Pokeumans Chapter 18

Asula and I spent the next hour pouring over the maps she had brought with her. I wasn’t being much help at first, alternating between clutching my friend’s capsules and caressing them, to attempting to listen to what she was talking about the map. Eventually, I was able to suppress the remnants of my friend’s cries for help and we slowly stitched the map fragments, piece by piece, into a larger one that detailed the surrounding area and beyond. As we looked at our finished work, I couldn’t help but feel doubt as it didn’t seem big enough to encompass a whole dimension. Then again, the Pokémon world seemed far smaller than the human world.

“What about over here?” I asked, pointing to what I thought was a dense forest.

“No, I think that’s more of a swampland,” the Milotic replied, craning her head to see as she lay curled on the ground in rest. “Give using your Energy Channeling a try and see if anything reacts.”

I did as she suggested and closed my eyes, focusing on the map. Nothing. That didn’t surprise me, but what did was that I sensed something else nearby. It certainly felt powerful. Not like Mr. X or Asula beside me, but somewhat similar. I wondered if it was a Pokéxtinction scout.

“Asula… Are you sure you lost the guards when we left?” I asked in a harsh whisper.

“Positive,” the Milotic replied, whispering just as quietly. She moved slowly from her position to curl around me and the basket with my friends, wary of the potential danger.

“So. You are looking for Xerneas and Yveltal, yes?” came an unfamiliar voice. Immediately I tensed up, ready to strike against any intruders.

“Wait a minute… I know that voice,” Asula said as she smiled, relaxing her tense body.

“Yes Asula, it has been quite a while,” the voice replied, as the figure appeared from the trees, clearing the branches and floating out in front of us.

My eyes widened.

It was Mew.

Mew was here.

“Are you looking for assistance?” he said with a cute, but serious smile.

I nearly fell on my rear end.

“Y-Y-You’re the Mew! Or is it Satoshi? But whatever, you’re Mew! What are you doing here? How did you find us? Shouldn’t you be in Japan?”

I rambled on, the words pouring out of my mouth like a waterfall as I gazed upon the small pink creature of legend. The one who made the games, the reason Mr. X is who his is today, Mew was the whole reason Pokéumans came into existence in the first place.

“My, my, he’s an energetic one isn’t he?” said the legendary in a jovial tone of voice. His voice… was strange, indescribable, really. It wasn’t Japanese, or American. It sounded ancient and young at the same time.

“Yes, this is the Energy Channeler I told you about before,” replied Asula, “This is Brandon.”

He floated over to me and started excitedly shaking my paw with his two small pink hands.

“Asula told me all about you, about your exploits, your encounters, your journeys; it seems you’ve been a busy Lucario hmm? The big hero of the Long Island Base!” said the pink Pokémon before me.

I didn’t know how to react, but as I stared at him, remembering all Asula had told me, remembering the way my friend’s souls had been sucked out right before my eyes. The way he was staring at me…it was so innocent…like he didn’t have a care in the world, blissfully unaware of everything I had just gone through. Before I could stop myself, I swung my paw at him and struck him across the face.

“Brandon!” exclaimed Asula in shock, she struggled to get up but couldn’t.

I started shaking uncontrollably as tears of anger streamed from my eyes, a deep shudder in my throat as I stared at the smaller creature.

“Y-You jerk! Don’t you realize this is your fault! Do you know how many innocent people have been taken away from their families, their homes, because of your actions! You left hundred, no thousands, of people to fend for themselves, you robbed so many people of their human bodies, not the mention all of the poor souls that have been brainwashed by the hands of Pokéxtinction! Not only have my friend’s souls been captured, but Dean, the one YOU sent in to be a mole, just lost his life at the hands of a monster that YOU created!”

Mew only stared at me as I continued to shout at him, the angry tears running down my cheeks, my face beet red, showing through my fur as I continued to vent.

“It’s been a hundred years! Why haven’t you DONE anything? Why is it suddenly up to me to stop Mr. X when he’s a product of YOUR MISTAKE?! You just sat there in your base, you had all the time in the world to stop Pokéxtinction, but now it’s suddenly MY responsibly? Everyone has been making me out as a hero, but I’m not a hero, I’m just a kid! AND KIDS SHOULDN’T BE STUCK UNDERGROUND, AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES, BATTLING MONSTERS TWICE THEIR SIZE, NEARLY DYING TWICE AND LOSING PEOPLE THEY CARE ABOUT!!!”

I couldn’t continue my rant; I collapsed to my paws and knees, sobbing hysterically. I didn’t notice, but Mew hadn’t said anything during my tirade. He merely smiled sadly, holding the spot on his cheek where I had hit him.

“It’s funny…I deserved to be slapped, after everything…the terrible mistake I’ve made…all the lives I’ve affected…but…you’re the first person to do it…”

He floated over and hugged me as the hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

“I’m…sorry…” I sobbed out, as my anger slowly faded and my senses returned.

Asula managed to slither over and hug both of us as I sniffled and gripped her scaly tail. Mew hung his head down, and took a deep breath.

“It’s true…” he said, with a sad grin, “I didn’t do anything to stop Mr. X. This is my responsibility, yet you’ve been the one doing all the work…”

I wiped my face on my arm and sniffled.

“I didn’t do anything because…I’m a coward. I’ve told everyone it’s because I thought the Pokéumans could help stop Mr. X and somehow return him to normal…but in reality…it’s because I’ve always been afraid of my mistake, I’ve been unable to look it in the eye. And truth be told, I was willing to let this conflict draw out over a few more years…only now do I realize I did too little too late.”

I looked at the pink creature, and only then did I see the pitiful Pokémon before me, one who truly felt remorse for his actions, and I saw in his aura that he was willing to do whatever it took to make up for it.

After a few moments, I had the courage to speak again.

“Wait a second, hold on, if you’re Mew, which means you’re also Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of the games right? Won’t anyone notice that you’ve gone missing?”

Ignoring the red mark on his cheek, Mew smiled again, returning to his bubbly personality. I really should’ve been more upset, but I was too tired to be angry again.

“Already taken care of my friend, the Satoshi you all know is a clone I created…of myself! He’s formed his own identity, and he knows nothing of his true origins, but he’s still based off me. That way I’ve been able to lead the Pokéuman Resistance from Tokyo, while my doppelganger can head the Pokémon Company without suspicion.”

I couldn’t believe any of this. I turned to my headmaster, who was still leaning against the tree.

“Asula, please tell me what’s going on here,” I pleaded.

She sighed quietly, “Brandon…I knew this mission would be incredibly dangerous. In fact, I didn’t want to send you or the others because I was afraid something like this would happen. But then Ryan escaped and led Pokéxtinction to us and attacked our base…and I was left with no choice. The Commander demanded I go after you, even though I told him I had to protect the base. But he insisted. It was then that I realized I had to call Mew; he was the last person I could trust to protect you…”

Mew nodded, “At first the HQ wouldn’t allow me to leave, with Pokéxtinction activity on high alert they didn’t want to risk losing me to Mr. X, but I knew I had to come and assist you. I managed to enter the dimension using a spare gem one of my agents had brought me. It was only through my use of Transform and the trust of my closest advisors I was even able to escape my own. We had received many Dimensional Gems from other sources over the years, so it wasn’t too hard to create a portal of my own.”

I sighed, “So now that you’re here; what’s the plan? We still need to find these two Pokémon “Xernis” and “Eveltal” and return my friends to their proper bodies.”

“You mean Xerneas and Yveltal right? Ah yes, they were the original Energy Channelers, though I have never met them myself. In fact, I’ve been away from my original comrades for such a long time.”

Asula and Mew both didn’t say anything for a bit. Asula was weakly leaning on the tree while Mew was deep in thought.

“Tell me young one, what’s your current move set?”

“Uh…Aura Sphere, Rock Slide, Iron Tail, and uh, Psychic…” I said.

“Ah yes, very diverse…how are your fighting skills?”

Asula looked up, “He defeated the Elite Four of the Long Island Base, and it wasn’t just his Energy Channeling that scored him victory, he proved he is a capable fighter as well, I watched the whole thing.”

“Please don’t tell me I have to fight more legendaries…” I moaned.

Mew shook his head, “No, no, you don’t, even if so the legendaries you fought in those isles weren’t real.”

My head snapped forward, “What?”

“Actually, even before my comrades moved to this dimension, we formed a security system to protect The Creator.”

“Arceus right?”

“Correct, you see the Legendary Pokémon such as Dialga and Palkia exist on a cosmic plane, while others, such a Groudon and Kyogre, regulated the land and sea. However, this meant they were vulnerable to attacks, and so, we devised a system so that anyone looking the challenge the legendary Pokémon would instead fight a realistic mirage of them, thereby allowing the Legendaries to maintain their jobs while protecting The Creator. However, we had written in the ancient scrolls that the mirages were the real Legendary Pokémon. I guess they utilized the system a bit differently here.”

“Yeah, they were guarding keys to Mt. Origin. So if the legendaries we fought were mirages…that means…”

I dropped to my knees, becoming overwhelmed again. We were fighting mere mirages, my friends lost their souls over mirages…and Dean…suffered a fate worse than death…

I felt Mew patting me on the back. I felt like a cursed being, I survived yet my friends were the ones trapped.

“May I…see them?”

I turned my head, “What?”

“Your friends…I would like to see them.”

I looked down, shaking my head for a moment before slowly handing the capsules over to the pink Pokémon. I could still hear some of my friends calling for help, a dark whisper in my mind that I could not completely block out. However, I heard nothing from Starr, Amy or Darren. Mew studied each of the capsules, first Cameron’s, then Sakato’s, Nathan and the rest.

“It’s what I feared…it seems Mr. X has learned the basis of Energy Channeling; not as powerful as a natural-born, but strong enough to rip souls from their bodies. Even if we do find Xerneas and Yveltal, I’m not sure what we can do.”

“That’s helpful…” I spat bitterly.

Mew picked up the capsule containing Darren’s soul.

“Hmm…interesting. This one appears to contain a Golurk.”

“So?”

The Mew scratched his chin in thought, “Well, Golurk are special, since their soul is their main driving force, unlike most souls that bind the body to it. Like many Ghost-Pokémon, they have free-roaming souls, not bound to any mere form.”

“And what does that mean?” I asked quizzically.

Asula lifted her head up, “It means if we can find an empty Golurk body, even if it’s not his original, we can still transfer Darren’s soul.”

My ears perked up, “Really?”

Mew nodded, “It’s true, and it would be wise to gain a comrade for your endeavors ahead.”

Asula nodded, “And Darren’s scientific knowledge would help us in rebuilding the Teleport Gems. However, it is a matter of locating Xerneas and Yveltal that we have reached a trouble spot.”

I lowered my ears again, “Okay, I get it, I need to find these two Pokémon, exactly how do we plan on doing that? You’ve never been to this dimension either, if I recount the story! Even if we build a Teleport Gem, it’s not going to help since we have no idea where these Pokémon are!”

The two stared silently at me for a moment; I could see the realization on their faces. I slid to the ground against a tree. It was hopeless; all we had were pieces to this great big puzzle. I could see the picture clearly, but there were large chunks, pieces that connected everything together, missing. If only we had just one connecting piece; something that could start our journey, then maybe we wouldn’t be sitting here talking all day. I looked at the capsule containing Darren’s soul. It shone a bright blue, and I could feel the energy of the Golurk that lay inside.

If only Darren had a body. That would be a good place to start.

A body...a Golurk body.

And that’s when it hit me. I realized where we could get a body. I turned to face Mew.

“MEW! COULD YOU TRANSFORM INTO A GOLURK SO WE CAN PUT DARREN’S SOUL IN A BODY?!” I shouted out loud before covering my mouth with my paws.

Unfazed by my sudden outburst, the pink Pokémon merely smiled and giggled, “My, my, what a clever idea! I don’t know if it’ll work but it’s worth a try!”

Asula looked at him, “But Mew, what if your soul gets absorbed? Can you even share a body with another soul?”

Mew smiled, “It’s worth the risk my dear, anything to start us off in the right direction.”

The pink Pokémon closed his eyes and spun around in the air, glowing a bright white before his shape changed into that of a heavy robot; landing on the ground with such force it created a minor earthquake. His eyes opened, revealing the same shade of pink as his fur once was. Mew was now a Golurk.

"My word it has been a long time since I have turned into one of these," said the newly transformed Mew, examining his body. His voice was different; it sounded like it was passed through a robotic filter. "Brandon, you should be able to transfer Darren's soul into my body. I don't know what will happen, but this is our only chance to progress forward."

"Alright, let's just hope this works."

Gently I placed Darren's capsule on the grass. I sat down, legs crossed, next to it and closed my eyes.

Focus...breathe...I have to focus...

In my mind, I saw Spiritus and Reggie, both nodding in silent encouragement. I had transferred my own life energy, and I had absorbed it from others, but I had never attempted to move someone else's life energy before. Mew managed to hunker down his mechanical body onto the ground and lay down next to me.

"Go for it, do not be afraid. You know what to do, let the energy guide you," I heard Spiritus say in my mind.

I took a deep inhale and raised my aura sensors. I saw it once more; the energy paths of all that surrounded me.  

Darren's soul shone even brighter as I placed my paw on the capsule, and my other on Mew/Golurk's forehead. My sensors rose as I felt the warmth start, traveling through my paw. Suddenly, I felt Darren's presence surging through my body, using my arms as a path for his soul to take.

I can do this...this is easy...soon...Darren will…ugh...what is this? What is this feeling?

Without warning, my heart started racing, and an unbearable heat coursed through my body. I cried out as a sudden pain attacked all of my muscles, my arms tensing up, paralyzed and unable to break free of their grip. I began to sweat as my heart began beating faster, the energy soaring through my veins like blood rushing to warm someone. The sweat was pouring down my face, and soon thousands of images began flashing before my eyes, and I realized they must have been Darren's memories. Throughout it all I kept seeing one familiar face... a female Flygon, and severe emotional pain wracked by soul every time I saw her. I didn't realize in the moment, but it was the pain of unrequited love. But then images of Amy appeared, and I soon felt the emotion of caring, and parental protection. Hundreds of encounters, emotions, pain, anger, anguish, love, care flowed into me at once...it was all too much to take. I screamed in pain as the heat increased, my eyes dilated; there was a ringing in my ears. Somewhere I heard Asula shouting, but I was beyond words. I didn't know what was happening, I begged it all to stop, but nothing happened. The pain, my heartbeat, the sweat, the visions, the ringing, the heat...all of it was unbearable!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I suddenly felt something cold and wet strike me across the face, and soon I faded into unconsciousness...

I didn’t know where I was; it felt like I was floating. No…that wasn’t the right word. Suspended was more appropriate. There was nothing in the background, nothing. Not darkness, not white…just…nothing.

I was aware of the fact I was conscious, but in the moment, I didn’t think or feel anything, I was trapped in this state of pure nothingness.

Trapped…like my friends had been.

And with that thought, it all came back.

I gasped and coughed as I suddenly woke up, my head was pounding, my body aching. My vision was blurry and there was a dull ringing in my ears. I rubbed my eyes before gasping in pain and lying back down.

“Br…don…ar…ou….kay?”

That voice…it was familiar.

“Ar…you….wak…?”

It was then that I realized I was no longer in the forest. The ground felt hard, like rock. My vision finally returned and I saw where I was. I was in a cave of some sort. There was a massive rock blocking the entrance, and the only light source was tiny sliver coming from a crack in the ceiling, but it was enough to take in my surroundings. I saw the capsules of my friends in a neat little grass basket to the left of me. I looked over to the right; it was Asula who was tending to me.

“Oh Brandon, Brandon, thank goodness you’re awake…” she said, wrapping her tail around me in a hug.

“What…happened…?” I asked wearily, the words sapping my energy as they left my throat.

The Milotic’s eyes were wet, as if she had been crying. This was jolting, I had never seen Asula cry before, and even when she was angry I had never seen anything resembling tears in her eyes.

“You went into cardiac arrest…I thought I had lost you…”

My blood ran cold. Cardiac arrest? That meant I had…I h-had…

“I had to use Recover on you, but I didn’t think I was going to make it in time. Pokéxtinction soldiers were approaching, so I took you to this cave.”

That’s when I remembered.

“Darren! Mew! Is he okay?! I didn’t…”

Asula pointed her tail over to the Golurk body lying on the floor.

“You managed to transfer Darren’s soul into Mew’s body. Mew wasn’t as bad as you, but he hasn’t woken up yet. I’ve been trying everything…”

I almost breathed a sigh of relief. So I hadn’t killed Darren/Mew after all.

I groaned as I tried to sit up, but Asula laid me back down.

“Don’t get up, you’re still weak, you need to rest…”

I nodded, the pain was still overwhelming. I closed my eyes, and let the overwhelming desire to sleep take over…

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the cave I was in, but Asula and Mew were nowhere to be found. As I looked around, I saw a familiar Lucario sitting crossed legged in the middle of the area where the light was shining down.

Spiritus…my guardian…my ancestor…my friend.

“Sit young one.”

I sat.

“I almost died…” I said with nausea in my voice. This was the second time my life had almost been taken from me in the past 48 hours. I felt sick to my stomach.

Spiritus nodded somberly, “I know.”

The two of us sat quietly, not saying a word. Every time something tried come out, it got caught in my throat and was forced back down.

Spiritus, after a long period of silence, nodded again.

“You tried to do something you were not prepared for, and it almost cost you your life…” he said in a whisper.

“Reggie and I were able to keep your life energy from fading, but it was too close for me to feel comfortable.”

I looked down at my feet. I said nothing for a while.

“Please…tell me about the original Energy Channelers. The masters…”

The old Lucario looked up at the sky, through the beam of light shining on him.

“I do not know if they are willing to teach you young one.”

Again, I said nothing.

“These two Pokémon are very powerful, the ability to grant life and take it away as well. They represent balance, and discipline. To have the power to grant and take, but to use it wisely, that is where true power lies.”

Finally, he smiled at me.

“You did what you had to young one, and you were willing to sacrifice your life, but what you also did was dangerous. You must realize you have limits.”

I nodded slowly.

“Xerneas and Yveltal will come to you when they feel you are worthy…until then, reflect on what you have learned, and will learn…”

As with that, the cave vanished, Spiritus vanished, and everything returned to darkness…

When I woke up, I felt my body returning to normal. I turned my head to the side, there were three Oran berries. I grabbed them and popped them into my mouth, crunching and savoring their unique flavor. Soon enough the energy began to flow into my body; allowing me to return to full strength. Once I was fully rejuvenated I sat up, stretched, and looked around. Mew was still lying on the floor in his Golurk form, still unconscious. Asula was nowhere to be found; she was probably out gathering food. I looked at the basket that contained the capsules of my friends’ souls. I didn’t hear anything from them, it was as if they were all asleep. I did notice one of them was empty, with a slight crack in it…Darren’s. I crawled over to the unmoving Golurk and closed my eyes. There was still life inside this body, but I wasn’t sure if it was Mew’s or Darren’s. If only I could wake him up, I could be sure!

Without thinking, I reached out my paw and touched the ‘bandage’ on his chest, and started to feel the energy flow…

“BRANDON WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

The words shot through my spine like a cold arrow and I froze in place.

I felt a scaly tail wrap tightly around my waist and pull me away, almost slamming me against the wall. Asula wrapped her head around and glared at me with piercing eyes that would scare anyone silly.

“ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED YOUNG MAN?!”

Asula was clearly angry, I was too afraid to form words and I let out a pitiful squeak of fear.

“YOU ALMOST DIED TRYING THAT, DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE DUMB ENOUGH TO DO IT AGAIN!” she roared with furious discontent.

I was terrified she’d end up killing me right then and there. All I could muster was a very small “Yes ma’am…”

Asula loosened her grip on me and I slid to the floor, my heart beating rapidly from the frightening encounter. She sighed and turned away.

“I’m sorry Brandon…but I couldn’t bear to lose you…not again…” she said quietly.

I didn’t blame her, the traces of the Berserk Gene in her body is what caused her uncontrollable anger. The same gene she lost her brother to. And she didn’t want to lose me too.

“It’s okay Asula…I-I’m sorry too.”

She gave me a small smile, “No wonder you were the best student at our base. Anyways I gathered some herbs and berries, I think we can wake up our friend and see the results.”

Asula plucked out some berries and herbs she had stashed in a grass pouch. She crushed them up with a rock, and mixed it with some water in a left. She them spread the mixture onto the Golurk’s body, and it dripped down into the “crack” on its chest. I held my breath in anticipation.

Soon enough, the dull eyes lit up, only this time they were yellow instead of pink. The robot turned his head left, then turned it right, and then looked at me.

“Where am I?” said Darren’s voice clearly.

“Darren? Is that you?” I asked tentatively.

“Of course it’s me, who else could it be?” said the robotic Pokémon, sitting up.

Suddenly Darren’s head spasmed and his eyes became Mew-pink once more. He stared at me, blinking for a second before he spoke in Mew’s robotic voice.

“Young one, you’re okay!” he said excitedly.

“Mew? Is that you?” I asked, confused.

“Yes it is me. I appear to have lost consciousness after your attempted soul transfer. If I am still here, that means…”

Mew’s head then spasmed once again and his eyes returned to being yellow.

“Where did I go just now?” asked the Golurk, but in Darren’s voice.

“Uh oh…” Asula mumbled.

“What’s going on? What’s happened to them?” I asked, panicking.

Asula looked into Darren’s eyes, “I don’t know, I think you managed to get both souls into the same body, and now they’re switching control at random.”

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Darren.

I turned around, “You don’t remember? Mr. X separated your soul from your body and placed it into a capsule.”

Darren scratched his head, “No, the last thing I remember was being strapped to a table, then the next thing I know…”

Darren stopped speaking and his head spun around, revealing pink eyes.

“…the transfer was not successful,” finished Mew’s voice. He paused for a moment, “Did I just go somewhere young one?”

“Hmm, I think I see a pattern. When his eyes are yellow, then Darren is in control. When they are pink, it’s Mew,” Asula said.

“Well this is certainly odd…I’ve never really experienced something like this before,” Mew said before his head spun around once again and his eyes changing color.

“Okay what is going on? I keep hearing voices in my head and blacking out!” Darren’s voice said impatiently.

Asula and I explained the situation to Darren, so both he and Mew knew what was going on. Darren’s eyes seemed to shrink as the story continued on.

“Wait a second, so I’m in the actual body of Mew? The actual Mew? Oh my god…” he said quietly.

Suddenly his eyes widened again and filled with realization.

“Amy! Where’s Amy?! Is she okay?!” he yelped.

I looked at him solemnly before brining the basket over with the capsules, pulling out the one that contained the Jigglypuff’s soul. The Golurk looked like he was going to burst into tears as he gingerly held Amy’s capsule in his massive hands.

“He’s going to pay for this…I’ll make him pay for this…” His voice was quavering, but filled with anger. Asula came over and put her tail on his shoulder.

“I know Darren; we’re going to get her back, but we need your help,” said the Milotic.

“How can I help? I’ll do whatever it takes…”

I told him about Xerneas and Yveltal, and how I needed to learn how to move souls. We needed his technical knowledge to build us a new Teleport Gem to locate them. The Golurk nodded in understanding.

“Alright, I think I can do that for you, I don’t have my tools but I can try and muster something up.”

Suddenly there was a loud rumbling; the sound of explosions filled the air. I scrambled to the cave’s entrance and pulled the rock over to look outside.

“Oh no…” I whispered in horror.

Pokémon were marching down the forest. Not just any Pokémon, but brainwashed members of Pokéxtinction. Soldiers, wearing heavy armor and carrying massive guns were trailing alongside them. The forest was on fire, and any Pokémon they saw running for their lives were immediately zapped with their lasers, paralyzing them. Mr. X was beginning his onslaught.

“We’re too late! Pokéxtinction has begun their invasion! How are we going to get out of here?”

Darren’s head spun around and his eyes changed to pink once again just as an explosion rocked the cave.

“What’s happening?” asked Mew.

“No time to explain, we have got to get out of here!” I yelled.

Suddenly the rock blocking our only way out shattered as a Rhydon with gray eyes burst into through the mouth, along with Pokéxtinction troops, pointing their guns at us.

“Look! Three more are in here! Get them!” one of them shouted.

Asula raised her tail, creating a Surf attack that washed them out of the cave. Seeing the commotion, more soldiers ran our way.

“WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!” I screamed.

Mew looked around and then at his body before his eyes lit up. “Ah-ha! Young one; grab hold of me, I’ll fly us out of here!”

“What about Asula?!” I asked frantically.

The Milotic turned her head and nodded at me, “Mew, take Brandon away from here. Don’t worry about me; these guys won’t take me out! Meet me back at the village when you find Xerneas and Yveltal!”

The headmistress washed away another wave of extinctionists, their laser beams merely bouncing off her scaly skin. Asula was tougher than I realized.

She looked into my eyes. I remembered when I had first met her, before all of this happened.

“Good luck Brandon…”

I quickly scooped up the capsules as Mew swept me into his massive arms. I could only look with tears in my eyes as Mew’s Golurk legs retracted and began to life off at jet engine speeds, using his spare arm to punch through the ceiling, causing it to collapse. I shut my eyes, but I could still sense the destruction below me, although I didn’t want to see it. The world rushed around me as Mew took off into the sky and flew at Mach speed away from the scene. I could only grip on tightly to him, hoping for the best.

Hoping to save my friends, Asula, and this world.

---

We flew for an unspecified amount of time. I didn’t know if time worked the same way here than it did back at home, but it didn’t matter. Mew didn’t say anything during the flight; his pink eyes kept staring forward as he held me in his massive arms. I didn’t hear the sounds of my friends anymore emanating from their capsules, they had long been silenced. I peered over the landscape, watching the trees and lakes fly by. There was smoke rising above the trees in the distance. There was no doubt that it was the Pokéxtinction troops’ coup de grace; they were taking over the natural Pokémon.

“What are we going to do?” I asked.

Mew didn’t answer; he just kept looking forward and flying in a straight line. He was probably trying his hardest to suppress Darren’s consciousness; if Darren suddenly found himself flying out of nowhere, he’d most likely become disoriented and crash.

We were heading into the mountain region of the dimension, and soon the trees were replaced with rocky cliffs and crags. There were also many craters in the area, as if the region was hit by meteorites. It was then that I suddenly felt a strong energy in the area; it reminded me of something familiar…

I remembered: the Dimensional Gems! It was the same kind of raw energy they exuded!

“Mew! Stop! There’s some kind of energy coming from down there!”

The Golurk nodded and suddenly went into a nosedive. I hung on for dear life as Mew headed towards the ground, headed for a particularly huge crater. Before he hit the ground, he slowed down, repositioned himself so he was straight up, and landed on the cliff like a rocket before his legs grew back. The moment his feet touched the ground his head spun around and his eyes became yellow once more.

“Ugh! My head! Oh my god, where are we?” came the voice of Darren, confused and bewildered.  

“Mew had to bust us out of the cave,” I said, looking around at the nearby surroundings. I took the grass basket containing the capsules and tied it to my waist like a fanny pack. “We’ve been flying for a good long while, and I had detected something down here.”

I caught a glimpse of some Rock-type Pokémon staring at me from afar; Geodude and Roggenrola were hiding in fear from us, and I didn’t want to scare them even further. Darren was scanning the area as well, his eyes flickering like a scanner.

“Like what? All I see are miles of mountains, rocks and holes in the ground.”

“I dunno, something…something really important.”

The Golurk finished scanning and spun his head around, “Alright Brandon, what’s the game plan?”

I turned to him. “We need to recreate the Teleport Gems to get back to Otium Village once we find Xerneas and Yveltal.”

Darren scratched his head and coughed, “Alright, but why go back there? Shouldn’t we just head for the top of Mt. Origin instead?”

I sighed, “Well, I’m pretty sure the bodies of our friends will be there too; Mr. X is probably using them as guards.”

Darren nodded as he slammed his massive fist into his palm, growling in the way only a ghost robot can, “I’m going to make him pay. That evil son of a…!”

“Darren! Look over here!”

I felt it; the energy once again. It was coming from part of the cliff’s wall. I walked over to it and knocked on it; it didn’t feel solid.

“I think there’s something behind this wall, can you…?”

Before I finished my question Darren had slammed his fist into the rock, deeply embedding it into the wall. Cracks formed quickly, and soon the wall collapsed, creating a great big hole that lead into a tunnel.

“Whoa…I wonder where it leads to…” I thought out loud.

Darren poked inside, “I think I see light coming from inside…”

My aura sensors suddenly jumped up, as if startled by something. I felt my feet being dragged against the rock as I was pulled into the cavern by some kind of mysterious force. Something inside was…calling to me. It was if I was the pole of a magnet and was reuniting with my opposite.

“Hey Brandon? Brandon? Where are you going? Wait up!” I heard Darren call, but I didn’t turn around or respond.

I was aware I was using my own two feet, but I wasn’t controlling them, nor did I resist as I was pulled into the depths of the cave. Eventually my feet stopped as I approached the recesses of the cavern, and I was frozen with awe. Behind me, I heard Darren’s clunky footsteps as he ran to catch up with me.

“Brandon you can’t just run off like…whoa…”

The whole cavern was filled with beautiful crystalline slabs, in a variety of colors, most of them sticking out from black, shiny rocks. Within each slab of crystal, I could see little swirls that looked like the inside of a glass marble. The energy in the room was remarkably strong. I could feel raw power surging through my veins, nearly intoxicating me with the sensation. I couldn’t move; I could hardly breathe as I stood there mesmerized. There was one particular slab in the center of the room, and my feet slowly moved me towards it.

“Brandon? What are you doing? Don’t touch that! It could be…”

Darren’s voice was cut off and I could sense Mew regaining control of the body.

“What the…? Young one! What is all of this? Where are we?” he asked frantically as his eyes became bright pink.

I didn’t answer him. I just continued to walk towards the crystal, ignoring all of the others. It was a beautiful shade of amber, and the toothpaste-like swirl in the center was red, blue and black, reminding me of a squirt of Aquafresh toothpaste. I crouched down and stared into it, seeing my reflection within its glimmering glory, before reaching out and placing my paw on it. My body instantly reacted, sending a shiver of warm energy down my spine. This crystal, whatever it was…I couldn’t explain it…it felt like it was a part of me.

“Mew…what is this? It feels…good…” I mumbled.

Mew, who was busy looking at the other crystals that lined the cavern, quickly walked over to me and studied it.

“I have no idea…I can sense a really strong energy coming from all of these crystals. There are nothing like these on Earth…”

“This one right here…it feels like it’s important to me. I can’t explain it but, I need to take a part of it with us.”

Mew rubbed his head, “Well I’m not sure if we can lug this heavy thing around with us, and while I do sense there is a good amount of energy coming from it, I don’t know if it’ll help us.”

I grabbed the crystal and yanked hard, but it was stuck to the cavern floor. Not really thinking, I pounded it as hard as I could, but only succeeded in making my paw sore.

“It’s stuck,” I whined, “How are we going to take it with us?”

Mew studied it, “Well, if it’s really that important to you, I could trim it down into something like a marble. That way you can carry it with you.”

I pressed my face against the slab, “Make sure you get that swirl in the center, I can really feel a lot of the energy coming off of that part.”

Mew nodded, gathering some rocks and sharpening them into tools before beginning to carve into the amber slab, trying to separate it from the meteorite. I sat down and stared at the crystals that encased the room. They were a variety of colors; ranging from yellow, blue, white, green and red. And every one of them had that strange swirl pattern in the center. Was it the source of the energy that radiated off from them? What where they were for? What was their purpose?

I thought of these things as I took the pack off, sat down on the ground, closed my eyes and folded my arms. Mew was too busy chipping away at the crystal to talk, so I decided to try meditating. The energy in the room surrounded me and began to flow though my veins. I didn’t know where I was going with this, but I decided to roll with it and see what happened.

More and more of the power from the crystals was pumping through my veins; I felt stronger and more focused than ever. It wasn’t until some of the energy from the amber slab I was so enamored with shot through my mind that I saw images flashing through my mind.

The vision was brief, but was clear and lucid as it crossed my mind. I didn’t know what I was seeing; but it looked like a Lucario. As more energy shot into my brain, I suddenly recognized the figure as me! But I looked different; my sensors were longer, my tail was gone; replaced by an extension of my cream belly fur, I had additional spikes and there were black veins running down my arms. But the biggest thing I noticed was my paws; both my paws and my feet were stained red, as if with blood…

The monstrous version of myself shot a glance at me, focusing its vision before roaring and pouncing on me, causing me to scream in terror!

I gasped in shock as I snapped out of my nightmare. I was back in the cave, in the same sitting position I had been meditating. Mew shot a glance back at me, “What’s wrong?”

I panted, my heart racing a mile a minute. What was that? What had I just seen? Was that…me?!

“Nothing…just had a bad dream…”

That’s what it was…just a bad dream… I reassured myself, though my mind could tell I wasn’t convinced that easily.

The Golurk lumbered over and crouched next to me, “Well the good news is that I’m finished; I whittled it down into a marble for you,” he said as he placed the now smooth orb into my palm.

Instantly I felt a sense of comfort as I held it in my paw. It also seemed a lot more radiant than it was as a slab. It looked like an ordinary glass marble in every way, but from the way it felt, I knew it was so much more.

“Do you think…” Mew started before his head spun around. Mew obviously had better control of his conscious than Darren did, considering it was his body after all. Darren’s yellow eyes flashed in an instant.

“…dangerous!” came his voice. Then he stopped in confusion, “Did I just go somewhere again?”

“You switched,” I said simply as I continued to stare at the crystalline marble in my paws.

“What is that?” asked Darren.

I placed the marble into the grass pack, alongside the other capsules and sighed.

“Something important. Anyways what are we going to do now?”

Darren shrugged, “I don’t know! You were the one who decided to run in here.”

“Yeah but…”

I suddenly was aware we were being watched. I could sense another presence in the room. I shot a glance over my shoulder to the source to the aura. I caught a glimpse of green as it zipped away; heading deeper into the cave.

“Quick! We have to go after whatever that was!” I shouted as I bolted down the cave’s hall, “I think it knows something about these weird crystals!”

Darren and I bolted after the strange floating green creature. It was just beyond our reach, but I swear it turned around to wink at us as it floated out of view.

“Darn it…” I gasped, “We lost it…”

“What was the point of running after…?”

Darren’s question was stopped by a deep groaning sound.

“What was that?”

The groaning sound became louder and louder as we reached the end of the cave. It sounded like…croaking?

We finally found the end of the cavern and stepped out into the sunlight. There we were met by dozens of soldiers pointing their laser guns at us. The croaking became even more malicious.

“Looks like I finally found you my little Duckletts…” said Andy the Toxicroak with a wicked grin, standing at the front of the queue holding the barrel to my face.