Chapter 34: A Little Bit Stronger
Author's notes: Ok, in case there was any confusion, the three previous chapters are important and will be referred to in subsequent chapters. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Anyway, enjoy! :)
"Chris use Crush Grip!" Kyo called out.
"Dodge it Ken!" Sora quickly instructed as the Mew hybrid just barely managed to avoid getting caught in the Rigigigas hybrid's grasp.
"Why are we doing this again?" Ken demanded, ducking out of the way of another one of Chris's Crush Grips.
"Because, you said you want to use the power you had in the future and this will help you get more into the character of a Pokémon," Chris explained, sighing as his attack once again failed to hit its mark. Ken seemed to have dodging down, but hadn't used a single attack the whole battle…or in all the time Chris had known him, come to think of it, Transform not counted. "Sora, have Ken go on the offensive!" Chris suggested, readying another Crush Grip.
"I'm right here!" Ken growled, tail flicking in annoyance.
"Be quiet Pokémon and listen to your Trainer!" Kyo laughed, clearly enjoying this. "Chris! Get in close and use Crush Grip!"
"Use Psychic Ken!" Sora called out as the Regigigas hybrid began to approach.
Ken tried to figure out how he was supposed to do that, but nothing came to mind. Before he had time to react, Chris had already grabbed him and begun to squeeze. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, breathing heavily.
Chris sighed. "Oh come on Ken, I didn't even hit you that hard!"
"That's easy…for you to say…" Ken gasped, trying to catch his breath. He turned to Chris, eyes narrowed. "Have you done this kind of thing before?"
"Once or twice," Chris replied with a shrug. "I never had any friends to battle with, so my Pokémon and I would train together."
Ken was about to question Chris about his decision to battle his Pokémon himself, then recalled that he had tried the same thing once, which failed do to his lack of offensive moves.
"It wasn't very often," Chris explained, apparently noticing the look on Ken's face. "Hardly at all once I got Jerry. Kyo needed someone to train with. What was I supposed to do?"
"Actually, I tried the same thing once," Ken admitted with a laugh. "It didn't go well though."
"What happened?"
"Well, I tried to Transform into a Pikachu, but only managed to change about half way," Ken sighed, Sora snickering at the memory.
Chris's eyes widened as if something important had just occurred to him. "Ken, have you ever used a move besides Transform?"
"Well like I said, in the future-"
"And remembered doing it?"
The Mew hybrid was silent for a moment, eyes staring at the ground. "No."
"That's your problem," Chris sighed, going and helping Ken to his feet. "You need to learn how to use moves." His stomach growled, causing him to blush. "But first, I think we should have dinner and call it a night, it's getting late. We can work on your battle skills later."
Ken nodded in agreement. He still wasn't sure how he had done it in the first place, and it was clearly going to take some time to learn.
Later that night Ken lay in his sleeping bag, eyes glued to the pages of the book on Mew. He was surprised to find that he didn't need a flashlight, his eyes able to make out the words without a problem. Cool, I have night vision! Ken thought to himself in amusement, recalling what he had read about a Mew's eyes a few days ago. Turning to where he had left off, Ken skipped over several pages about Mew that he didn't really care about, hoping to find something helpful. Hearing…no, sense of smell…no, vocal functions and cries…definitely not…oh forget it, I'm skipping the rest of this chapter! Ken growled, flipping back to the table of contents. Let's see…usable moves…usable moves…ah, here it is! Flipping to the page on moves, Ken began reading.
Chapter 62: Usable Moves:
Mew is a truly remarkable species of Pokémon capable of learning a vast array of moves and techniques. For your convenience, dear readers, this chapter will be split up into two sections: moves learned naturally and moves that must be taught, either through a TM or by a human being. Before we can get into that, however, one must first ask exactly how it is that Mew can use these moves in the first place? As it is, there are many theories…
Before he knew it, Ken was fast asleep, tired out from all the recent events and completely unaware that he had skipped over a lot of very important information…
The strange dreams returned, Ken once again finding himself flying over the ocean towards the pair of islands. This time though, he managed to make it almost to the mouth of one of the island caves before the strange voice decided to make itself known.
Hello Ken, good to see that you're back where you belong; I've had a lot of difficulty finding you lately.
You stay away way from me, Mr. Crazy Stalker Guy! Ken hissed, vaguely aware of how childish he sounded.
The figure laughed. You're so cute when your angry little Mew. Ken tensed as the figure floated closer to him, ready to make a run for it if necessary. I see that you are trying to learn to utilize your powers. That is good. Perhaps you have finally learned to accept what you are.
I KNOW what I am! Ken growled, tail lashing back and forth. I'm a human being!
Really? You don't look like one to me.
Ken glanced down at his body, realizing that he was a Mew again. Every time I change in real life, its right after you show up! Ken accused, blue eyes burning with anger. Are you doing this to me?
The voice laughed, although it was a cruel sound. It would be so much simpler if I were. The figure floated over to Ken, inches from him, a sort of cruel amusement seeming to radiate from the figure in waves. Believe me, he laughed, the area around them beginning to fade to black, If I were the reason you're changing, you would have become completely Mew a LONG time ago. Ken backed away from the figure, a chill running down his spine. The next thing he knew, the strange figure had picked him up and seemed to be trying to console him, like one would a child. I don't want us to be enemies Ken; I'd rather that we be friends.
Who are you? Ken asked, eyes begging to droop. In the back of his mind, he wondered how it was possible for him to be dozing off when he was already asleep and he struggled to stay focused long enough to hear what the figure had to say.
Really, I thought you would've figured it out by now, the figure chuckled, sounding far away. I am…
The next thing Ken knew he was awake, staring up at the starry sky, the book he'd been reading lying on its side next to him.
Crap!
Mentally cursing his bad luck, Ken let out a yawn and rolled over to try and go back to sleep, only to feel something sharp poke him inside the mouth. Sitting bolt upright, Ken reached up and felt his canines, which seemed to have gotten sharper since the day before, and a little longer too, almost like fangs.
Oh come on, that doesn't even make sense! Ken mentally groaned, rummaging through his bag to find some sort of reflective surface. Zubat have fangs, Charmander have fangs, Mew do NOT have fangs! His search unsuccessful, he walked over and began to nudge Chris, the Rigigigas hybrid letting out a groan of protest. "Come on Chris, wake up!" Ken growled, shaking his friend even harder. "It's an emergency!"
"What's…the…problem…?" Chris mumbled in an extremely slow voice, eyes still closed.
"Do you have a mirror or something?" Ken demanded, trying his best not to freak out.
"Mirror? Uh…maybe…" Chris replied, beginning to inch into a sitting position…extremely slowly.
"Chris what's wrong with you?" Ken demanded, ears twitching in confusion. It seemed to him that this went a little beyond being abruptly awakened in the middle of the night.
"Sllll…Slow Start," he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Give me…five minutes…"
"Look, I don't care if you're off to a slow start this morning!" Ken growled, tail twitching in irritation. "I've got a bit of a problem-"
"That's his ability," Arch announced from nearby, clearly unhappy that his sleep had been disturbed.
"Huh?"
"A Rigigigas has an ability called Slow Start that temporarily haves their attack and speed," the Ralts explained, as if Ken was a total idiot. "Normally, he can control it, even use it to his advantage, but wake him up from a sound sleep and you're not going to get much out of him, trust me." Arch glanced over at his Trainer, who did in fact seem to be moving at half his usual speed, and sighed. "Chris isn't a morning person. You have to let him wake up at his own time, or this happens."
"Well, how long till he gets going?" Ken demanded, beginning to lose patience.
"Five minutes," Arch replied, as if he were used to this sort of thing.
"FIVE MINUTES?"
"Look, if it's about your transformation, I'm sure you can find out what you need in that book of yours," Arch sighed, clearly wanting to go back to bed.
"Look Arch, something very wrong is happening here!" Ken cried, beginning to freak out. "I have fangs!You hear me? Fangs! The book didn't say anything about that!"
"And how much of the book have you read?" the Ralts asked, looking as though he already knew the answer.
"Uh…some of it," Ken replied, not meeting Arch's smug look.
"You skipped most of it, didn't you?"
"Yeah…" Ken admitted with a sigh, ears drooping in defeat. "But its soooo long and boooring sometimes!" he whined, surprised at how childish he'd just sounded.
The Ralts gave him a funny look. "Ken? Are you feeling alright?"
"Why does everybody keep asking me that?" Ken growled, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. "For the last time I'm-"
"Huh? Ken? What are you doing up?" Chris asked, blinking a few times to focus his eyes. "And what's this about a mirror? I mean, couldn't it have waited till-whoa!" Chris jumped in surprise. A pair of glowing feline eyes staring at him was not the sight he'd expected to see.
"What?" Ken asked, clearly not understanding what had startled his friend so much. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Chris quickly replied, knowing how sensitive Ken had been about his appearance lately. "Uh…sure, I've got a mirror in here somewhere," he replied, going through the contents of his backpack before handing a small hand mirror to Ken. "Honestly, I don't know why I brought it-"
"HOLY CRAP WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY EYES?" Ken demanded, causing Chris to face palm.
"Cat's eyes do that Ken," Chris sighed, although he had to admit, it had startled him too. "Your eyes changed recently, and I guess you're not used to seeing them in the dark."
"Y-yeah," Ken stuttered, finally calming down a bit. "I guess not." Turning back to his reflection, he parted his lips to reveal a pair of tiny fangs, causing him to sigh in dismay. "I was hoping I'd imagined it…"
"Hm?" Chris asked, leaning forward to get a look at what Ken was talking about, then sighing as he realized that he couldn't make out much of anything in the darkness. "What am I looking for here?"
"I have fangs Chris!" Ken spat, tail lashing back and forth angrily. "Are you blind?"
"Chill out Ken, not everybody can see in the dark like you can," Chris pointed out, causing Ken to relax a bit, although not by much. "The book said that that's normal."
Ken blinked in surprise. "You've read it?"
"No, just chapter one," Chris replied with a shrug, causing Ken's mouth to drop open. "Err…haven't you gotten that far yet?"
"He hasn't gotten past Mew's lack of claws," Arch explained with an amused chuckle.
"Stay out of my head!" Ken protested, putting his arms over his head as if to shield his thoughts.
"Only trying to help," the Ralts replied with a shrug.
"That's all the further you've gotten?" Chris asked, clearly surprised. He'd expected Ken to be interested in that sort of thing.
"I meant to read more!" Ken protested. "I just…couldn't concentrate tonight. It must be because I'm tired."
"Or maybe you would have paid more attention if there had been pop up pictures and coloring sections," Arch muttered, a small grin on his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ken demanded, glaring angrily at the Ralts.
"Don't fight!" Chris sighed, stepping between the two feuding Psychic types. "It's on page forty-nine, ok Ken? Now let's all get some sleep!"
Ken gave a reluctant nod and headed back over to his sleeping bag, glancing back over his shoulder once to see if Arch was laughing at him, but the Ralts was already asleep. Picking up the book from where he'd dropped it, Ken flipped over to chapter one, page forty-nine.
Based on fossil records, Mew are believed to be carnivorous, possessing small fangs for hunting, about as developed as that of a Skitty, and only being visible when the creatures mouth is open. It should be noted that most cat Pokémon possess fangs to some degree, and it would seem that Mew is no exception. The diet of Mew is believed to consist of mainly meat and berries, though Mew does seem to have an affinity for certain other foods. However, that is best left to Chapter 5: Diet.
Curious, Ken promptly skipped to the chapter on diet.
Chapter 5: Diet
Judging from fossil records, Mew is believed to possess a pair of tiny fangs, which would be used for hunting. It is believed that Mew's usual prey would consist of birds and fish, able to both fly and swim in order to catch them. It is also believed that Mew, like most Pokémon, enjoys eating berries. A few scientists have claimed to have found a larger than normal amount of Lum Berry trees in areas where Mew sightings have been reported, leading experts to believe that Mew strongly prefers them to any other fruit. There have also been numerous reports that speak of another, stranger, food that Mew is said to be especially fond of: chocolate. Chocolate, or indeed, any sweet food, is believed to be a big favorite. Those in search of Mew often carry a large supply of candy bars in an attempt to lure out the creature, and often report success. One such researcher was said to have observed Mew for an entire hour by feeding it candy bars. However, when he attempted to catch the Pokémon, Mew was said to have teleported away, along with the researcher's entire bag of candy bars.
Ken stared at the book in shock, body beginning to tremble. Is there anything about me that isn't because I'm part Mew? he wondered, closing the book and crawling back into his sleeping bag. He ran his bristly tongue over his new fangs, feeling both confused and frustrated. What the heck is wrong with me?
Rolling over onto his side, Ken tried his best to fall asleep, hoping the next morning would be better.
Ken awoke the next morning to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes cooking, making his stomach growl. Climbing out of the sleeping bag and putting on his shoes, he headed over to Chris, who was now cooking pancakes over a small fire, Kyo looking ready to dig in as soon as they were done.
"Morning Ken," Chris greeted him with a smile as he flipped the pancake over. "Sorry about last night, I know I wasn't very helpful."
"It's ok," Ken sighed, as he sat down to wait for breakfast to be done, his Pokémon hurrying over as well. "I know I haven't been in the best mood lately."
Chris nodded, his expression one of sympathy. "I can't blame you; if I was changing, I'd freak out too." He gave the pancake another flip before dishing it out onto an ever growing pile, being sure to keep it out of Kyo's reach. "How many do you want?"
"How many you willing to make?" Ken chuckled, as Chris set forth making more pancakes.
A short while later, Ken was chowing down on chocolate chip pancakes with his friends, a delighted purr rumbling in his throat. He was positive that Chris had made them just to cheer him up. Still, he wasn't complaining, and even asked for a second helping.
Surprisingly, he found it very easy to adapt to having fangs. He was sure that he'd end up biting himself at least once, and was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't.
How is it that I'm able to adjust to this so well? he wondered, running a finger over one of the tiny fangs thoughtfully. Maybe-
"They're not even noticeable, you know," Chris commented, interrupting his thoughts. "I wouldn't even go so far as to call them fangs."
"Maybe not," Ken sighed, taking another bite of pancake, "but I'd still like to know why this is happening."
"Don't worry Ken, I'm sure Bill will figure something out soon," Chris reassured his friend, causing Ken to smile.
"Yeah, I suppose your right," he agreed, finishing off the rest of his pancakes before pausing to lick his furry palms, which were sticky with maple syrup. Realizing what he'd been doing, he quickly stopped, cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "Uhh…you have any baby wipes or something like that?"
"Sure," Chris replied, tossing his friend a box before turning to put his cooking supplies away.
Relax, Ken told himself, trying to ignore all the thoughts running through his head. I know what I am. I'm not a Pokémon, I'm a human and nothings gonna change that!
Pushing his fears to the back of his mind, Ken and Chris once again set off towards Vermillion City, Ken doing his best to forget about his ever-changing appearance.
"Chris, are you positive that this is the right way to Vermillion City?" Ken asked, knowing how terrible his friend was with maps.
"Of course I'm sure!" Chris laughed, turning back to the map. Ok, now is that a river or a road…oh wait, I had it upside down. Now what's that thing supposed to be?
"Just say it," Ken sighed, shoulders slumping. "We're lost again, aren't we?"
"Of course not!" Chris protested, turning the map sideways and frowning. "According to the map, there's a major landmark coming up…I just can't tell what it's supposed to be." Ken let out a groan. "Ok, just relax!" Chris chuckled, taking another look at the map. "It's either a gas station or an outhouse."
"Chris," Ken said, as calmly as he could, "I might be wrong, but neither of those things seem likely."
"All right," Chris sighed, shoving the map into his backpack in defeat, "so I can't read maps! Look, if it's that major a landmark, I'm sure we'll know it when we see it!"
"Is that it?" Sora asked, extending one of her vines and pointing towards a large building up ahead.
Chris blinked, unable to believe that he hadn't noticed the building until Sora said something. "Uh…yeah Sora, I think that's it."
The group approached the building, pausing long enough to read the sign posted out front, Pokémon Day Care, before knocking on the door, which opened to reveal a man of around twenty two years old with shaggy brown hair that came just past his ears. He wore a pair of jeans sporting obvious signs of wear and tear, a green apron, and a pair of black work boots.
"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Daycare! Would you like me to raise one of your Pokémon?" he asked, a friendly smile on his face.
"Raise them?" Ken asked, clearly confused. Wasn't it the Trainers job to raise their own Pokémon?
"You've never heard of the Pokémon Daycare before, have you?" the man asked, noticing the Mew hybrids confused expression. Ken shook his head. "Well, to put it quite simply, I raise one of a Trainer's Pokémon for them. This is especially helpful for inexperienced Pokémon who aren't ready for battles just yet. Granted, it isn't as effective as battles for strengthening a Pokémon, but if you have one that, say, hasn't learned any offensive moves yet, this would be a great way to allow it to learn those essential skills without it being exposed to harm."
"Sounds like you Ken!" Sora giggled, causing the Mew hybrid to shoot her an annoyed glare.
"And Mew works?" Ken asked, a bit skeptical.
"That's right," the man assured him with a nod. "A boy dropped off his Abra yesterday, and it's grown quite a bit stronger since he left it here. I even taught it to use Shadow Ball!"
"Really?"
The man nodded. "The Abra was most willing to learn. I didn't even need to use a TM, which is good because TM's are so hard to come by. I normally don't use them unless the Pokémon is really having trouble learning moves.
"Could Mew do something for Shade?" Ken asked, pulling out the Magikarp's Pokeball. As far as he knew, the only move the crazy fish knew was Splash.
The man grimaced. "I've seen a Pokeball like that many times before. Let me guess, Shade is a Magikarp?" Ken nodded. The man groaned. "I'm willing to bet that some shady guy sold it to you at some ridiculous price, telling you that it was some sort of "secret Pokémon," then ran off with your money."
"Well…that's not exactly how Mew happened," Ken muttered, recalling how he had first met Shade. Still, the result was pretty much the same. "But yeah."
The man let out a long heavy sigh. "I'll see what I can do, but you have to promise me you'll come back for it. I've had many Trainers give me their Magikarp to raise, saying that they'd be back for it in a couple of days." The man's face turned grim. "They never came back."
"Mew would never do that to Shade!" Ken hissed, tail lashing angrily at the thought of such a thing. "He may drive Mew nuts, but he's my friend!"
The man's eyes widened in shock, surprised that this boy could care so much for what many people considered to be a useless creature. "Good! I like that kind of conviction!" He pulled a notepad out of his back pocket and jotted something down before motioning for Ken to follow him.
Shrugging, Ken and Chris followed the man towards the back room.
"My name's Danny," the man explained as he lead the group past several stalls with Pokémon inside, "but most people just call me the Daycare Dude." Ken and Chris exchanged confused glances. "I know, it's a little weird!" Danny laughed, rubbing the back of his and messing his shaggy brown hair. "See, my grandparents run the Day Care on Four Island in the Sevvi Islands, and they go by the Daycare Man and the Daycare Lady. It's kind of traditional." Pulling out a set of keys, he unlocked the door to a room at the end of the hallway before leading Ken and Chris inside.
"Wow," Ken marveled, as he took in the sight of the many aquariums littering the relatively small space. Several Water Pokémon were already swimming about, looking like they were enjoying themselves. It reminded him a bit of the Cerulean Gym, now that he thought about it.
Danny laughed. "It's not much, really. My grandparents have a much better facility than this, but it does the job I guess." Looking from tank to tank, he finally came to an empty one and turned to Ken. "This should work just fine! Do you have your Magikarp?"
"Right here," Ken replied, holding up Shade's Pokeball and approaching the tank. In a flash of light, the fish was released into the water.
"Thus I return to the sea with a vengeance!" Shade announced, causing Ken to face palm.
"Shade," Ken said as the fish turned his attention to him, "I'm going to leave you here for a little bit. I'll come back, I promise!"
"As you wish Master Mew," Shade replied with a bow. "As your apprentice I will do whatever you ask of me."
Ken felt a lump form in his throat. Chris had told him how Shade had never doubted his return; not for a minute. I just got back, Ken thought to himself as he stared at the ever obedient fish in the tank. I can't leave him now. "I can't do this!" he cried, causing Chris and Danny to jump. Sighing, Ken promptly returned Shade to his Pokeball. "I'm sorry, I can't leave Shade here," he tried to explain, pretty sure that he wasn't making any sense. "My Pokémon have been away from me for a while, so I don't want to just leave one of them behind."
Danny nodded, a huge smile on his face as Chris translated what Ken had just said, causing Ken to blush as he thought he'd been speaking English. "Well why didn't you just say so? I offer a special training program for Trainers and Pokémon with separation issues." A wicked grin suddenly broke out on his face. "Only thing is, it requires that the Trainer play an active role. Think you're up for it?"
Ken nodded, tail twitching enthusiastically. "Whatever Mew takes!"
Danny tried and failed to suppress a laugh. "Ok, but this program doesn't just train the Pokémon," he explained as he led them to another room. "It trains the Trainer."
Author's notes: I'm trying to lengthen the chapters and allow more things to happen at a time, thus hopefully speeding things up a little bit. I'm sure you all can't wait for Ken to get to Vermillion, and I'm sorry to say that you'll have to wait a little bit longer. He'll get there though, don't worry! ^_^
Also, for those of you who are into Yugioh/Yugioh GX, I've started my own Yugioh GX fanfic, Soul Card. Check it out if you want to. :)