upon it but not really taking it in at first. Checking the device again to fully perceive it, he hummed in thought. It would still yet be a couple hours until lunch time, but he didn't have much else to do at the moment. Certainly, nobody was currently around to tease him about his "crippling bagel addiction".

So be it, then.

A couple of nitpicks here that may or may not ultimately boil down to author preference. IMO, “yet” is superfluous in the sentence where it’s used, and “So be it, then.” might have a bit more “punch” if it’s off on its own to draw more attention to it.

As he reached for the container of butter within the fridge, his eyes wandered towards the lone pack of corned beef. It was still unopened, yet alarmingly had its expiry date within the next few days. Hmm. Well, hopefully Alisha would be home soon, to consume the foul-tasting substance before it became even more foul. He instead picked up the pack of honey-glazed ham slices, which was clearly an objectively superior meat.

I’m of two minds as to whether or not this paragraph works better divided at the “Hmm” part, but can’t fault M2’s taste in meats there.

(Too bad she wasn't here to disagree with him, even if her opinion was the wrong one.)

… Wait, what on earth happened to Alisha, anyways? .-.

Idly slicing the bagels and carefully buttering them, his mind drifted towards the last time he saw her. Her tears as she received the phone call, the swell of sad emotions emanating from her mind. The things he tried to say to help her, and the feeling of helplessness of not really knowing just how to help. It... was difficult. Even when utilising the strategies he had been taught by his therapist, it didn't seem like the kind of thing that someone could actually meaningfully help with, or solve in any way. Were his attempted words of comfort enough?

M2: “I mean, if I have to ask myself the question, then obviously not.” ._.;

He had just about finished preparing his bagel, when a familiar presence emerged next to him, with a signature blip of teleportation. He sighed overdramatically, earning a giggle from his house guest.

"Oh! Good timing by me," Mew said, drifting toward the bagel with their paw outstretched.

M2: “... Mew why are you here right now?
:m2perturbed:


"You know, it's rude to come in without any notice," said Mewtwo, resignedly beginning to prepare another bagel.

M2: “Seriously, would it kill you to knock?” >_>;
Mew:
:blobyes:


"You say that, but still do not enact a teleportation barrier," they replied, taking small bites out of the doughy treat. "Is the human here today?"

… Wait, are teleportation barriers a thing in the anime or something? Otherwise how on earth do they work anyways?

"Not yet," replied Mewtwo, a hand on his temple. "Is this... normal?"

"Well," Mew hummed, tail flicking in thought. "Every human is different. Sometimes they need a while to cope with their emotions." They paused, licking a stray glob of butter off their paw. "It is a shame that they lead such short lives."

M2: “But this is literally Alisha’s house. It’s not like her to just leave me hanging like this.” ._.;

"Mmm," Mewtwo agreed, slathering the new bagel with butter. "It just... confuses me, in a way. She does not often speak highly of her family."

"It can be complicated," Mew said, taking more bites of the bagel and tilting their head. "Sometimes humans still love their family, even if their family has hurt them."

Oh, this is an ‘unwanted family reunion’ episode, isn’t it?

"The same way I've hurt you, before?" asked Mewtwo, frowning.

"Ha! It is different for us." Mew giggled, twirling in the air. "We can fight and have fun. I like it when we battle."

M2: “Let’s… just forget about everything that happened in M01 in that case. Probably for the best.”
:fearfullaugh~1:


"You know that isn't what I meant," grumbled Mewtwo, tail flicking in irritation.

Mew paused for a moment, before gliding over and placing a paw on Mewtwo's arm. "I know you, and I know you have been hurting. Any things you have said to me are because you were hurt, and I forgive you." They tilted their head, eyes looking deep into their son's. "You were not malicious towards me, but you were lost. And now you are finding yourself. I hope you know that I am proud of you, Mewtwo."

:seviuwu:


D’aww, how cute.

Flustered, Mewtwo couldn't help but glance away from Mew, a well of emotion causing distinct feelings at the edges of his eyes. "Damn it, Mew."

Oh, so even the big, cat Tetsuo Shima expy isn’t above getting a little misty-eyed over parental approval, huh?

They burst into giggles, gleefully flying around Mewtwo in a circle. He tactically batted their encroaching tail away, not wishing for their sneaky attempts at an embrace.

"Of course, sometimes a family hurts you so much that it is better to never see them again," said Mew, munching away the last of their bagel. "And that is okay. It is better for humans to spend their life enjoying the time they have."

… Wait, so what happens in the event that this happens between Legendaries, anyways?
:fearfullaugh~1:


Mewtwo nodded slowly, eyeing Mew warily as he finally took a bite of his own bagel.

Sensing that they would not be able to pilfer yet another snack, Mew lazily drifted around the kitchen. "I do hope I can watch you both play the word game again soon," they said, peeking into the living room area. "I like seeing you have fun."

M2: “I mean, you could always stay awhile and play with me-” ^^
Mew: “I would, but I’m illiterate. Kinda hard to get invested in human writing and language when it’s always changing from century to century.”
:gardeshrug~1:


"I hope so, too," he replied, thinking of their last game. It was difficult to compete against a psychic, so him and Alisha would simply work together to attain as many points as possible, quietly chatting and joking along the way.

Mew hummed to theirself, seemingly growing bored. "Well, I shall see you soon. Do look after yourself."

M2: “Huh? You’re just leaving so soon-?” ._.;

He nodded to them in farewell, and they blipped away to another place. Yet again, the house was empty, and his meal somehow didn't do much to ease the emptiness he felt.

M2: “... Damn it, should’ve asked them to stay longer.” -_-;

Stepping back towards his favourite armchair, he contemplated the framed photos upon the countertop. One of them was taken just a week after they had moved in together - they had met at anxiety support groups and had got along pretty well, and she mentioned that she needed a new roommate. He was very surprised that she asked him, of all people, and even when he did move in, he definitely didn't want to leave his new room for the first few days. And then... reflected in that photograph, both of them smiling shyly but happily, was Alisha, Mewtwo, and the first meal they had worked together on. He had smelled the tantalising onions that were beginning to sizzle, and had investigated out of curiosity and hunger. They learned that while Alisha was adept at cutting vegetables, Mewtwo found stirring the pan to be far more entertaining. They had helped each other with the task that they found least fun. It was a good day.

Part of me wonders if this paragraph is big enough to merit breaking up, but at the same time, I don’t think that I can see any place that feels just right as a place to divide it. Though that actually makes me wonder if there’s anxiety support groups for other more conventional Pokémon in this setting.

As they both became less and less shy over time, he began to truly appreciate how good it was to have someone he could be comfortable around, someone he could trust and work together with. His therapist was thrilled, of course, but it also made him feel... happy. They both had bad days at times, of course, but there were also a lot more good days. He considered Alisha a friend, and that in itself felt like a huge step.

Settling into his chair, he regarded the photos and the memories within them fondly. It was too quiet without her here.

M2: “Seriously, what on earth happened to her?” ._.;

The day drifted past in a warm haze, with but brief snapshots of the sunlight's journey across the floor interrupting his dreams. It was comfortable to think about nothing, to simply rest within the chair and-

Click!

He bolted upright, eyes wide with alarm. Heart pounding, it took a moment for him to adjust back to reality, dispelling the psychic energy forming around his hands. It was merely the door, and not anything to be threatened by. He kept forgetting, sometimes.

-wait, the door? That means...!

Oh, so Alisha’s home, huh? Though judging from the mention of ‘deadnaming’ in this story’s CWs, I wonder if she’ll still be ‘Alisha’ now.

He wanted to rush out to meet her, but reconsidered, thinking that perhaps such would be too overwhelming. Hearing her mind approach the living room, he stared firmly at the switched-off tv, anticipating her arrival yet not wanting to seem too eager, too concerned.

"Hey, Mewtwo," Alisha said quietly, her familiar form pulling a suitcase into one corner. "It's, uh, been a while, huh?"

Whelp, guess that won’t be the case. Though I wonder what on earth happened with her.

Mewtwo got to his feet, beginning to walk towards her but then stopping, awkwardly. "How did, it... go?" he asked, feeling like an absolute buffoon.

"I mean.. it was okay, I guess," she replied, crumpling onto the sofa with a sigh and brushing her coiled dark hair away from her face. "The funeral was nice. Everyone kept forgetting to use my, uh, real name."

He felt the pangs of emotional pain from her mind, and frowned in sympathy. "I kind of wanted to come home the whole time, to be honest, but my, uh, mother said I should stay a while. And, you know... I felt bad, because I didn't get to see Uncle Tom before he... yeah."

Oh, so Alisha is her present name. And I guess I was onto something about there being an unwanted family reunion.

Mewtwo... stepped closer, feeling uncomfortable and unsure, but yearning to help his closest friend. "Is... is there anything I can do for you, Alisha?"

His tail had drawn close to him in his uncertainty, with him feeling yet again that powerlessness of not knowing what to do, the powerlessness of seeing someone you care about go through such anguish.

"I think... I'll be ok," she said, wiping the beginnings of tears away. "It's hard, you know? But... I'm really glad to be home again." Alisha sniffled a little, digging through her jacket pockets for a tissue. "Thank you, Mewtwo."

I kinda wonder if there should’ve been more reminders as to how M2 and Alisha relate to each other, though I would assume that she is the trainer that he wound up going with from Cerulean Cave or that one place in Kalos or whatever.

He stood there uneasily, trying to think of something to say. Anything to say. And, he remembered another time, in which Alisha had dispelled his anxieties by saying something of humour.

"You know," he started, carefully sitting down next to her. "That foul lunchmeat is still waiting for you. I made sure not to touch any."

inb4 the ‘what’s wrong with you, corned beef is awesome’ moment.

Alisha burst into giggles, wiping tears from her face in-between sniffles and hiccups. "God, I don't know how I'd get through this without my corned beef. Good thinking, Mewtwo."

Kek, I knew it. :V

The sniffles slowly faded away, and her tears began to dry. As her breathing returned to normal, she looked at Mewtwo and smiled, warmth gleaming in her brown eyes.

"I really missed you," she said, fidgeting with the ball of tissue in her hand. "I was thinking about it the whole time, like..." she paused, glancing away awkwardly. "I hope you know that... I really appreciate you. And I'm really grateful that you're here, you know?"

"I'm... I'm grateful you're here, too," replied Mewtwo, similarly glancing away.

M2: “Though maybe call a bit sooner in the future? Since you had me worried a bit!” ^_^;

Alisha giggled again, clasping her hands in glee. "We really are no good at the social interaction thing, huh?"

"Hmm. Nope," said Mewtwo, smiling back at her.

I guess that would explain a lot about why these two took to each other so well.

"Do you mind if I...?" Alisha questioned, opening her arms wide and turning towards him.

He... considered it. He had never really given anyone a hug before. But, ever so slowly, he moved towards her and allowed Alisha to embrace him, his arms resting upon her in return. It was... warm, and nice. He didn't realise that hugs were actually this great, nor that he would find himself completely unwilling to let go, grasping his friend yet more tightly instead. A strange feeling bubbled up in his throat, something he didn't yet recognise.

So does M2 actually purr like a cat, or-?

"...Oh my god, are you purring?" Alisha pulled back in surprise, eyes wide at Mewtwo.

He flinched, feeling a sharp pang of shame. He was purring!?

Oh, so he does purr like a cat.
:trollzel:


"I... I apologise," he stammered, tail curling around him defensively.

Alisha:
excited-listening.gif


She reached towards Mewtwo, holding his pale hand gently with her darker ones. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. I think... if you're purring, that's a really good thing."

"I didn't even know I could do that," he muttered, unable to meet her eyes in his embarrassment. "I... well... that was... that was a nice hug."

Alisha: “I mean, you are a cat, so…”
:joltyshrug:

M2: “Yes, but I’m supposed to be a big cat. We’re not supposed to purr like that… are we?”
:m2perturbed:


"Well, hey," she said, patting his hand. "I don't usually like hugs either, but, uh, if you ever want more, I'm right here."

"Mmm." He was starting to feel a bit better about it. The purring was actually a pretty comforting experience. The hug... even moreso. Yes. This was good.

"...heh, Mew's gonna be so excited when we tell them that you purred."

M2: “Pls no.
:ohnowen:


"Don't you dare, Alisha!"

Oh, well never mind, guess M2’s in more of a
:hissssss:
mood at the idea. :V

She cackled gleefully, ducking behind a corner as Mewtwo gently tossed a cushion at her. He acted annoyed, but he was also chuckling to himself. He was glad that she was home.

She returned a moment later, holding a small bag and with her mind bubbling in excitement. He could do little but stare at her in confusion, as she offered the small bag to him.

"It was your birthday a couple days ago, right? Sorry I'm late for it," she said, sheepishly.

Alisha: “... In retrospect, I probably should’ve ordered a cake to be delivered, buuuut…”
:fearfullaugh~1:


"I... what?" he frowned, even more confused.

"Your birthday is the 6th, right? I, um... I hope it's not weird that I looked it up, one time."

Huh, I actually completely forgot that M2 has a canonical birthday. Neat little touch there.

And then, he realised. He remembered. Humans didn't just mourn the deaths of their loved ones en masse, but they also celebrated each year that their loved ones spent with them. And Alisha... had chosen to celebrate Mewtwo's life, and the fact he was here.

M2: “I… don’t know what to say, really.”
Alisha: “Just whatever comes naturally, I guess.”

"Alisha... thank you so much," he said, overwhelmed in his sea of emotions. It was the first birthday present he had ever received. He didn't know what to say, but he didn't have to.

As they celebrated the evening together, enjoying some delicious birthday chocolates and cobbling together elaborate words on the board game, Mewtwo felt a deep sense of gratitude. Despite everything, he had made it to a happy place in his life, a stable place, and he finally had a friend. He was comfortable in his new life, and that was everything he ever needed.

I kinda wonder if those should’ve been taken explicitly out of the bag at some point and described, since I didn’t realize that the bag had chocolates in there.

That said, everything about this is pure
:seviuwu:


...All that was left was to win the Great Sandwich Meat Debate. Perhaps one day, Alisha would gain some taste.

Don’t hold your breath there, M2. >:V

Overall, I thought this was a nice, bite-sized piece that’s great for just sinking in and unwinding in the wake of a busier day or the like. It also did a decent job acting as a follow-up to M2’s one-shot in LotPW, even if I initially got thrown by a couple details that are here that weren’t in said one-shot.

One of the bigger strong points of this one-shot is how effectively it sells the vibe of “two awkward people with issues” opening up to each other and providing shoulders to lean on. Like I got the sense that I was dealing with characters who have a bond with each other, even if they’re not necessarily ready to be open to the world for their own reasons, and it’s a commonality that helps the two relate to one another and support each other when they’re not doing well in a manner that’s endearing to watch. Also M2 as a giant cat is adorable and I hope you do more with it, even if M2 clearly isn’t ready to be open about that to others just yet in his setting. :V

As for bones that I have to pick, there’s not too many since on the whole the piece was well-made. There are a couple sections where I felt the description was a little bare and an extra sentence or two would’ve helped clear things up. One of the moments that stood out was the bit with the birthday chocolates, which doesn’t get revealed to be chocolates until an after-the-fact mention, while it could’ve very easily been described being taken out of the bag and IDed. I also kinda wonder if there should’ve been more context provided as to what was going on, since I had trouble piecing together who Alisha was and how she related to M2 since there were no explicitly named characters in M2’s one-shot from LotPW (I’m guessing maybe Alisha’s the receptionist(?)), and it’d have helped filled in some of the events that happened in the intervening time between then and the time this one-shot is set afterwards.

But altogether, I don’t think those issues were enough to get in the way of this one-shot’s strength. It was fun touching base with your writing again @Bluwiikoon , and I’ll be keeping an eye out for some of your other stories, since you seem to have a knack for stories that produce warm and fuzzy feelings. ^^
 

Namohysip

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This'll be a bit of a stream of consciousness review, but overall thoughts will be near the bottom.

The first big paragraph has a lot of word repetition and I don't think the effectiveness of it quite shapes up to anything worthwhile in terms of thematic use. Floor, tile, wood, in particular feel like they were used a little too much in that short paragraph.

Mewtwo and Mew talking to each other in this way, in reference to what I'm going to assume is the first movie (or some other conflict as mentioned in the context for this story — I doubt the specifics matter for this piece) is simultaneously very humanizing while also distancing. They explicitly remark about how it's a shame humans live such short lives, but they also talk about fairly human problems, while doing human things like enjoying bagels. The contrast here is interesting.

Yeah, definitely a very human approach to the Legends. They're practically just people in the way they interact with each other, human to Mewtwo. I appreciated the subtle jump to combat that suggests Mewtwo is still working his way through whatever strife he has gone through in the past. My first thought was that the click would resemble that of a PokeBall or something, but that's from pure blind guessing having no context of the related work.

The final part of the story solidifies the initial parts and wraps it up to be a very cute snapshot and slice of life for Mewtwo. One stray thought I had while reading this is if Mewtwo actually has the proper perspective of an immortal Legend yet. He was artificially created that way, right? And while he may have a lot of intellectual prowess and such, how old is he? His birthday is still known publicly so it's not like it was lost to time. Is he still within a mortal's lifespan in age? That could help explain why he behaves in such a mundane way too. That's probably true for the one shot this follows up, too.

Anyway, overall I enjoyed myself. Good story, thanks for the read!
 
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