Hey, my name is Aisu, and... Well, this isn't my first fanfiction on PokeCommunity, but it's the first one I do plan on finishing, so I'll give it my all, and I'd appreciate it if you guys, my fellow writers/critiques, could review and help me in the struggle that is known as writing. Thank you, and please enjoy.
Table of Contents
The boy was at it again, it thought. Mew dared to move closer, absently shifting to a Spearow and perching on the eaves of a nearby home. He was racing down the dirt pathway that led straight through Pallet Town, breath wild enough to match his rapid heart that matched his feet whipping down the road. Behind him, the same three boys followed but at a much slower pace, shouting and screaming words it barely understood as human profanities.
Mew didn't know when it started, but one day it saw the little three-year-old sitting at the shore, stacks of books half-buried in the sand next to him. It was somewhat interesting how he such a young child reading several books with over eight hundred pages each day, but it was more interesting that unlike every other human it had ever encountered, this boy repelled its Psychic advances. It was unable to probe his mind for even the most fundamental information, and that was a source of interest for the ancient Pokémon. Never in its life had it found a human able to resist its Psychic powers, and it piqued its interest until it almost choked on it. Since that day it had taken up watching the boy, trying to discover what exactly made him so special.
Adults looked on from their daily duties and shouted at the boys but their pleas went unnoticed. Pokémon attempted to step in, only to be fought back by the boys' Raichu and Geodude. That left the poor little boy on his own as he attempted to outrun the older ones while carrying two large volumes and faced with a muddy terrain against his bare feet and their shoes, "sneakers" as the humans called them. It fidgeted on the house, edging towards him as he grew closer and closer. No, it thought, flitting away from the edge. Interfering with the humans is forbidden. I cannot—
"Zach! Allan! Corner him!" the tallest boy yelled at the others. They pushed the little one to the shore, circling him until he was a footstep away from plunging into the ocean's cool blue waters. That's Suicune's domain, Mew thought, spreading its wings to glide over. It set again in a tree that loomed over the water's surface, watching the tallest boy as he cracked his knuckles while approaching the little boy. Perhaps Suicune could aid him— It interrupted its own thought, already aware that Suicune would simply repeat the rules of the Legendaries to it. He was on his own.
"Get him, Joey," Allan, a short eight-year-old with shorter brown hair, smirked as he grabbed the boy's right arm. Zach, a slightly older and slightly taller redhead, took hold of the boy's left arm, the two of them holding him in place as their unofficial leader, Joseph, readied himself to attack the little one. Penetrating his superficial thoughts yielded results no better than his anger at having to visit his wayward uncle in Pallet Town and a cartoon called Fairly Odd Primeape coming on at 8 P.M., and as soon as it tried to dig deeper Joseph's face twisted in mild discomfort. Further prodding would only alert him to its presence, which was completely against Arceus' wishes for them to remain unobtrusive.
The first punch was rather quick, leaving not even an echo to prove its existence. If the boy's head hadn't snapped to the side, in fact, Mew doubted it would've known he had been punched at all. The second one was slower and the hard thump of bone on bone was obvious in the air as he moaned softly, blood trickling out from the corner of his mouth. The others and their Pokémon laughed as the boy was pitilessly thrashed, his books burned via Thunderbolt and tossed into the water.
Mew finally couldn't take it anymore; disregarding Arceus' rules, it leapt into the air, taking the form of a more fear-provoking Arcanine as it hit the ground, growling and snarling at the boy's opponents. They shouted and the main one Joseph yelled at the Raichu to use Volt Tackle. Mew met his eyes as he began the attack.
You should leave, it threatened telepathically.
"Why the hell should I?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes. Mew took a step forward, causing him to step back.
If you do not, you will have an angry Legendary Pokémon to deal with. It released its transformation for a moment, a mere inhale of breath, but that was enough time for the Raichu to squeak and tumble over the Geodude in his rush to scamper away. Mew barked at the three boys; they gave unmanly screams as they followed Raichu. In the end, Geodude was the only one remaining. I suggest you go with your Trainers, Mew said calmly, sitting down.
"No," he replied heavily. Mew inclined its head.
Not the smartest boulder of the bunch, are you?
"No," he repeated.
Mew slowly revolved to face the boy. He had fallen to his knees, hands over his bleeding and swollen face. It sniffed the air; the only smell in it was blood, with a faint trace of poinsettia, which seemed to be from his clothes. Astoundingly, he had not shed a single tear, otherwise Mew would've smelled the salt on him. It walked past him as he attempted to scrub the blood from his face with his shirt, shifting from Arcanine to Golduck as it slid into the water.
Thankfully, the edge of the water was not very deep, and it only had to search ten feet before finding the boy's lost books. It took hold of them and broke the surface, returning to its normal form to hover just above it. It hummed slightly as it used Heal Bell, the sweet cadence of tones drying the pages and recovering the charred parts. Mew was careful to leave the books just behind him, disappearing as he turned around. It settled itself behind a house as he stood, picking up the books with wary curiosity. He moved over to the shadow of another home before settling down again, cracking open one and immersing himself in its pages. Content, Mew took the form of a wild Nidoran♀ and shifted its attention to the others. Finding them was a menial task for its Psychic abilities; it quickly discovered them inside Pallet Town's Pokémon Laboratory.
The Professor, an elderly man called Oak or the Pokémon Professor, was feeding a pair of young Charmander when Zach, Allan, and Joseph burst in in a flurry. Oak turned, a greeting on his lips, but Joseph beat him to it, frantically screaming, "Arcanine! An Arcanine outside!"
Oak chuckled as the Charmander began a game of tag. "Is this like the time you said a Spearow was reading on your chimney, or an Aerodactyl was hiding under your bed?"
"It was!" he protested. "I was right then and I'm right now! Take a look!"
Deciding to humor the lad, Oak walked past him and pulled back the curtains on the window. Scanning the southern vicinity of Pallet yielded no results further than a couple of wayward Caterpie. Zach and Allan immediately worked themselves into a frenzy; Oak shook his head, silencing them. "Joseph, you really should stop making up these stories," he sighed. "I know your parents work frequently, however—"
"I'm not making it up!" he shouted. Raichu squeaked his assent, followed by Geodude's much less convincing support. "Man, whatever!" He spun on his heel, tailed by his Raichu. Zach was the first to chase after him, followed by Allan after he returned his Geodude. Mew dodged their wild feet as they stomped through the door, slamming it shut. Oak looked after them pitifully, similar to a parent that had to watch their child go rotten in front of their eyes, unable to help. Mew caught the door just before it closed, slipping through the crack of an opening. It paused just outside of the Pokémon Laboratory; the boy had disappeared from his spot. It sniffed around for him but couldn't find him at all; he must've been in a home, surrounded by other scents that overpowered his. Well, it couldn't linger on a human, not when it so markedly had a tongue lashing waiting in the other world.
The sun had begun to set, marking the time the humans chose to return to their dwellings for the evening. As soon as the last man disappeared inside his home, all thoughts calm and sedentary, Mew resumed its original form and sent a telepathic alert to Palkia. A small rip in the air appeared almost instantaneously, allowing it to slip through into the separate space known as Arceus' dimension.
The Alpha Pokémon had its back to the entrance Mew came in through, speaking in hushed mental tones to Rayquaza and Kyogre. It didn't understand very much of what it was saying, but Mew caught the gist that the two were being reprimanded for something. Rayquaza was scowling, an expression adopted from human adolescents, and Kyogre appeared impenitent, the rain not lamenting over whoever's home it drowned. Mew inaudibly floated up to one of the many bright stars littering the dark sky, hiding itself behind its brilliance. Arceus, for the most part, seemed oblivious. That is, until its thoughts finally reached Mew:
Come here; do not attempt to conceal yourself. This is my dimension; I would be a fool to not notice a soul wandering it.
Mew was silent and somber as it slowly floated down to the much larger Pokémon's side. Rayquaza chortled, a sound highly comparable to a crackle of thunder. I never thought these eyes would behold the Ancient Pokémon in my very own position! it laughed, throwing its head back and waving its tail. You are no better than either of us, recalcitrant little brat!
I am not a brat, Mew protested. It would be wise for you to watch your language in the face of your elder, Rayquaza. It punctuated the sentence with a sharp crack of ice to Rayquaza's tail; it gasped, snapping it back with obvious pain flashing across its draconic face. That expression quickly dissolved into its usual ferocious countenance as it lunged at Mew, held back at the last moment by Arceus' hoof.
Release me at once! it roared, eyes full of fire and jaw snapping hungrily. I'm completely fed up with this insolent little wench! This daft, the Ancient Pokémon, higher on the hierarchy than me? It barked out a humorless laugh. I'll chew you up and spit out the bloody bits, Mew!
Rayquaza, calm yourself! Arceus ordered. Its order could've went unspoken (or un-thought, would be a better phrase) for all the good it did; Rayquaza's temperament was no less volatile than when Mew first spoke (thought; speaking is for humans, it tried to remember) against it. Kyogre turned to Mew resignedly.
Perhaps you should take your leave, it suggested. A flare of protest rose in their minds; it turned to Arceus, the source of it, and continued, You may bend Mew's ear later, Arceus; for now, the main concern is calming Rayquaza before it forgets that its temperament maintains the protective layer around Earth, and such a puerile tantrum will put the planet in danger.
Excellent point, Arceus said, and if Mew didn't know any better it would say the ancient creator sounded petulant. It released its psychic hold on its body and let itself drift among the universe, letting the immensity and blinding iridescence of the stars envelope it like a blanket. Its attention wandered to a small glacial blue star alone in the far reach of the galaxy. Somehow, it reminded it of the boy.
——————
The initial shock hit Mew before any thoughts of what actually transpired. It was jolted from a momentary rest by an immense feeling of distress similar to electricity coursing through its small body. It spun until it was floating upright, searching Arceus' universe for whatever caused such a disturbance. It soon realized that the anomaly was not of their world, but of the humans', of the boy's. That thought had Mew practically screeching at Palkia to open a dimensional rift, the Space Pokémon grumbling at its volume in return as it took its sweet time opening a portal. Mew didn't even wait until it was fully formed; it shoved itself through when it was still the size of a tennis ball, altering its appearance slightly to make the squeeze.
Pallet Town, at first glance, was its usual mundane self, but a quick telepathic scan revealed something atypical travelling through the skies, Rayquaza's domain. It frantically searched all universes, the sub-domains of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos; however, Rayquaza was nowhere to be seen. Ah, damn it, Mew thought, grimacing slightly at its uncharacteristically human choice of words. The obtrusion that normally would have been instantly repelled by the dragon easily passed through the ozone, dropping like the meteor it was until it hit the ground, creating a tsunami of dirt and grass as it buried itself in the dirt of Route 1.
No sooner than when Mew decided to investigate the dust abruptly cleared, revealing a smooth purple stone inlaid into the earth. It pulsed with a steady heartbeat, it noticed, something so very alive and very wrong an involuntary shiver ran through its body. The heartbeat was soon accompanied by a visible purple corona that surrounded the small meteorite. Mew propelled its Psychic energy forward, trying to get a sense of it, but something about it was as repulsive as a Dark-type, reversing the flow of energy back to Mew and causing it a major migraine. It collapsed to the ground with a loud whine, clenching its small head until the splitting pain passed. When it returned to the air, the meteorite was gone.
What? Mew thought, flitting around in search of it. The crater was still there, tendrils of dark grey smoke wafting up from the charred earth, but the stone had completely vanished. It was then that Mew again felt that spine-tingling sense of wrongness, that chilling cold that permeated its body. It revolved slowly, apprehensive for the first time in its life, and beheld something that couldn't possibly have been of Earth, even though it somewhat resembled a Pokémon.
The thing had its back to Mew, coupled with the darkness faintly deterred by dim starlight and clouded moon, so it couldn't get an accurate view, but the things it could see were vivid enough. It had a mixture of orange and teal skin, two tentacles where each arm should have been, and legs that tapered to a point rather than having feet. As Mew watched, a sickly glug-glug-glug sound was emitted from its body, like water boiling under extreme heat but magnified and with reverb. Its head, previously oblong, shifted like clay being molded, changing to a three-pointed circle. Its tentacles shifted, uncoiling and falling limp around its thinning body, while its knees jutted out, becoming pointed, and its upper thighs smoothed somewhat. Mew covered its mouth to suppress a gasp; the only Pokémon capable of transforming were it and Ditto, Zorua and Zoroark as well if you were to count illusions, even though the alien Pokémon seemed quite real. It was obviously not Mew, and since Mew couldn't read its thoughts it couldn't have been a Ditto, so what was it?
A low buzz wrung Mew from its thoughts. It was unable to hide its gasp this time as it caught the foreign thing charging a ball of bright white energy in front of its assumed face, a move Mew instantly recognized. It attempted to race forward but, for the first time in its extremely long life, Mew tripped on itself, falling to the dirt. It rose just as the energy disappeared, then felt its heart stutter to a stop as the thing's body jerked forward with the huge pulse of blinding energy that poured forth from it, a high-pitched screeching noise succeeding it. The Hyper Beam was of a magnitude Mew had never seen from a non-Legendary; it sliced through the stone and brick homes as if they were water, not just blowing apart or destroying but completely obliterating them, as if they never existed in the first place, sweeping the attack side to side like a broom. A pain reverberated in Mew's chest as it felt dozens of thoughts abruptly disappear, leaving not even a trace as this—this monster was doing.
When it seemingly was mollified, cutting the attack off, three-fourths of Pallet Town had completely disappeared. Completely. It was as if somebody had cut a rectangular slice out of the area; nothing but air existed for at least a mile around, the dirt and rock deposits not even appearing until a hundred and twenty-two feet below the original height of the land. The alien looked between the destroyed and unharmed pieces of land as if admiring the job it did. Mew, frustrated, sent the strongest blast of Thunder in its direction that it could. To Mew's utter astonishment, the alien disappeared, leaving the attack to instead burn away a patch of dirt. What— it thought it incredulity, but was unable to finish as it heard something land in the dirt behind it. Mew's reaction was too slow; the alien blasted it with Zap Cannon, the electricity propelling it into the air until it hit the edge of the drop-off. It regained consciousness quickly enough for it to launch itself back in the air before it fell into the canyon that thing created.
Who are you? Mew pressed, though it was unsure if the thing could even process its words. Where are you from? Why are you attacking this town?
The alien either didn't want to respond or didn't understand the question, though it may have been more of the latter. It simply stood there, perhaps even inclined its head if Mew's senses weren't dulled. Mew sighed, resigning itself to the dreaded "forceful methodology" as it charged a Shadow Ball. The thing could apparently sense moves as well as it could utilize them—the way the purple stone embedded in its torso glowed could even be called a Psychic-type reaction, though Mew was beyond categorizing it with Earth Pokémon types for the time being—because it disappeared again just as Mew completed the attack. It spun, prepared to deal it, but the creature wasn't behind it. It prepared to lurch high into the air for a better view before it felt a painful jab in its back, followed by a gut-wrenching sting of something acidic that sent it sprawling on the floor, energy dissipating ineffectually into the air.
Uguu, Mew groaned, an icy feeling of numbness coursing through its veins. The thing's legs strolled into view; from Mew's angle, it seemed that it was staring down at it. Mew tried to raise its head but found its body completely useless. It took a few moments for Mew to realize that the thing was actually trying to communicate with it.
*EAR YUO HTE CASRNEOT OF LLA HRTEA MOKEONP?* The way it spoke alone was very perplexing; it was neither mental nor vocal, yet somehow Mew understood every word as if they were engraved upon its brain, understood perhaps being a poor choice of wording for its puzzling speech.
'Ear yuo hte casrneot of lla hrtea mokeonp,' Mew thought, utterly baffled. The alien shifted its feet in an almost apprehensive manner.
*MA DNUTRDOESO? MA CRUENTANI FI THAER KPOEOMN OPCMRHEEDN HTSI...* Mew felt something poke its back, then the alien's tentacle flipped it onto its back. It was staring at Mew inquisitively. *LEOSTNENHSE| I EAVH A RUPEOPS* It stepped back a few feet, tentacles raised in preparation to launch another attack.
Name, Mew said, though it came out as more of a weak whine. A name, please…
The alien visibly halted. *DEOXYS* it stated monotonously after five seconds' worth of deliberation. Suddenly Deoxys' head snapped to the sky, just in time to watch a pillar of orange and gold fire pierce it with laser accuracy. Deoxys skidded across the dirt, brown smoke momentarily obscuring it from view. When that cleared, the alien had obviously changed forms again. This one appeared defensive, if Mew had to describe it; Deoxys' body was rounder and its tentacles flatter and more malleable, obvious in the way they extended to shield its body from the Dragon-type's flames.
Rayquaza, Mew mewed. The Sky High Pokémon dropped to the ground, coiling itself like an Arbok and growling at its newest opponent. It grabbed Mew in its claws, not at all carefully or considerately but gently enough for it not to be crushed or choked.
You should thank Arceus I intervened when I did, it said with a draconic smile. At the same time, curse him for putting me on punishment. Mew involuntarily shuddered; Arceus' punishments were quite horrid. Otherwise I could've stopped this freak before it even entered my mesosphere.
*A NWE NEO* Deoxys said, what seemed to be amazement marring its face. *HET KSY HIGH MKOEPON| TEH AGUDRNAI FO ATHER'S EAHNEV*
What is this illiterate imbecile saying? Rayquaza snorted. Deoxys perhaps understood that, because it chose that moment to change back to its antecedent form, firing an impressive Ice Beam. Rayquaza dodged it easily, its speed being unparalleled, and the ice completely froze ten large oak trees. Rayquaza threw its head back and laughed, circling Deoxys like a Mandibuzz. Hah! The day I, the great Rayquaza, am overwhelmed is the day I relinquish my position as the Sky High Pokémon! You are no match, alien or not! Pokémon or not! Its tail glowed with blue and gold energy as it spun around, whipping it in Deoxys' direction. Deoxys blocked the attack again, though it did knock it back a few steps. It took that opportunity to shift again, this form appearing more aerodynamic and lithe. Its head protrusions streamlined like jet wings and it lost its topmost tentacles, its legs thinning instead. It looked Rayquaza directly in its eyes.
*YOU ARE NO MATCH* Something about its tone hinted it was just mimicking Rayquaza's words, but the dragon was angered nonetheless—not that angering it was a herculean feat since, after all, it had the shortest fuse of all Dragon-type Legendaries.
I am more than enough to deal with you! Rayquaza roared, seemingly forgetting that it was toting Mew as it raced towards Deoxys. The alien disappeared in the blink of an eye, forcing Rayquaza to stop just as it reappeared millimeters from its face. It spun around and jabbed Rayquaza right between the eyes with several quick strikes from its quicker legs, forcing the Legendary back in the air until it was far above the ruined Pallet Town. It roared in anger as Deoxys slowed enough to appear on one of the houses, expression almost pitiful. Mew grabbed Rayquaza's arm warningly but it shook it off, a deep rumble resonating in its throat as it fired an indeterminately powerful Dragon Pulse. Deoxys skittered away to the ocean's edge triumphantly as if it was expecting just that, as if it knew at first glance that Rayquaza was one to lose its temper and waste all of its energy in a single attack if provoked.
Deoxys' new form, obviously built for speed, effortlessly evaded Rayquaza's attack, and, unable to cancel it, the draconic energy easily wrecked the part of Pallet that Deoxys didn't, though instead of completely obliterating everything it simply destroyed it, leaving more graphic evidence in its place. The boy, Mew thought, an agitated gasp escaping its lips.
Boy? What boy? Mew cursed itself for making its thoughts audible; Rayquaza was as nosy as it was impertinent. Hah! Don't tell me that's why you were in trouble with the big guy! You interacted with one of those worthless little Rattata?
Mew ignored it for the time being, squirming free from its grip and salvaging the energy to gauchely float down. Rayquaza's destruction was patently messier than Deoxys', leaving debris and bodies scattered everywhere. It was startling the humans didn't go out to investigate; perhaps it was one of Deoxys' abilities that kept them inside where they were so obviously endangered. It checked the shore, the Pokémon Laboratory, and every ruined house, but it was unable to find a single trace of the boy. Maybe he was a victim of that Hyper Beam, it thought dejectedly, landing in a pile of torn mattress. Its feathery warmth somewhat reminded it of Ho-Oh, whom it hadn't seen in a very long time. It looked up disconsolately, watching Rayquaza lurch at Deoxys, sending it back a few steps, before snapping back into the sky to avoid its attacks. Though it recognized the strategy, it couldn't be happy about it; it simply felt mournful for the boy whose name it never knew.
Deoxys flinched as its foot scraped the lip of the ocean. It had reached the end of Pallet Town (or its remains, at least) and there was nowhere left to go but under. Rayquaza grew within breathing space and stuck its tongue out, whipping around to snap its tail in Deoxys' face. Deoxys stumbled back in the water, but the splash was never heard; Palkia took that moment to intervene with a space portal, sealing the alien in a different dimension. Mew sighed; they were safe, to be technical, but even Dialga's powers couldn't restore lives lost. The precocious little boy would forever be lost to the world.
Mew, quit daydreaming, Rayquaza chastised, prodding it with its tail. I know Arceus wants us all back to talk, so hasten yourself! It took off then, slithering through the sky and disappearing into the night. Mew started to rise, feeling the odd sensation of tears pricking at its eyes, and prepared to signal Palkia before a weak cry broke through the painful silence. It spun around, stretching its Psychic abilities as far as they could go, but it sensed no life. Its heart leapt; that meant only one person.
It traced the cry back to a brown-brick home that had completely collapsed. It paused, flitting from spot to spot and picking away at the bricks telekinetically, before the cry came again, this time from underneath the chimney. It was a simple yet arduous task to move the entire collapsed structure, but Mew, motivated, made quick work of it, revealing its little friend curled up amidst a few jutting wires that were presumably from the mantle. They held up the bricks, it thought, daring to move closer. This boy is lucky, indeed.
Mew initially tried to move it by use of Psychic; however, the boy's body absorbed its mental effort like a sponge, rendering it useless. Sighing, Mew found the energy to transform yet again, this time choosing a Charizard. It pushed back the debris and very carefully took the boy in its arms, noting with displeasure the extreme cold of his body. Perhaps that cry was his final breath, Mew thought melancholically. Nevertheless, it wasn't going to allow his body to decompose there; if the boy had truly died, it would give him a proper burial in due time. At that moment, however, its duties laid with the Legendary Pokémon of the world.
Palkia's gruff voice resonated in its mind, asking if it was ready to travel. Mew hoped it didn't sound as anxious as it believed as it agreed. The spatial rift appeared high in the sky, almost like a black eye against the moon. Mew flapped its wings, gliding on an uprising current to reach it. It grew close enough to taste the stardust but had to pause, turning to stare back at the desolate town. The humans would notice soon enough and put it on their "news network," it thought. It couldn't help but mourn for all the lives lost; it also couldn't help the deep feeling of resentment that congealed in its chest. It was Deoxys' fault, it thought. And it made sure to exact its revenge soon.
Arceus' impatient bark sounded from inside the portal. Giving Pallet Town one more despondent glance, Mew disappeared into the portal.
Table of Contents
Spoiler:
0.1 Prelude to Devastation
The boy was at it again, it thought. Mew dared to move closer, absently shifting to a Spearow and perching on the eaves of a nearby home. He was racing down the dirt pathway that led straight through Pallet Town, breath wild enough to match his rapid heart that matched his feet whipping down the road. Behind him, the same three boys followed but at a much slower pace, shouting and screaming words it barely understood as human profanities.
Mew didn't know when it started, but one day it saw the little three-year-old sitting at the shore, stacks of books half-buried in the sand next to him. It was somewhat interesting how he such a young child reading several books with over eight hundred pages each day, but it was more interesting that unlike every other human it had ever encountered, this boy repelled its Psychic advances. It was unable to probe his mind for even the most fundamental information, and that was a source of interest for the ancient Pokémon. Never in its life had it found a human able to resist its Psychic powers, and it piqued its interest until it almost choked on it. Since that day it had taken up watching the boy, trying to discover what exactly made him so special.
Adults looked on from their daily duties and shouted at the boys but their pleas went unnoticed. Pokémon attempted to step in, only to be fought back by the boys' Raichu and Geodude. That left the poor little boy on his own as he attempted to outrun the older ones while carrying two large volumes and faced with a muddy terrain against his bare feet and their shoes, "sneakers" as the humans called them. It fidgeted on the house, edging towards him as he grew closer and closer. No, it thought, flitting away from the edge. Interfering with the humans is forbidden. I cannot—
"Zach! Allan! Corner him!" the tallest boy yelled at the others. They pushed the little one to the shore, circling him until he was a footstep away from plunging into the ocean's cool blue waters. That's Suicune's domain, Mew thought, spreading its wings to glide over. It set again in a tree that loomed over the water's surface, watching the tallest boy as he cracked his knuckles while approaching the little boy. Perhaps Suicune could aid him— It interrupted its own thought, already aware that Suicune would simply repeat the rules of the Legendaries to it. He was on his own.
"Get him, Joey," Allan, a short eight-year-old with shorter brown hair, smirked as he grabbed the boy's right arm. Zach, a slightly older and slightly taller redhead, took hold of the boy's left arm, the two of them holding him in place as their unofficial leader, Joseph, readied himself to attack the little one. Penetrating his superficial thoughts yielded results no better than his anger at having to visit his wayward uncle in Pallet Town and a cartoon called Fairly Odd Primeape coming on at 8 P.M., and as soon as it tried to dig deeper Joseph's face twisted in mild discomfort. Further prodding would only alert him to its presence, which was completely against Arceus' wishes for them to remain unobtrusive.
The first punch was rather quick, leaving not even an echo to prove its existence. If the boy's head hadn't snapped to the side, in fact, Mew doubted it would've known he had been punched at all. The second one was slower and the hard thump of bone on bone was obvious in the air as he moaned softly, blood trickling out from the corner of his mouth. The others and their Pokémon laughed as the boy was pitilessly thrashed, his books burned via Thunderbolt and tossed into the water.
Mew finally couldn't take it anymore; disregarding Arceus' rules, it leapt into the air, taking the form of a more fear-provoking Arcanine as it hit the ground, growling and snarling at the boy's opponents. They shouted and the main one Joseph yelled at the Raichu to use Volt Tackle. Mew met his eyes as he began the attack.
You should leave, it threatened telepathically.
"Why the hell should I?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes. Mew took a step forward, causing him to step back.
If you do not, you will have an angry Legendary Pokémon to deal with. It released its transformation for a moment, a mere inhale of breath, but that was enough time for the Raichu to squeak and tumble over the Geodude in his rush to scamper away. Mew barked at the three boys; they gave unmanly screams as they followed Raichu. In the end, Geodude was the only one remaining. I suggest you go with your Trainers, Mew said calmly, sitting down.
"No," he replied heavily. Mew inclined its head.
Not the smartest boulder of the bunch, are you?
"No," he repeated.
Mew slowly revolved to face the boy. He had fallen to his knees, hands over his bleeding and swollen face. It sniffed the air; the only smell in it was blood, with a faint trace of poinsettia, which seemed to be from his clothes. Astoundingly, he had not shed a single tear, otherwise Mew would've smelled the salt on him. It walked past him as he attempted to scrub the blood from his face with his shirt, shifting from Arcanine to Golduck as it slid into the water.
Thankfully, the edge of the water was not very deep, and it only had to search ten feet before finding the boy's lost books. It took hold of them and broke the surface, returning to its normal form to hover just above it. It hummed slightly as it used Heal Bell, the sweet cadence of tones drying the pages and recovering the charred parts. Mew was careful to leave the books just behind him, disappearing as he turned around. It settled itself behind a house as he stood, picking up the books with wary curiosity. He moved over to the shadow of another home before settling down again, cracking open one and immersing himself in its pages. Content, Mew took the form of a wild Nidoran♀ and shifted its attention to the others. Finding them was a menial task for its Psychic abilities; it quickly discovered them inside Pallet Town's Pokémon Laboratory.
The Professor, an elderly man called Oak or the Pokémon Professor, was feeding a pair of young Charmander when Zach, Allan, and Joseph burst in in a flurry. Oak turned, a greeting on his lips, but Joseph beat him to it, frantically screaming, "Arcanine! An Arcanine outside!"
Oak chuckled as the Charmander began a game of tag. "Is this like the time you said a Spearow was reading on your chimney, or an Aerodactyl was hiding under your bed?"
"It was!" he protested. "I was right then and I'm right now! Take a look!"
Deciding to humor the lad, Oak walked past him and pulled back the curtains on the window. Scanning the southern vicinity of Pallet yielded no results further than a couple of wayward Caterpie. Zach and Allan immediately worked themselves into a frenzy; Oak shook his head, silencing them. "Joseph, you really should stop making up these stories," he sighed. "I know your parents work frequently, however—"
"I'm not making it up!" he shouted. Raichu squeaked his assent, followed by Geodude's much less convincing support. "Man, whatever!" He spun on his heel, tailed by his Raichu. Zach was the first to chase after him, followed by Allan after he returned his Geodude. Mew dodged their wild feet as they stomped through the door, slamming it shut. Oak looked after them pitifully, similar to a parent that had to watch their child go rotten in front of their eyes, unable to help. Mew caught the door just before it closed, slipping through the crack of an opening. It paused just outside of the Pokémon Laboratory; the boy had disappeared from his spot. It sniffed around for him but couldn't find him at all; he must've been in a home, surrounded by other scents that overpowered his. Well, it couldn't linger on a human, not when it so markedly had a tongue lashing waiting in the other world.
The sun had begun to set, marking the time the humans chose to return to their dwellings for the evening. As soon as the last man disappeared inside his home, all thoughts calm and sedentary, Mew resumed its original form and sent a telepathic alert to Palkia. A small rip in the air appeared almost instantaneously, allowing it to slip through into the separate space known as Arceus' dimension.
The Alpha Pokémon had its back to the entrance Mew came in through, speaking in hushed mental tones to Rayquaza and Kyogre. It didn't understand very much of what it was saying, but Mew caught the gist that the two were being reprimanded for something. Rayquaza was scowling, an expression adopted from human adolescents, and Kyogre appeared impenitent, the rain not lamenting over whoever's home it drowned. Mew inaudibly floated up to one of the many bright stars littering the dark sky, hiding itself behind its brilliance. Arceus, for the most part, seemed oblivious. That is, until its thoughts finally reached Mew:
Come here; do not attempt to conceal yourself. This is my dimension; I would be a fool to not notice a soul wandering it.
Mew was silent and somber as it slowly floated down to the much larger Pokémon's side. Rayquaza chortled, a sound highly comparable to a crackle of thunder. I never thought these eyes would behold the Ancient Pokémon in my very own position! it laughed, throwing its head back and waving its tail. You are no better than either of us, recalcitrant little brat!
I am not a brat, Mew protested. It would be wise for you to watch your language in the face of your elder, Rayquaza. It punctuated the sentence with a sharp crack of ice to Rayquaza's tail; it gasped, snapping it back with obvious pain flashing across its draconic face. That expression quickly dissolved into its usual ferocious countenance as it lunged at Mew, held back at the last moment by Arceus' hoof.
Release me at once! it roared, eyes full of fire and jaw snapping hungrily. I'm completely fed up with this insolent little wench! This daft, the Ancient Pokémon, higher on the hierarchy than me? It barked out a humorless laugh. I'll chew you up and spit out the bloody bits, Mew!
Rayquaza, calm yourself! Arceus ordered. Its order could've went unspoken (or un-thought, would be a better phrase) for all the good it did; Rayquaza's temperament was no less volatile than when Mew first spoke (thought; speaking is for humans, it tried to remember) against it. Kyogre turned to Mew resignedly.
Perhaps you should take your leave, it suggested. A flare of protest rose in their minds; it turned to Arceus, the source of it, and continued, You may bend Mew's ear later, Arceus; for now, the main concern is calming Rayquaza before it forgets that its temperament maintains the protective layer around Earth, and such a puerile tantrum will put the planet in danger.
Excellent point, Arceus said, and if Mew didn't know any better it would say the ancient creator sounded petulant. It released its psychic hold on its body and let itself drift among the universe, letting the immensity and blinding iridescence of the stars envelope it like a blanket. Its attention wandered to a small glacial blue star alone in the far reach of the galaxy. Somehow, it reminded it of the boy.
——————
The initial shock hit Mew before any thoughts of what actually transpired. It was jolted from a momentary rest by an immense feeling of distress similar to electricity coursing through its small body. It spun until it was floating upright, searching Arceus' universe for whatever caused such a disturbance. It soon realized that the anomaly was not of their world, but of the humans', of the boy's. That thought had Mew practically screeching at Palkia to open a dimensional rift, the Space Pokémon grumbling at its volume in return as it took its sweet time opening a portal. Mew didn't even wait until it was fully formed; it shoved itself through when it was still the size of a tennis ball, altering its appearance slightly to make the squeeze.
Pallet Town, at first glance, was its usual mundane self, but a quick telepathic scan revealed something atypical travelling through the skies, Rayquaza's domain. It frantically searched all universes, the sub-domains of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos; however, Rayquaza was nowhere to be seen. Ah, damn it, Mew thought, grimacing slightly at its uncharacteristically human choice of words. The obtrusion that normally would have been instantly repelled by the dragon easily passed through the ozone, dropping like the meteor it was until it hit the ground, creating a tsunami of dirt and grass as it buried itself in the dirt of Route 1.
No sooner than when Mew decided to investigate the dust abruptly cleared, revealing a smooth purple stone inlaid into the earth. It pulsed with a steady heartbeat, it noticed, something so very alive and very wrong an involuntary shiver ran through its body. The heartbeat was soon accompanied by a visible purple corona that surrounded the small meteorite. Mew propelled its Psychic energy forward, trying to get a sense of it, but something about it was as repulsive as a Dark-type, reversing the flow of energy back to Mew and causing it a major migraine. It collapsed to the ground with a loud whine, clenching its small head until the splitting pain passed. When it returned to the air, the meteorite was gone.
What? Mew thought, flitting around in search of it. The crater was still there, tendrils of dark grey smoke wafting up from the charred earth, but the stone had completely vanished. It was then that Mew again felt that spine-tingling sense of wrongness, that chilling cold that permeated its body. It revolved slowly, apprehensive for the first time in its life, and beheld something that couldn't possibly have been of Earth, even though it somewhat resembled a Pokémon.
The thing had its back to Mew, coupled with the darkness faintly deterred by dim starlight and clouded moon, so it couldn't get an accurate view, but the things it could see were vivid enough. It had a mixture of orange and teal skin, two tentacles where each arm should have been, and legs that tapered to a point rather than having feet. As Mew watched, a sickly glug-glug-glug sound was emitted from its body, like water boiling under extreme heat but magnified and with reverb. Its head, previously oblong, shifted like clay being molded, changing to a three-pointed circle. Its tentacles shifted, uncoiling and falling limp around its thinning body, while its knees jutted out, becoming pointed, and its upper thighs smoothed somewhat. Mew covered its mouth to suppress a gasp; the only Pokémon capable of transforming were it and Ditto, Zorua and Zoroark as well if you were to count illusions, even though the alien Pokémon seemed quite real. It was obviously not Mew, and since Mew couldn't read its thoughts it couldn't have been a Ditto, so what was it?
A low buzz wrung Mew from its thoughts. It was unable to hide its gasp this time as it caught the foreign thing charging a ball of bright white energy in front of its assumed face, a move Mew instantly recognized. It attempted to race forward but, for the first time in its extremely long life, Mew tripped on itself, falling to the dirt. It rose just as the energy disappeared, then felt its heart stutter to a stop as the thing's body jerked forward with the huge pulse of blinding energy that poured forth from it, a high-pitched screeching noise succeeding it. The Hyper Beam was of a magnitude Mew had never seen from a non-Legendary; it sliced through the stone and brick homes as if they were water, not just blowing apart or destroying but completely obliterating them, as if they never existed in the first place, sweeping the attack side to side like a broom. A pain reverberated in Mew's chest as it felt dozens of thoughts abruptly disappear, leaving not even a trace as this—this monster was doing.
When it seemingly was mollified, cutting the attack off, three-fourths of Pallet Town had completely disappeared. Completely. It was as if somebody had cut a rectangular slice out of the area; nothing but air existed for at least a mile around, the dirt and rock deposits not even appearing until a hundred and twenty-two feet below the original height of the land. The alien looked between the destroyed and unharmed pieces of land as if admiring the job it did. Mew, frustrated, sent the strongest blast of Thunder in its direction that it could. To Mew's utter astonishment, the alien disappeared, leaving the attack to instead burn away a patch of dirt. What— it thought it incredulity, but was unable to finish as it heard something land in the dirt behind it. Mew's reaction was too slow; the alien blasted it with Zap Cannon, the electricity propelling it into the air until it hit the edge of the drop-off. It regained consciousness quickly enough for it to launch itself back in the air before it fell into the canyon that thing created.
Who are you? Mew pressed, though it was unsure if the thing could even process its words. Where are you from? Why are you attacking this town?
The alien either didn't want to respond or didn't understand the question, though it may have been more of the latter. It simply stood there, perhaps even inclined its head if Mew's senses weren't dulled. Mew sighed, resigning itself to the dreaded "forceful methodology" as it charged a Shadow Ball. The thing could apparently sense moves as well as it could utilize them—the way the purple stone embedded in its torso glowed could even be called a Psychic-type reaction, though Mew was beyond categorizing it with Earth Pokémon types for the time being—because it disappeared again just as Mew completed the attack. It spun, prepared to deal it, but the creature wasn't behind it. It prepared to lurch high into the air for a better view before it felt a painful jab in its back, followed by a gut-wrenching sting of something acidic that sent it sprawling on the floor, energy dissipating ineffectually into the air.
Uguu, Mew groaned, an icy feeling of numbness coursing through its veins. The thing's legs strolled into view; from Mew's angle, it seemed that it was staring down at it. Mew tried to raise its head but found its body completely useless. It took a few moments for Mew to realize that the thing was actually trying to communicate with it.
*EAR YUO HTE CASRNEOT OF LLA HRTEA MOKEONP?* The way it spoke alone was very perplexing; it was neither mental nor vocal, yet somehow Mew understood every word as if they were engraved upon its brain, understood perhaps being a poor choice of wording for its puzzling speech.
'Ear yuo hte casrneot of lla hrtea mokeonp,' Mew thought, utterly baffled. The alien shifted its feet in an almost apprehensive manner.
*MA DNUTRDOESO? MA CRUENTANI FI THAER KPOEOMN OPCMRHEEDN HTSI...* Mew felt something poke its back, then the alien's tentacle flipped it onto its back. It was staring at Mew inquisitively. *LEOSTNENHSE| I EAVH A RUPEOPS* It stepped back a few feet, tentacles raised in preparation to launch another attack.
Name, Mew said, though it came out as more of a weak whine. A name, please…
The alien visibly halted. *DEOXYS* it stated monotonously after five seconds' worth of deliberation. Suddenly Deoxys' head snapped to the sky, just in time to watch a pillar of orange and gold fire pierce it with laser accuracy. Deoxys skidded across the dirt, brown smoke momentarily obscuring it from view. When that cleared, the alien had obviously changed forms again. This one appeared defensive, if Mew had to describe it; Deoxys' body was rounder and its tentacles flatter and more malleable, obvious in the way they extended to shield its body from the Dragon-type's flames.
Rayquaza, Mew mewed. The Sky High Pokémon dropped to the ground, coiling itself like an Arbok and growling at its newest opponent. It grabbed Mew in its claws, not at all carefully or considerately but gently enough for it not to be crushed or choked.
You should thank Arceus I intervened when I did, it said with a draconic smile. At the same time, curse him for putting me on punishment. Mew involuntarily shuddered; Arceus' punishments were quite horrid. Otherwise I could've stopped this freak before it even entered my mesosphere.
*A NWE NEO* Deoxys said, what seemed to be amazement marring its face. *HET KSY HIGH MKOEPON| TEH AGUDRNAI FO ATHER'S EAHNEV*
What is this illiterate imbecile saying? Rayquaza snorted. Deoxys perhaps understood that, because it chose that moment to change back to its antecedent form, firing an impressive Ice Beam. Rayquaza dodged it easily, its speed being unparalleled, and the ice completely froze ten large oak trees. Rayquaza threw its head back and laughed, circling Deoxys like a Mandibuzz. Hah! The day I, the great Rayquaza, am overwhelmed is the day I relinquish my position as the Sky High Pokémon! You are no match, alien or not! Pokémon or not! Its tail glowed with blue and gold energy as it spun around, whipping it in Deoxys' direction. Deoxys blocked the attack again, though it did knock it back a few steps. It took that opportunity to shift again, this form appearing more aerodynamic and lithe. Its head protrusions streamlined like jet wings and it lost its topmost tentacles, its legs thinning instead. It looked Rayquaza directly in its eyes.
*YOU ARE NO MATCH* Something about its tone hinted it was just mimicking Rayquaza's words, but the dragon was angered nonetheless—not that angering it was a herculean feat since, after all, it had the shortest fuse of all Dragon-type Legendaries.
I am more than enough to deal with you! Rayquaza roared, seemingly forgetting that it was toting Mew as it raced towards Deoxys. The alien disappeared in the blink of an eye, forcing Rayquaza to stop just as it reappeared millimeters from its face. It spun around and jabbed Rayquaza right between the eyes with several quick strikes from its quicker legs, forcing the Legendary back in the air until it was far above the ruined Pallet Town. It roared in anger as Deoxys slowed enough to appear on one of the houses, expression almost pitiful. Mew grabbed Rayquaza's arm warningly but it shook it off, a deep rumble resonating in its throat as it fired an indeterminately powerful Dragon Pulse. Deoxys skittered away to the ocean's edge triumphantly as if it was expecting just that, as if it knew at first glance that Rayquaza was one to lose its temper and waste all of its energy in a single attack if provoked.
Deoxys' new form, obviously built for speed, effortlessly evaded Rayquaza's attack, and, unable to cancel it, the draconic energy easily wrecked the part of Pallet that Deoxys didn't, though instead of completely obliterating everything it simply destroyed it, leaving more graphic evidence in its place. The boy, Mew thought, an agitated gasp escaping its lips.
Boy? What boy? Mew cursed itself for making its thoughts audible; Rayquaza was as nosy as it was impertinent. Hah! Don't tell me that's why you were in trouble with the big guy! You interacted with one of those worthless little Rattata?
Mew ignored it for the time being, squirming free from its grip and salvaging the energy to gauchely float down. Rayquaza's destruction was patently messier than Deoxys', leaving debris and bodies scattered everywhere. It was startling the humans didn't go out to investigate; perhaps it was one of Deoxys' abilities that kept them inside where they were so obviously endangered. It checked the shore, the Pokémon Laboratory, and every ruined house, but it was unable to find a single trace of the boy. Maybe he was a victim of that Hyper Beam, it thought dejectedly, landing in a pile of torn mattress. Its feathery warmth somewhat reminded it of Ho-Oh, whom it hadn't seen in a very long time. It looked up disconsolately, watching Rayquaza lurch at Deoxys, sending it back a few steps, before snapping back into the sky to avoid its attacks. Though it recognized the strategy, it couldn't be happy about it; it simply felt mournful for the boy whose name it never knew.
Deoxys flinched as its foot scraped the lip of the ocean. It had reached the end of Pallet Town (or its remains, at least) and there was nowhere left to go but under. Rayquaza grew within breathing space and stuck its tongue out, whipping around to snap its tail in Deoxys' face. Deoxys stumbled back in the water, but the splash was never heard; Palkia took that moment to intervene with a space portal, sealing the alien in a different dimension. Mew sighed; they were safe, to be technical, but even Dialga's powers couldn't restore lives lost. The precocious little boy would forever be lost to the world.
Mew, quit daydreaming, Rayquaza chastised, prodding it with its tail. I know Arceus wants us all back to talk, so hasten yourself! It took off then, slithering through the sky and disappearing into the night. Mew started to rise, feeling the odd sensation of tears pricking at its eyes, and prepared to signal Palkia before a weak cry broke through the painful silence. It spun around, stretching its Psychic abilities as far as they could go, but it sensed no life. Its heart leapt; that meant only one person.
It traced the cry back to a brown-brick home that had completely collapsed. It paused, flitting from spot to spot and picking away at the bricks telekinetically, before the cry came again, this time from underneath the chimney. It was a simple yet arduous task to move the entire collapsed structure, but Mew, motivated, made quick work of it, revealing its little friend curled up amidst a few jutting wires that were presumably from the mantle. They held up the bricks, it thought, daring to move closer. This boy is lucky, indeed.
Mew initially tried to move it by use of Psychic; however, the boy's body absorbed its mental effort like a sponge, rendering it useless. Sighing, Mew found the energy to transform yet again, this time choosing a Charizard. It pushed back the debris and very carefully took the boy in its arms, noting with displeasure the extreme cold of his body. Perhaps that cry was his final breath, Mew thought melancholically. Nevertheless, it wasn't going to allow his body to decompose there; if the boy had truly died, it would give him a proper burial in due time. At that moment, however, its duties laid with the Legendary Pokémon of the world.
Palkia's gruff voice resonated in its mind, asking if it was ready to travel. Mew hoped it didn't sound as anxious as it believed as it agreed. The spatial rift appeared high in the sky, almost like a black eye against the moon. Mew flapped its wings, gliding on an uprising current to reach it. It grew close enough to taste the stardust but had to pause, turning to stare back at the desolate town. The humans would notice soon enough and put it on their "news network," it thought. It couldn't help but mourn for all the lives lost; it also couldn't help the deep feeling of resentment that congealed in its chest. It was Deoxys' fault, it thought. And it made sure to exact its revenge soon.
Arceus' impatient bark sounded from inside the portal. Giving Pallet Town one more despondent glance, Mew disappeared into the portal.
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