Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Gallade or any other Pokémon in this fic. However, I do own the characters Stun, Star, and the darkness.

Stun. Long ago, that name wouldn't mean anything to anybody, human or Pokémon. It would have been nothing but a mere word. But now the name Stun promoted fear and suspicion everywhere I went. I sat on a boulder silently, watching the sun sink down, turning the sky into a mass of brilliant colors. I hadn't always been known as 'Stun'. Long ago… when I was still a Ralts...

"You're stupid, Julian. Gardevoir is the ultimate form."

I smirked. "Only a girl would think that, Freda. But Gardevoir rely only on their psychic power, which makes them physically weak. Gallade uses physical power combined with psychic power, making them the best Pokémon ever!"

I was arguing with a level eight female Ralts over which of our evolutions was better. It was typical of a female Ralts to think Gardevoir was the better transformation, and looking back I see that she, herself, was pretty strong... but I'd always known that Gallade were better, it was just one of those things I felt in my gut. Besides, only girls wanted to become Gardevoir. At that moment I was at level 18, I would evolve into a Kirlia at level 20, and then do my best to find myself a Dawn Stone.

"You're just too dumb to know that a Gardevoir could easily kick a Gallade's butt, no doubt about it."

"Oh, yeah?!" I'd had enough of this. "Well, if they're so strong, how come it's always the Gallade who go off to war when we're in trouble?"

That shut her up. Tears in her eyes, she turned away and ran. I immediately felt bad for saying that. Our tribe was a little… sexist. The men always fought in battles while the woman stayed and looked after the young.

Freda was my best friend, and this argument had started when I had declared, "You know, Gallade may be the strongest non-legendary there is."

Because I was level 18, I was able to concentrate and teleport back to my cave.

"Hey, dad." I said, walking into the cool darkness. Even though it was pitch black in there, I could still "see" using my psychic abilities.

"Julian, my boy! How are you today?"

"I'm okay."

My dad was a kind Gallade. When a Ralts is born, you are checked to see which sex you are, and then you have to live with whatever parent corresponds to that. I was a male, so I lived with my father; I don't remember ever meeting my mother.

"So," my father continued, "you're about to evolve, right? Should we do anything special?"

"Can we go see a legendary Pokémon?"

My dad pursed his lips. He didn't like to take me to go see legendaries because I was still a boy and it was supposed to be dangerous. My dad finally sighed, "Well, I suppose. But you're going to have to stay next to me at all times. Also, you're going to have to promise me something."

"What?"

"I don't want you to rush into evolving into a Gallade like I did. I want your psychic powers to mature and develop before you evolve. I didn't wait, and these days I can barely teleport."

"Sure, dad. I can do that."

"Great. We'll travel and go see Mew the day you evolve."

I smiled. "Awesome!" Well, as it would turn out, I would evolve the very next day.

...

I woke up and walked out of my cave, temporarily blinded by the morning sun. I groaned as I stretched and looked around. No one was awake yet. There was a sudden rustling to my left and I turned to see a Gallade walk out of the bushes.

"Hello!" I said with a smile. I didn't recognize him, but I figured he must belong to my tribe.

He glared down at me, and I noticed that darkness was emanating off of him like an aura. He raised his arm and brought it down quickly, using Slash to open my chest. My blood went everywhere, staining the grass around me.

"What-" I managed to exclaim before I lost consciousness.

Several times I've tried to remember what happened that day, but I never could. When I came to I was a Kirlia, looking down at the unconscious Gallade that had attacked me. I felt… powerful, certainly more powerful than I ever had before. I could sense my surroundings more clearly; I sensed my dad waking up and stepping out of our cave.

"Julian? You've evolved?" He then looked down at the unconscious Gallade and the pool of my blood in shock. "What's happened here?!"

"This Gallade attacked me." I looked down at my chest, which had healed itself during evolution. "He sliced open my chest. Next thing I knew, I was a Kirlia and he fainted."

My dad crouched down and inspected the other Gallade. "Hm… he must have suffered a mental attack, I suppose, since he has no wounds... Perhaps Psychic? But... how could a newly evolved Kirlia have produced a psychic attack so powerful it knocked out a grown Gallade...?" He glanced at me with confusion. "Let me alert the elders; they'll want to take a look at this." He picked up the unconscious Gallade and took him away.

After a few moments of inspecting my new body and abilities, my dad came back. "Well! While the elders are looking into what happened, and since you're a Kirlia now, I guess today I'll take you to see the wise and powerful Mew! It's going to be a great experience, I'm sure. I need you to teleport us to the Kanto region, to a place called 'Lavender Town'."

I nodded and closed my eyes, concentrating on my psychic energy. My dad touched my shoulder, and suddenly we were standing outside a huge building.

"Ah..." my dad murmured, craning his neck to look up at the top of the old tower, "I've heard rumors about this place. This is called 'Lavender Tower'; it belongs to a whole bunch of Gastly and Haunter. Ghost Pokémon."

"What are those?"

"Ah, right, you've never seen a ghost Pokémon before. Ghost Pokémon are… well, like ghosts. They're able to produce dark and ghost-type attacks such as Night Shade. I know you think highly of Gallade," he said, looking back down at me, "but in truth, Gardevoir are much better suited at battling ghost Pokémon. Our physical attacks just can't touch them." He looked back at the tower. "I've heard rumors that Mew is living at the top of this tower, so we're in for some battles."

"Couldn't we just teleport up there?"

My dad shook his head. "Mew lives up there, and his psychic energy is so powerful that it would negate most psychic attacks. Besides, we'll have more of an adventure this way." He walked through the door and I followed closely behind. As soon as I walked into the dusty abandoned tower, my sixth sense started going haywire. I could sense many invisible beings here.

"Remember," my dad whispered, "don't attack unless you are attacked first. That's the Gallade way." He started walking up the first flight of stairs, but immediately slammed into a black wall of energy. There was muffled laughter and two Pokémon that looked like balls of dark gas appeared.

"Heh heh heh." One of them laughed, preparing another attack.

"Gastly," my dad growled. "Come, Julian! Let's dispose of these ghosts."

I concentrated my psychic energy and multiple multi-colored leaves appeared, hanging in mid-air. With a thought, the leaves shot forward, slashing through one of the Gastlys. The Gastly that had been hit screamed and disappeared. I couldn't even sense him.

The second one was about to retaliate when a voice sounded out. "Not making trouble again, are we?"

The Gastly turned to see a Gardevoir slowly floating down the staircase. "M-master! I-I'm sorry, master, we didn't mean any harm."

The Gardevoir nodded. "Of course not. But you should be apologizing to them, not me."

The Gastly turned back to us with a worried expression on his face. "I'm sorry." He turned back to the Gardevoir, who dismissed him with a wave, and disappeared.

After he had gone, the Gardevoir turned to my father and I. "I apologize for those two Gastlys' behavior. The ghost Pokémon have been rather restless lately."

My father nodded and bowed to her. "Thank you for helping us, madam. We have come to see the legendary Mew. Do you know where we can find him?"

The Gardevoir smiled. "Actually, Mew is a her. And yes." The Gardevoir's form suddenly glowed and she transformed into Mew. "How can I help you two?"

My father gulped and looked up at the floating Mew with adoration in his eyes. "It is an honor to meet the Uncapturable Mew."

Mew nodded. "Thank you, you're too kind." There was a glee in her eyes.

I stepped forward. "My name is Julian. If I may ask, why do you live here, in this place full of ghost Pokémon?"

Mew turned her eyes on me, studying me. "Ah, a young Kirlia. I sense great power in you..." She tilted her head in wonder. "Yes, power that rivals even mine." Then, she blinked at my question. "Why not live here, young one? The ghost Pokémon aren't so bad. Humans tend to stay away because of their fear of ghosts. I think it's perfect."

She studied me for a moment longer with that strange curiosity in her eyes, then turned to my dad. "Sir, if I may ask, I would like to take your son as my apprentice."

My dad's eyes widened. "Really? Your apprentice? Why?"

"Like I said before, your son possesses a great power within him, I believe that I have seen your son coming in a vision. He is a part of a prophecy that I had long ago."

"What kind of prophecy? What would you be teaching him?"

"Well, if I'm right, your son shall have a glorious future ahead of him, he may even come to save the world. As for your second question, I would teach him to better control his power, as well as use his psychic abilities to wield my greatest strength - the ability to transform."

My dad gasped in surprise. "Y-you think his power is that great?"

"I do."

My dad turned to me, looking at me differently. "Well... I suppose I'll leave it up to you, Julian."

I looked at Mew and nodded. "I'd like to be taught by Mew."

Mew clapped her paws. "Excellent! You and I will have a lot of fun, meeting other legendaries, going on adventures... but of course, there will also be a lot of work. We shall begin immediately!"

My dad placed his hand on my shoulder. "Alright, son. I'll leave you with her. Learn well, and remember what I said about letting your powers mature before evolving. Good luck." I nodded, and he teleported away.

"So, your name's Julian, huh?" Mew asked after my father had left. I nodded in reponse. "Well, Julian, it's wonderful to meet you, I'm sure we're going to have a blast! Now, let's not dilly-dally, I say we should begin your training by walking to Celadon City."

"Celadon City? …Master?"

Mew grinned. "Ooh, I like the 'master' part. Yes, Celadon City. Although it's the most densely populated human city in Kanto, there's a Pokémon located there that I'd like you to meet. When you gain the ability to transform, you'll only be able to change into Pokémon that you've seen before."

"You... you really think I'll be able to transform?"

"Sure I do, you've got enough potential psychic energy inside you, and it's just a matter of controlling it all. Here, put these on." Mew waved her paw, and weighted clothes flew down the steps behind her and landed in a heap in front of me. I shoved them on, and felt about thirty pounds heavier. Walking was going to be a huge battle.

"After a couple of weeks wearing these, your body should become stronger. Now let's go!" Mew transformed into a Ralts and ran out the door, while I struggled to keep up.

"What... what are those, master?" I said, huffing through the weight on my shoulders, chest, and back. I was pointing towards a flock of small bird-like Pokémon that were pecking at seeds on the ground.

"Those are Pidgey, they're pretty much the most common Pokémon in Kanto. You're probably from Sinnoh, I'm guessing?"

I nodded, studying the Pidgey. "Master, when do you think I'll be able to transform?"

Mew glanced at me, and I could feel her sensing my psychic energy. "Baby steps, Julian, I don't want to give you too much at once. I think that once you have a slightly better grip on your psychic abilities, I'll teach you to transform."

I looked straight ahead. "Alright."

There was a rustle in the bushes and a rat Pokémon leaped out with a seed in its mouth. "What was that?"

"Rattata. The second-most common Pokémon in Kanto."

"Oh." I watched it scurry away. "What kind of Pokémon are we going to see in Celadon?"

"It's a rather special Pokémon called Porygon. Do you know about Porygon?" I shook my head. "Porygon, and its evolutionary line, are some of the few man-made Pokémon. It's basically a virtual-reality Pokémon, able to enter cyber-space."

"Cyber-space?"

"Cyber-space is... well... it has something to do with man-made machines... hm... to be honest, I'm not really sure how to explain it." Mew looked to the sky. "Anyway, it's getting dark. Let's make camp here for the night." I nodded and plopped down. "First, I want you to use your psychic energy to make a tent."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I concentrated my power, and suddenly the bushes around me were pulled out of the ground and assembled into a makeshift shelter.

"Hey, not bad."

I smiled and thanked her. We laid down underneath the tent and quickly fell asleep.

I had the strangest dream. I was standing in a snowy place I'd never seen before, looking at a strange Pokémon that radiated pure psychic energy. It was tall and colored red and blue. I could hear the word "Deoxys" whispered through blustering winds. Deoxys turned to look at me, its eyes completely black. It screeched and flew at me.

Suddenly, I found myself back at the tent, breathing heavily and sweating. I was surprised to find that it was already morning.

Mew must have been woken up by my outburst, because she quickly got up too. "Julian? What's wrong?"

"I think… I think I saw something."

Mew tilted her head. "You did? What did you see?"

"I saw... a strange Pokémon... I think its name was Deoxys. Its eyes were black and he came at me and attacked me."

"Really? Was this some sort of nightmare?"

"I'm not sure... it really felt real."

Mew looked away, troubled. "I see..."

"What?"

Mew hesitated. "Recently there have been surges of a strange darkness popping up randomly throughout the world. It's been infecting other Pokémon, even legendaries aren't safe."

I tilted my head. "Do you know what's causing it?"

Mew shook her head. "Unfortunately not, no." Mew thought for a moment, then declared, "Well! Seems we're going to have to get our butts in gear! Forget what I said yesterday about you needing to control your psychic abilities more, I say we give you the first lesson in transforming now."

I stood up, almost falling over because of the weights on my chest. "Really? You think I can do it?"

"Well, you're gonna have to! Alright, now, I'm going to need you to use all of your psychic energy for this. Get deep down. I want you to transform into a Pidgey."

I nodded, and then closed my eyes, concentrating on all of my energy into transforming into Mew. Suddenly, I felt hot, my body starting to glow with a white light.

"That's it! You can do it!"

I groaned and cried out in pain as all of my energy was being depleted. Suddenly, there was darkness.

When I woke up again it was nighttime; I must have slept through the whole day. I looked up and saw Mew sitting around a small campfire.

"Oh, hey, you're up! I gotta say, you didn't do too badly for your first try. I really didn't expect anything more of you." I looked at myself and saw that my skin was slightly brownish and I had a few feathers here and there. I had a skull-splitting headache. "Go ahead and try to transform again, maybe it'll be a bit easier the second time around."

I nodded and concentrated on my energy. I felt myself growing hot again and after a few moments, I opened my eyes to see that I was a Pidgey.

"Great job!" Mew exclaimed with glee. "I knew you were special the first time I laid eyes on you! I remember when I first tried to transform, I fainted about three times before getting it right."

I chirped excitedly. My headache was still pounding, but being a bird was almost enough of a thrill to allow me to ignore it.

"Alright," Mew continued, "transform back and we'll head towards Cerulean City."

"We're changing course?"

"Yes, unfortunately we're going to have to skip Celadon for now. The vision you had has me worried; I want to check on all of the legendaries to make sure they haven't been taken over. We won't really be able to teleport there because Mewtwo's psychic energy blocks it. Have you seen any bird Pokémon in your life? Besides Pidgey, I mean."

I nodded. "I've seen two flying Pokémon before. Starly and Staravia. I've heard that Staravia evolve too, but I've never seen it."

Mew nodded. "Okay, try to transform into Staravia. That'll be faster than Pidgey, at least."

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the Staravia I had seen when I was younger. After a little bit, the transformation was complete and I felt completely drained.

"Excellent, I think you're really starting to get the hang of it!" Mew said happily. Mew's form glowed and she became a Staravia as well.

I could fly! It was extremely invigorating, being able to fly above the clouds, looking down at the puny humans and other Pokémon below. I laughed and looked forward, following closely behind Mew.

Mew looked down and yelled back, "Here we are! Descend slowly!" I pointed my body downwards and flew down to the ground, landing next to Mew. "Okay, good. First transform back to yourself, and then we'll rest for a bit, transform again, and enter the cave."

I looked to my left and saw a huge cave. I nodded and reverted back to my normal form, which I found to be way easier than trying to become something different. The weights were still strapped to my chest, but I was starting to get a bit more used to them. Feeling completely devoid of mental energy, I sat down and closed my eyes and meditated. I tried to bring back my psychic abilities, but it felt like I was trying to convince a Hippoptas to use Water Gun.

Mew approached me and placed her hand on my head. "Here, let me give you a little nudge, maybe that'll help." All of a sudden I felt Mew empty a ton of psychic energy into my brain. The feeling was almost overwhelming. "How's that?" Mew continued, "Feeling better?"

I opened my eyes, looking around. It felt as if my senses were in overdrive; I could sense a bunch of fish Pokémon in the water to my left and I could feel a strong presence emanating from the cave.

"Yes, master," I said hesitantly. I felt stronger than I ever had before, but it was a somewhat strange feeling, using this borrowed energy. "I think I can transform again."

Mew grinned. "Okay, let's give it a shot!" Mew looked to the water and her eyes flashed with a blue energy. A water Pokémon flew out of the water and fell to the ground, flopping madly. "You've probably seen one of these before, they're kind of everywhere. But in case you haven't, this is a Magikarp. Go ahead and transform into it."

I concentrated on the Magikarp as I started the transformation. After a few moments, I found myself flopping around as madly as the original. Mew nodded with satisfaction, threw the Magikarp back into the water, and transformed into a humanoid, blue creature.

"I've become a Golduck," she explained, "They're good for walking around and swimming." I wanted to ask her why she didn't just transform into a Golduck first and let me do the same, but I couldn't quite figure out how to speak properly with this weird fish mouth. She picked me up and we walked into the cave. The cave was dark, damp, and cold. After walking a couple of feet, we reached a body of water.

"Mewtwo's here somewhere. Just follow me."

She threw me into the water, and then jumped in herself, swimming away. I tried to keep up, but it was quite obvious that her Golduck form was a much more powerful swimmer. Luckily, I was still able to sense the huge, foreboding psychic energy that I had felt outside of the cave.

Eventually we fell through a huge hole, landing on solid rock, which I'm sure would have hurt a lot more if I had been in my normal form. Maybe Magikarp just don't feel that much pain. I looked around with my weak fish eyes and managed to make out the form of a tall white and purple Pokémon. He was standing a couple of feet away with his eyes closed. Mew's form glowed as she transformed back into herself.

"Ah, I thought I could sense you, Mew," the Pokémon said telepathically without opening his eyes.

"Hello Mewtwo. How have you been?"

Mewtwo finally opened his eyes and focused on Mew. "You know I hate it when you beat around the bush, Mew. Why have you come?"

I closed my eyes and transformed back into myself.

"Oh, what's this?" Mewtwo asked in a playful voice. "Mew, I didn't know you were taking on students right now. Interesting, a transforming Kirlia."

Mew glanced at me and turned back to Mewtwo. "Mewtwo, we need your help. Darkness has been taking over our world."

"Yes, I know. I can sense it, too."

Mew nodded, a serious expression on her face. "Then you know that we need you, Mewtwo. With the help of all the legendaries, we can rid the world of this darkness."

Mewtwo was slow to answer. "...If you manage to convince the legendaries who haven't already been taken over, then I will help. Do you know who's been possessed so far?"

Mew nodded. "We believe Deoxys has been taken over."

"Deoxys? What a pity; I always liked her. I have had a vision that Celebi has been taken as well."

Mew looked extremely sad. "Oh no, poor Celebi..."

"Yes, it is quite sad." Mewtwo crossed his arms. "I shall travel to Johto and see about the other legendaries there."

"That would be most appreciated, friend." With that, Mewtwo teleported away.

Mew turned towards me. "Let's go, Julian, we're going to visit Zapdos."

"Who?"

"Zapdos is a legendary bird Pokémon who specializes in electrical attacks, the Electric Titan." Mew placed her paw on my head, and suddenly we were standing outside a human-made structure.

"Um... master...?"

"No humans actually live here." Mew said, as if reading my mind. For all I knew, she very well could have been. "Humans abandoned this place quite a long time ago. Eventually, electric Pokémon started showing up, and Zapdos decided to make it his home."

Mew floated to the door, which opened automatically. I followed closely behind. As soon as I walked through the door, every cell in my body felt like it was energized. The presence of all the electric Pokémon was causing a powerful tingling feeling on my skin. The Pokémon looked at me like they wanted to fight, but shied away from the presence of Mew. Mew closed her eyes, probably trying to sense Zapdos's location.

After a while, her eyes snapped open. "This way." Mew floated down a long hallway with me following closely behind. As soon as we approached a metal doorway, I found it hard to breathe. The tingling feeling had multiplied tenfold and I felt like I was going to explode.

Mew took in a sharp breath. "It's okay. I feel it, too. He's right behind this door."

I started to reach out and push on the door, but Mew yelled, "Don't!" I pulled my hand back quickly. "That door is metal. If you touch it, you'll be reduced to ash."

Mew turned her eyes on the door. After a burst of psychic energy, the door swung open. The room was pitch black. Mew floated into the dark room and called, "Zapdos?"

Suddenly, the lights turned on, blinding Mew and I. "Oh, Mew? Hello."

"Yes, hello, Zapdos. I was wondering if-"

"If I'd help you fight the darkness."

"Oh... yes. How did you know-"

"Many of my followers have already been possessed. Apparently, this darkness stuff is attracted to psychic and electrical energy. Nearly three fourths of my Pokémon have been taken."

Mew's expression turned sympathetic. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Zapdos."

Zapdos nodded his yellow head somberly. "Yes, it's very sad, but it has given me a reason to fight. I have already been preparing. I will help you destroy this awful plague."

Mew bowed her head. "Thank you, my friend."

"It's the least I can do, really. My favorite Elekid was taken; I plan on getting him back." The lights in the room started to dim. "By the way," Zapdos said as the lights turned off, "don't go trying to recruit Moltres. She's been possessed as well. She showed up here a couple of days ago with a bunch of darkness following her, trying to destroy us."

"Thanks for letting us know." Then the lights turned completely off and we exited the room.

In the next moment Mew and I were standing outside on the shore of what was called the "Seafoam Islands".

"When we get in there," Mew was saying, "it will be extremely cold. We'll have to transform into fire Pokémon to resist being completely frozen." Mew turned to me. "Have you seen any fire Pokémon?"

I nodded. "Yes, I've seen a couple in Sinnoh."

Mew nodded back and turned back to the cave. "Good, then let's transform."

I closed my eyes and felt my form glowing. When I opened them again, I was a Monferno. I was happy to feel that transforming was taking less out of me every time I did it. I looked at Mew, who had transformed into a red humanoid lizard Pokémon.

"I've become a Charmeleon." She explained. "They're very handy in situations like this. Let's head on in."

Once I walked into the cave, I was bombarded with the coldest breeze I had ever felt, even though I was a fire Pokémon. Even the winters I had spent in Sinnoh was nothing compared to the chill of this cave.

"M-master… w-what Pokémon are w-we going to see th-this time?" I said through chattering teeth.

Mew was shivering also, but spoke with an unfaltering voice, "We're here to see Articuno, the legendary bird Pokémon; the Titan of Ice. I don't think the darkness could have gotten to her, nothing much could survive in here."

I looked forward. Though the flame on our tails lit up the cave, there wasn't much to see, just ice and rocks. Eventually we came across a raging river. Mew looked at the dark frothing water with sadness in her eyes.

"We'll have to cross it."

"Cross it?!" I yelled, my voice echoing. "B-b-but master, we'll freeze to death!"

Mew gulped and stuck one of her paws in. She screeched in pain and pulled it out. "Yes... I fear so, Julian."

"C-couldn't you hold back the water with your power?"

Mew shook her head. "That much power could very well make me faint. I lose some of my psychic ability when I change forms."

Then she snapped her… claws. "I've got an idea! I'll just use my bubble!" Then she glanced at me. "Oh, wait. Julian would be stuck here. Hm..." Then she snapped her claws again. "Hey! Julian, do you know Protect?"

I shook my head. "I'm not at the right level to learn Protect."

Mew cursed. "Well, then, you'll have to stay close to me. C'mere." I stepped up to her, and she wrapped her lizard arms around me tightly. "Try not to move or squirm or anything." She concentrated, and a pink bubble surrounded us. "Here we go!"

She jumped into the raging water and we were instantly swept away. Even though the bubble that surrounded us gave off some kind of faint warm glow, it was getting colder and colder. It rapidly became more frigid than it had been on land. I gasped in pain as the very air seemed to freeze, making it difficult to even breathe. I soon felt Mew float us out of the river and back on land.

Mew let the bubble fall away, but a thick layer of ice had formed, still keeping us trapped in an icy sphere. With a blast of psychic power, Mew caused the ice ball to crack in half and fly off in separate directions.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Mew grinned. I stepped back from her, and saw a giant blue bird Pokémon with ice in her feathers perched in front of us. Mew changed back to her normal form with a flash of light.

"Oh, hello, Mew... how nice it is to see you, it's really been far too long since your last visit. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Mew shivered. "Articuno... darkness is spreading throughout the world, possessing and corrupting regular Pokémon as well as legendaries. So far they have taken Deoxys, Celebi, and Moltres, along with three fourths of Zapdos's electric followers. We need your help to exterminate the darkness. Will you help us?"

Articuno tilted her head, as if thinking. "You know that I am a kind Pokémon, Mew. I have helped Pokémon, as well as humans, who get lost in my icy cave. You know that I cannot resist assisting."

Mew smiled. "It's good to have you on our team. I'll contact you as soon as we check on the other legendaries."

Articuno smiled, then turned to me. "I've heard of you, even in the isolation of my cave. You are Mew's new apprentice, a male Kirlia, are you not?"

I nodded.

"Being so distanced from the outside world, you would think that I don't get much news, but the wind carries all sorts of secrets." She smiled. "I have here a Dawn Stone." Articuno gestured with her wing to a collection of shimmering rocks. "Would you like it?"

I looked at the stone, then glanced at Mew. "D-do you think I should, Master?"

Mew smiled down at me. "It would certainly help. Your psychic powers have matured much faster than even I expected. Evolving would give you a slight increase in your psychic energy... yes, I think you should do it."

I adjusted the straps of my weights, which didn't feel heavy anymore. "Alright, Articuno. I'll become a Gallade."

I transformed back to my normal form and grasped the Dawn Stone. Suddenly, power flowed into me as I felt myself evolving and getting stronger. In a flash of white light I had evolved into a Gallade. I looked at the blades that were my arms and smiled.

I looked at Articuno and bowed. "I can't thank you enough, Articuno."

Articuno bowed her head in response. "You're quite welcome."

Mew turned to me and smiled. "Well, we must be going, Articuno. It was nice to talk to you again."

Articuno nodded in response. "Goodbye."

Mew placed her paw on my back and suddenly we were standing near the opening of a giant cave. "Regirock lives in this cave." Mew said, looking around. "But it's getting really dark. Let's spend the night out here first."

I nodded and we set up camp.

...

When I awoke, I felt better than I ever had. Being a Gallade, along with the psychic training I had been doing, left me feeling like I was the strongest Pokémon ever. When Mew awoke, we looked back to the cave.

"Alright, I believe that it's time to meet Regirock."

I frowned. "But, master, I sense two beings within the cave."

Mew frowned back and concentrated. "Hm... you're right. Perhaps Registeel is visiting? If that's the case, then we'll save some time. Let's go." And we walked into the dark, rocky cave. As I looked around, all I could see was stalagmites and the occasional crystal. I looked ahead and saw a Gardevoir floating in midair, watching us.

"Julian." The Gardevoir said, unsmilingly. I felt I knew this girl.

"Er… have we met before?"

The Gardevoir gave a sort of smile in response. "You still think Gallade is the best evolution?"

I smiled, finally realizing who it was. "Ah… Freda! What're you doing here, so far away from the tribe?"

Freda glanced at Mew. "Shortly after you left, darkness came and possessed almost everyone we know."

"Everyone?" I asked, surprised. Even my clan was unable to keep the darkness away? "What about my dad?"

"Your father's dead, Julian. I'm sorry."

Sadness and grief overwhelmed me. I fell to my knees, a teardrop falling onto the ground. If only I had realized when he left me with Mew that that would be the last time I would ever see him. I clenched my teeth together and fought my grief down; there would be time for that later. After taking a deep breath, I asked, "And… what are you doing here, Freda?"

Freda gave a small, sad smile. "When your dad came back from your trip, he was bragging about how you've become Mew's disciple, so when the darkness came, I decided to try and find you. I tried following you psychically, but it wasn't easy. Your energy changed every now and then."

"That's probably because I've learned to transform."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Well that certainly was fast! But in any case, after searching all night, I finally found you guys here."

I looked at her Gardevoir body. "It seems you've been training too, since I've been away." She blushed slightly and nodded. There was a rumble behind Freda and a rock-like Pokémon appeared.

"Regirock. How nice it is to see you!" Mew exclaimed, floating towards him.

Freda floated next to me and muttered, "So, what's it been like, having Mew as a teacher?"

I smiled. "It's been excellent, really. Not only have I learned how to transform, but I've seen lots of legendaries so far. I've already gotten really powerful."

"So will you help us, old friend?" Mew was saying to Regirock.

Regirock studied Mew for a couple of seconds, then said in a robotic voice, "I shall help you, Mew. It is the least I can do for you, my friend."

Mew bowed. "Thank you. We must be going now, but I shall contact you as soon as I speak with the other legendaries."

Regirock nodded, and then sat down, becoming perfectly camouflaged with the rest of the cave.

Mew turned to Freda and I. "I suppose you'll want your little friend to come with us?"

I smiled sheepishly. "If it's not too much trouble, master. She doesn't really have anywhere else to go."

Mew sighed. "She'll slow us down, Julian. You know that, don't you?"

"Please, master? She won't be that much of a burden."

Mew grumbled to herself for a moment. "Fine. She can come." Then she studied Freda. "Her power isn't as great as yours, but it seems she isn't weak by any means... She won't be able to transform, but perhaps she could be useful." Mew placed her paw on our shoulders and suddenly we were next to a different, much, much colder cave. "This is Regice's cave. How about I go in and convince Regice while you stay here and catch up with your girlfriend?"

I bowed. "Thank you, master." Mew turned away and floated into the cave. I sat down on a rock, Freda right next to me.

"So you can really transform?" I nodded. "Show me."

I closed my eyes and concentrated, becoming an exact copy of Mewtwo. "Who's that?"

"His name is Mewtwo." I replied telepathically. "He's a legendary Pokémon that I met with Mew." I transformed back. "So... what happened to your family, Freda?"

"My family was possessed. They attacked me."

"How did you escape?"

"I teleported away."

"That's it?"

"Yep." I looked down at my feet, thinking about how my father must have died. "You know, when you evolve into your final form, the tribe says you get to change your name." I looked at her. I had forgotten that tradition. "From now on I've decided to be known as Star. Did you change your name?"

I shook my head. "Actually, no. But I think I'll become Stun."

"Stun? Why Stun?"

"It just has a nice ring to it, don't you think? I mean, other Pokémon will certainly be stunned when they see that I can transform. Besides, why Star?"

Star ignored the question and turned away. After a couple of seconds, I began to sense that she was flustered. "You know... I've always really liked you, Stun. Even when we were having our stupid fights."

I looked at her with surprise. After a couple of seconds I replied, "Well... I... I really like you, too, Star."

Star smiled and turned to me, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips into hers, and after a moment we pulled apart. Star and I were smiling.

Mew quickly flew back. "Hello, you two. Did I miss anything?" She said with a mischievous, knowing smile.

Star blushed, but I replied, "Not at all, master. Was Regice willing to help us?"

Mew nodded, but looked disturbed. "Regice told me that Registeel and Latios have been possessed." She looked around. "We'll need to make sure Latias is okay. With her brother taken, I'm willing to bet she'll be next on the list."

I nodded and Mew put her paws on Star and I. Suddenly we were standing in a huge valley, watching a huge red Pokémon surrounded by a dark fog.

"No!" Mew yelled.

The darkness was slowly moving towards Latias. Latias tried to shoot the darkness with Hyper Beams, but they just went right through. As quickly as possible, I transformed into Articuno. I opened my beak and used Ice Beam, freezing the darkness solid. Mew and Star stared at me, their mouths agape.

"The darkness is freezable?" Mew said in shock. "Well... wonderful, Julian, really wonderful! Couldn't have done it better myself!"

"If you don't mind, master, I'd like to be called Stun from now on."

"Stun? A fine name." Then she turned to Latias. "Are you alright, Latias?"

Latias nodded, studying me. I transformed back into myself and looked back at her. She bowed her head. "Thank you for saving me, young Gallade. I'd like to offer you a reward; what would you like in return?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't need anything, madam."

Latias grinned. "Ah, a gentleman. But surely there is something... how about a dip in the Pool of Psychic Energy?"

I looked at her in confusion. "The... Pool of Psychic Energy?"

Latias nodded. "That's right. Long, long ago a group of powerful psychic legendary Pokémon came together and sacrificed themselves to become the Pool of Psychic Energy. My brother and I were entrusted to guard it, because it's said that anyone who bathes in the pool will gain the most powerful psychic energy in the history of the world. Even your master, Mew, hasn't bathed in it. No one has." She glanced at Mew, and there seemed to be some sort of unspoken communication between the two. "However, I believe that you have earned the right to try it out, and with all this darkness stuff floating around, we could really use all the help we can get."

I bowed. "Thank you, Latias. I would very much like that."

Latias nodded and gestured to the pool behind her. "Here it is. We shall let you have your peace while Mew and I speak."

I felt the straps of the weights on my chest, which felt like a part of my body by now, and slipped them off. I had never felt so light; I felt wonderful! I walked to the pool as the three other Pokémon left. The edges of the pool was made out of some sort of white stone and the water was almost completely clear and serene. The closer I got to it, the more I felt its presence.

Many times afterwards I've tried to describe the feeling of being in the Pool of Psychic Energy, but I never could do it justice. My skin felt alive. Waves of energy washed over me as my mind absorbed it all. It felt like I was floating in the clearest, most relaxing and purified water in existence. After the bath, I felt completely invincible.

I was still riding this high as Mew and the others floated back to me. "Feeling stronger?" She asked, sizing me up.

I nodded. "Master... I would like to battle you."

She didn't really seem surprised. "Well, of course, if you want. If you win, though, you won't really be able to call yourself my student anymore. You'll be free to do whatever you want."

I nodded, and we started.

Mew threw a Psy Beam at me, but I teleported behind her and unleashed a Leaf Blade. The leaf slashed through the air and cut Mew across the chest, leaving a long slash, and a trickle of deep red blood.

"Heh." Mew chuckled, pain evident on her face. "Pretty good, disciple, I expected nothing less than you going all out."

Mew instantly transformed into a huge red dragon-like Pokémon. "Charizard," Mew explained, "one of my favorite forms."

I smirked and closed my eyes, transforming into Regirock. Being Regirock was very interesting, I "saw" through the braille-like markings on my face, and I noticed everything. I raised my boulder-like hand and unleashed a Hyper Beam. Mew yelped and unleashed Flamethrower, but my Hyper Beam was too strong. The two attacks clashed for a while, but by adding a Thunder attack, Mew's Flamethrower disappeared and my Hyper Beam/Thunder combo hit her, causing Mew to fly back and slam into a tree. Although I had used a lot of power, I didn't feel tired in the least. Mew stood up, burns all over her body.

"Hmph. Wonderful. You've gotten really powerful, Stun. Fine, I concede defeat." I transformed back into my regular form and smiled. Mew looked at me proudly. "You're no longer my student, you've surpassed me at an unbelievable rate. Congratulations. What're you going to do, now that you've graduated my class?"

I glanced at Star. "I'm going to go rescue my tribe."

...

The next day, Star and I were in Sinnoh and had heard a rumor that our tribe was causing chaos in the mountains. I smiled at Star and she smiled back. We were kind of a couple now, to put our relationship in human terms. We had been traveling most of the day to reach the base of the mountains.

I craned my head to look up at the peak. We were under a sheer cliff. "You think we can get to them by nightfall?"

She shook her head. "Probably not. It would take forever to climb to the top. Maybe we could teleport there?"

I shook my head. "If they're really up there, the concentrated psychic energy would make it too tricky to teleport all the way up there safely."

"So… we camp down here for the night?" I nodded, and set up a makeshift tent with my power. "Why only one tent?" Star asked, looking at me questioningly.

"Oh… well… I can make another one for myself if you wish..."

Star smiled playfully and gestured to the tent. I smiled, and joined her. I walked into the tent as Star lay on the ground. I slowly leaned down and kissed her.

...

The next morning I was awoken by the morning sun on my face. I turned to my left and saw Star. I smiled and slowly got up, trying not to disturb her. I walked outside the tent and looked back up at the mountaintop; it would be a real dangerous and long journey to get all the way up there. I heard a rustle behind me and turned around to see Star walking out of the tent.

She smiled at me. "Hey... you're up."

I smiled back. "Yep." I looked back to the mountain. "You ready to start?" I asked, jumping onto a rock that was sticking out of the cliff-face's surface.

I hopped from rock to rock as Star slowly levitated upwards. After about an hour of climbing, I looked to my right and spotted a small herd of Elekid, Electabuzz, and Electivire. They glared back at me, and I noticed that they were surrounded by a black aura. The biggest Electivire yelled at my presence and raised his arm as a yellow-and-black lightning bolt shot out and almost hit me. I raised my own arm and used a psychic attack that threw him through the air. He slammed into a rock and growled. The other twenty Electubuzz and Elekids growled at me as well; a small Elekid with a little scar across his eye growled at me the loudest. Just as I was about to attack, a loud screech sounded through the air and Zapdos appeared.

Zapdos glared at the herd and declared, "I am extremely disappointed in all of you, I command you to stop attacking at once!"

An Electabuzz shook his head. "We do not take orders from you anymore, Zapdos."

The Elekid with the scar raised his hand and shot a little Thundershock. It couldn't have hurt, but Zapdos looked surprised.

"Bolt… have you changed that much? You were… my favorite Pokémon. Has the darkness corrupted you so much that you forget our bond?"

The small Elekid grunted and shot another Thundershock. I closed my eyes and concentrated, transforming into a Gastly. I gulped and floated over to the herd.

Zapdos spotted me finally. "What-? Who are you?" I simply smiled and floated into Bolt.

The sensation was thrilling. Our minds fought for control. At first I was winning, because my psychic energy was so great, but then I hit a brick wall. It was the darkness. I pushed with my mind, only to be pushed back. I sighed and called upon the power I had gained from the Pool of Psychic Energy. Painfully, I pushed away the wall and possessed the Elekid.

Looking through the Elekid's eyes was amazing. Everything appeared as if it was surrounded by an electrical field. I smiled and looked up to see a cloud of dark haze. I charged up the most powerful Thunderbolt I could in this little body and zapped the cloud. It made an unholy shriek of pain and imploded.

"Yes!" I pumped my fist in the air and exited the Elekid's body.

The Elekid blinked for a little bit, then looked at Zapdos. "Z-Zapdos? Where am I?"

Zapdos smiled and looked at me. "This Gastly saved you, Bolt. Who are you?" I smiled and transformed back to my original form. "Ah. Mew's apprentice."

I shook my head. "Not anymore."

Zapdos looked at me in shock and disbelief. "What? No Pokémon has ever passed Mew's training so quickly."

I shrugged and looked behind me to see Star. "Hey, Star! C'mere!"

Star floated over and I introduced her. "This is Zapdos, the Electric Titan. Zapdos, this is Star."

Zapdos nodded. "Perhaps we can get more acquainted after we've taken care of the rest of this herd."

I looked at the rest of the group, who was glaring at us. "Yes, that might be wise." I smiled and transformed into Mewtwo, ready for battle.

After we were done, there were a lot of yellow and black bodies and a huge cloud of darkness that was slowly drifting towards us. I smirked and transformed into Articuno, freezing the cloud solid.

Zapdos smiled at me. "Impressive! Don't tell her I said this, but you transform even more fluidly than Mew herself."

I bowed my head. "Thank you for your kind words, Zapdos," and I transformed back into myself. Slowly, the herd of the Elekid evolutionary line got up, groaning in pain.

Zapdos smiled at Star and I warmly. "Thank you both very much, I am in debt to you." He glanced up. "Hm… I sense a huge concentration of darkness above." He looked back at us. "I have to get my followers back home. Good luck, you two."

I nodded and transformed into Mew. "Thank you." I floated up the mountainside, Star right behind me.

After a couple of seconds, my sixth sense started going haywire, and I rose up to see a huge herd of Ralts, Gardevoir, Kirlia, and Gallade. No, not just any herd. My herd.

The herd spotted me and the biggest Gallade, who I recognized as Sheath, my father's old friend, came up to me. "The legendary Mew? Why are you here?"

I looked down at them through Mew's eyes. "Yes... I am the legendary Uncapturable Mew. I command you to stop possessing these Pokémon, darkness."

The other Pokémon looked at each other in confusion, but Sheath stared at me suspiciously. "Wait... you aren't Mew, your psychic pattern is different. You are someone that my... host used to know."

"Host?" I said, surprised. "You sound like a parasite."

Sheath looked at me with cold, black eyes. "Yes... I remember... you are Julian. You are much stronger, no doubt, but I recognize you."

He smiled evilly. "Since you are not Mew, you pose no threat. We shall leave the fire Pokémon to take care of you and your..." he glanced at Star, "mate."

He nodded to the Pokémon behind him and, as one, they teleported away. After they were gone, a huge herd of Arcanine, Growlithe, Magby, Magmar, and Magmortar stepped up, their eyes glowing black and their teeth barred. I glared at the huge herd and transformed back into my regular form. I raised my blade-like arms and faced them.

"Ready, Star?" Star looked a little pale, but nodded. I smiled confidently and rushed forward.