Unnatural

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Hours after the events of Catch Me. Save Me.

Not soon after the group had arrived safely in the Viridian Forest, and Colress had shut down his Gateway, the group decided to say their farewells and parted ways. N, Colress, and Sabrina left with Latias for Altomare, while Jen and the others planned on sneaking into Pallet Town to check in on Delia. Ash and Red wanted to see their mother again if Lucy was gone.

Before the group entered the town, Ash and Libby, after receiving a quick healing from Mew for her leg and ribs, ran ahead to scout out their homes for any signs of Lucy. They wanted to avoid any risk of running into her while they were visiting.

Once both cousins were sure that the town was Lucy-free they sent back a telepathic all-clear to the awaiting group.

Red, eager to see his mother for the first time in forever, led everyone through Pallet Town and towards his home.

"He's moving rather quickly, huh?" Rattata huffed as he raced to keep pace with Red.

"Shouldn't we be going to the Pokémon Center instead?" Haunter asked as he glanced at Jen's arm. "It may be the wiser thing to do."

"And miss Red's reunion? Nah. I've got to see how Aunt D reacts to seeing him." Jen smirked. There was no way she was going to pass up seeing Delia's reaction, even if it meant running the potential risk of Mewtwo seeing her arm. She had yet to tell him that while he was under the effects of Lovrina's Snag Machine he had bitten her and left her arm bleeding.

Mewtwo glanced over at Jen questioningly. "Jen?"

"What? I don't want to miss Aunt Delia's reaction." Jen said, quickly brushing off the subject. "I can only imagine how the boys are going to tell her...this is going to be interesting."

Red looked over his shoulder at her and grinned slyly.

"Seriously, trainer girl, you should--"

"Nah! We've got to see Aunt D! Plus, you're still looking pretty worn out, Mewtwo." The grey Legendary was still recovering from his battle with his alternate. He was leaning a little on Jen as they walked, but his strength was gradually returning. "We can all rest once we get to the Ketchum's home."

Mewtwo gently slowed Jen down to a walk and reached for her injured arm. "Let me see your arm, Jen."

"Mewtwo--"

"I smell blood."

Jen paused as her mind rapidly attempted to come up with a way to stall Mewtwo from finding out. "It's not much. I'll ask Aunt D for her first aid kit, okay? We're falling behind."

The disguised Legendary didn't let her go. Instead, he slowed both of them down to a stop along the sidewalk. "Please do not hide anything from me, Jen, especially if you're wounded." He studied her expression for any tell-tale signs of distress or unease before glancing at her covered arm.

Jen slowly followed his gaze and grimaced. Fortunately, her jacket was dark enough to hide the red stains and the sting of the bite had dulled. However, the memory of receiving said wound was still fresh.

She recalled how quickly Mewtwo had attacked her; how much it hurt when his teeth tore through her flesh. The memory sent a shiver down her spine.

Mewtwo leaned towards her with a firm but concerned expression. "I saw that, Jen. Did he hurt you? Did I hurt you? There's a faint taste of blood in my mouth."

"...A little, but nothing that can't be healed. Like Haunter said, a quick stop to the Pokémon Center later will do all of us some good." She tugged on his arm and led him towards the Ketchum's house. "Ten minutes, got it?"