WHAT!? TWO NEW CHAPTERS BACK-TO-BACK!? Yeah, that's right! I've been working long and hard on this story! I hope you all enjoy!
The light tapping at the door that made my ears twitch, waking me up. I groaned lazily, hoping the knocking would go away, but like a nosy alarm clock it wouldn't stop. I kept ignoring it. Eventually, the knocking stopped and there was a click as the door opened. Lifting a sleepy eyelid, I saw Jirachi looking over at me with a smile.
"…Did you have to wake me up?" I moaned, trying to cover myself with the sheets again. I wasn't prepared to start the day.
"Come on, Keith, don't be so lazy," Jirachi chuckled, pulling the sheets off me. I grumbled in response. "Besides, I…" Jirachi opened his mouth wide, then let out the loudest, longest yawn I've ever heard. It was incredible that it didn't sound forced. "Besides, I need to go back into hibernation soon…" His voice suddenly sounded tired.
"Hibernation?" I tilted my head curiously. I think I remember Vivico telling me that Jirachi sleeps for a millennium and only wakes up for a week, and that he only wakes up when the Millennium Comet appears or when sung to with a voice of purity.
"Y-yeah…" Jirachi let out another humongous yawn. "I gotta go back to sleep… I'm actually not due for several hundred more years…"
"Then why did you wake up?"
Jirachi didn't respond, but strangely I think I knew what it was. "Was it because you remembered Mew?" I asked him. Again, he didn't respond. Just nothing but quietness hung in the room. Despite his refusal to answer, I could sense it; I didn't know how, but I just did. I knew that it really was because of Mew. Perhaps the date of her death had just recently passed and Jirachi had come here to mourn.
"That's not really important," Jirachi eventually replied, seemingly unsettled. "That's in the past. What I want to know is what you, the new mew in this cycle, are going to do?"
I pondered deeply on Jirachi's words and let my brain process it. I'm a mew. A mythical being that possessed great psychic power and potential, with the ability to transform into any pokémon in the world, no less. Such impressive abilities, yet they are possessed by someone as cowardly as me. I wasn't born a mew. I had no idea I was one. So now that I've found out, what will I do with it? Obviously, I could transform into another pokémon and leave to live another life.
At least, that was what I wanted to do first. Now I wasn't so sure. Talking with Arthur last night made me change my mind.
"…I'll need time to think about it." I told Jirachi, "I could choose to become someone else and live elsewhere, maybe by the beach… or I could choose to help people and pokémon like the previous mew."
Jirachi smiled upon hearing my thoughts. "While I would love for you to fulfil your duty as a mew and help others, just remember you're not obligated to," he said calmly.
You're not obligated to… That reminds me.
"…I'm not sure if I want to talk with Merlot yet though." I murmured. Remembering my confrontation with the Lake Trio back at Bleak Cove brought back past traumatic memories I preferred not to recall. I still remember the way Iwes talked, how she said that I needed to be 'trained' and 'educated' on being a mew. It was as if it was mandatory to become this selfless figure who would help anyone in need. But I have a life. I'm not obligated to do all that. I'm free to do so, but not forced to.
Jirachi remained silent for a while. After a few moments, he spoke up in a soft voice. "I know what he said to you wasn't necessarily right," he said to me. "But you do know he can't disobey Iwes. Technically, she's his senior."
"I know, but did he really have to go through with it?" I asked. Looking back, when I grappled Azelf, I recalled the pain in his eyes when he confessed. I hadn't noticed it before, but now with my improved psychic intuition, I seem to be seeing things in a new, more open manner.
"Trust me, he was probably only doing it for your own good," Jirachi replied, gently pulling me off the bed and onto my feet. "He's just as unsure as you are. He's still pretty young."
"35 years old is not young." I commented.
"For us, it is," Jirachi shrugged. "We live up to hundreds or thousands of years."
"Fair point," I replied stoically, looking outside the window. The day had only just begun, yet there was still so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to sit down and think things calmly, but it felt like a big waste of time. I could also talk to Elise again, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it so soon. My mind was preoccupied with was Jirachi said about Merlot. He thinks Merlot can't really be blamed for what he did. To be frank, I agree now. "I think I'm going to talk with Merlot. Then I'll think about something else." I told Jirachi.
"And what are you going to say to him?" Jirachi asked.
"We'll see when I get there." I shrugged nonchalantly. I closed my eyes and concentrated, imagining myself back in Bleak Cove, with the light cold breeze flowing through the open mountain roof that travelled down to the grassy, dimly-lit spot below. Before long, I could feel myself teleporting in a flash of light as my body whizzed through space in but a few milliseconds.
When I reopened my eyes, I was back in Bleak Cove. The secluded spot hidden deep inside the depths of a mountain remained the same as ever. The sun's rays shined into the cove at an angle, lighting up the green grass around, meaning it was still morning. I walked around, once again feeling the prickly grass underneath my paw pads. Just weeks ago, I was here, being nursed by the Lake Trio, only to leave them. It was mostly Iwes' fault though.
I turned my head at the sound of water splashing. The blue-skinned creature with twin tails I was looking for was sitting by the lake, his feet dipping in the water and splashing it around like he had nothing better to do. Seeing his figure made me shudder. Not out of fear of getting hurt, but fear of being dismissed. I didn't really know what I wanted to say to him, but I stepped forward anyway.
It was only when I was right beside looking down at him did Merlot sense my presence. His golden eyes widened at the sight of me and he almost dunked himself into the pond. "K-Keith…" He whispered, arms reflexively held up, as if to defend himself. His figured almost shrunk as he started murmuring. "I-I… I'm sorry…" I heard him stutter. The way he said that, he no longer sounded like the adult I imagined him to be.
I didn't say anything. I didn't feel anything. All I did was sit down on the pond's edge and dipped my feet down into the cold water. The contact made my legs shiver, but it was soon replaced with warmth as the internal fire inside of me heated me up. I stayed quiet, looking at him, somewhat entertained to see his response. He looked up at me, watching my movements. He didn't say any words. On the other hand, his face clearly had the question of "Why are you not reacting or yelling at me?".
When I said that I didn't feel anything, it was because I was a bag of emotions. I was happy to see him again, but also angry to see him again. I was sad that he was scared, but also amused to see him frightened of me. I want to slap him, but I also want to reunite with him. I could choose to do any, feel any, but I didn't know what was best. In the end, I chose nothing, and felt nothing. Neutrality.
It was a few minutes before Merlot was able to regain his ability to speak. "Keith…" he started, his breathing shallow. "If you're here to yell at me, I won't complain." A resigned sigh escaped his mouth. He was clearly expecting my wrath. Fortunately for him, I held it back.
"I thought back about what you did," I said to him expressionlessly. "To be honest, I've forgiven you."
There was a look of surprise on the azelf's face. "Really? Why?"
"I should be blaming Iwes instead for all this," I muttered angrily, recalling her words to me. We need you to learn how to control it. The way she said it, it was as if I was her property. Their property. I looked around, confirming that neither of the other two Lake Trio were present. After that I looked back to the confounded Merlot. "I don't hate you either." I added.
Merlot was stock-still. I wasn't sure what he was thinking; my intuition didn't say anything. I tried using my powers again, maybe see another memory bubble or read his mind, but nothing really came up. It must only come out naturally, or perhaps I'm trying too hard to make it happen.
"Well, Keith…" He started speaking again, much more calmly now. "I'm… glad that you've forgiven me. I know that lying to you was a bad thing, but I didn't have any other say in the matter."
"I know now. I was the fool back then." Thinking back, I had been so angry, letting the emotions control me. Now, I've felt too much to feel anything at all.
"No, you had a right to be angry," Merlot replied with a forlorn expression, staring into the dark pond. We didn't say anything afterwards, only silently accepting each other's words. He swirled the water around beneath his toes and I did the same. Somehow, it was strangely comforting to just feel each other's presence and nothing more.
After a while, he spoke up again. "So why did you come back here?" He asked me.
My heart thumped a bit, from either anger or sorrow. "To tell you the truth, I came here to reconcile with you. I want to make amends." I told him quietly. It was very hard to force the words out of my mouth, especially when you're still confused about what you really feel. "There's a part of me that loathes you, but also a part of me that values you."
"…Value me?" Merlot looked shocked.
"Well, yeah… Technically, you helped take care of me while I was in Bleak Cove, even when I was a stranger to you. I don't know when Iwes told you about her speculations, though I assume it must be a few days before I, er, 'lost it'." I gave an awkward cough. "Even though sometimes I refused your company, you still came for me and tried to cheer me up. You're not Canberra, but you're a great friend."
Merlot looked at me with the most astonished look I've ever seen him have. It was as if his brain had exploded inside his head. Then, in a sad tone, he smiled at me and said, "You really are Delphi's successor, aren't you?" He gave a small chuckle. "She said the exact same words to me 20 years ago."
"20 years ago?"
"Lemme tell you a story… of how I, Merlot, the new azelf, lived my young days." He lifted his feet off the water, splashing it a bit, before setting down on the grass. His twin tails floated absently behind him as he sat directly facing me. I did the same as him, my ears tilting forward as I intended to hear his story.
"After the old azelf passed away and I was born, I was soon later brought into Canberra and Iwes' company. They raised me like parents and taught me many things, like how to use my psychic abilities, how to fly, and how to use powerful moves. In a matter of years, I was practically almost as capable of a regular adult pokémon. I spent a lot of my time training by the lake and only helping others in the direct vicinity."
"Then, one day, Delphi visited me. I think I must have been 8 or 9 years old at the time. I had heard about her before, but it was the first time we had met. I did a bunch of cool things to her, and showed her what I could do, and despite her praises, it felt like there was something else she wasn't telling me. She visited me at least once a month since then, checking on my progress from time to time. And every visit, it always seemed like there was something she… disliked about me."
"It wasn't until I was 13 that I asked her why she always looked at me so weirdly whenever I showed her my improvements…"
His voice began to slowly fade away from my consciousness until I couldn't hear it anymore. There was a bright blue bubble forming around him and it began to envelop me, changing the world around me as it shifted and blurred. Another one of those strange things. This must be the third time. What even are these anyway, memory bubbles? It was only a few seconds before I was completely immersed in the new surroundings and I cancelled my thoughts.
I could see a large, wide lake surrounded by grassy fields and tall pine trees. The water's surface was calm, and the sky was as clear as day. The weather felt humid and no wind was blowing, all I could hear were the chattering of two pokémon in front of me. There, just above the lake, hovering side by side, was Delphi the mew and Merlot the azelf. The latter looked younger and smaller. This was a memory from 20 years ago though.
"I pity you a bit, Azelf." Delphi said despondently, her hands held together.
"Why do say that, Miss Delphi?" Azelf asked. That was definitely Merlot, but it seems he hasn't been given a name yet. His voice was a lot younger too. "Haven't I been helping out a lot more pokémon now?"
"Yes, you have," Delphi conceded, but her face still looked sad. "but may I ask you a question?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Why don't you ever leave the area around Lake Valor?"
When I heard Mew's question, I thought the answer was obvious. Azelf was the guardian of Lake Valor. Of course, he should be there; even Bleak Cove is nearby. As I expected, young Merlot thought the same as me. "Well, cuz it's my area. Canberra and Iwes said that I'm a guardian of this place, and that it is my duty to ensure that the lake, and everyone around it can stay safe." There was a hint of pride in his voice that I admired. He clearly loved his position.
"That's true as well," Delphi concurred. "But that doesn't mean you can't leave Lake Valor."
"You mean… I should be going out to the other lakes as well?" Azelf asked, confused by her remark.
"Not just the other lakes; the entire Sinnoh region." When she saw that Merlot looked even more confused, she gave a humble smile and continued. "You are one of the three guardians of the mighty Sinnoh region. Indeed, your duty is to protect this lake and all those around it. However, is it not too small of a duty? Your area only covers so much of this vast world. Your real duty is not just to be here around the lake all the time, but to protect everyone and everything in Sinnoh. That is what a Lake Guardian is supposed to be."
Azelf looked at Delphi with a look of reverence. "Is… is that so?" He suddenly seemed a bit down. "Have I been failing my duty then?"
Delphi shook her head, lifting his chin back up so they would see eye-to-eye again. "No, of course not. You're just a young boy who has yet to realize his real purpose. You have plenty of room to grow." She consoled him kindly. "Tell me, Azelf, have you ever gone to the western side of the Sinnoh region? Or perhaps Mount Coronet?"
"N-no…" Azelf replied, dispirited. "I didn't think to ever go anywhere other than the eastern side."
"Well, why don't we go there now?" Delphi suggested. When he heard the suggestion, Azelf looked cheery for a moment, but then his smile dropped, and he shook his head. "N-no, I can't…" He apologized sadly. "Canberra and Iwes will scold me…"
Mew merely chuckled, "Those two are just stubborn-headed. They wouldn't mind as long as I'm with you." Mew reached out and grabbed Azelf's hand. "Trust me."
Azelf thought about it for a moment. And then, he nodded. With Azelf's consent, I watched as Mew brought him away and they flew together towards the western side of the region. They flew high over the trees until I couldn't see them anymore.
I had expected the memory to end there and fade back out into the real world, but nothing happened. I waited some more, watching the lake's surface rippled as fish pokémon occasionally jumped around, feeling the wind swirl around me, but nothing happened. I was starting to get worried. This was troubling. "Am I stuck here…?" I asked myself.
Then I realized something. Unlike the previous memories, I could sense a whole lot more. I could feel the hot temperature of the summer air around me, the dry wind blowing onto my face, the grass beneath my paw pads, and the faint smell of flowers in the distant. It was almost like… I was there. Just to make sure, I walked towards the lake's water and gingerly tried dipping my paw in. My touch caused a ripple to form. "So, I'm not just watching, but I'm also experiencing?" I muttered, looking around. "In that case, can I move further beyond here as well?"
I attempted to do so by transforming into a mew. Much to my surprise, it actually worked; my body morphed rapidly into a mew. Then I started to levitate. I couldn't believe what was happening. I really was inside the memory now.
Remembering that I had to follow Delphi and Azelf, I floated up and chased after them, heading west.
As I followed them — two tiny dots in the distance — I looked down below. Being so high up made me a bit nauseous. I lived my entire life as a quadruped, standing on the solid ground. Now that I was a mew, it became no longer necessary. It was a tough thing to get adjusted to.
Since they seem to be travelling in a straight line, I decided to busy myself with my thoughts. I thought about this, this memory. Do I have the power to do mind reading or enter memories? Does that come with being a Mew? I remember that both Azelf and Xera can sorta read memories, but it all happened in a matter of a few seconds, whilst mine feels like more than five minutes. Is it a different kind of mind reading then? Perhaps mine is a unique power that allows the user to directly experience a memory themselves, seeing and feeling the surroundings at the time, without directly interfering with it? That was my best guess. It was probably a more advanced form of mind reading then.
I thought about myself in the real world next. What actually happens to the me outside while I'm in here? Do I space out and they don't realize? Or, by some mystifying form of magic, my soul literally goes inside of Merlot's body? Would that even make sense? I guess I wouldn't know unless I asked Merlot himself.
"Keith?" The world around me suddenly got sucked away and I was sitting on the grass again. Merlot was looking at me weirdly, waving his hand in front of my face. "Keith, you alright? You spaced out for a moment there."
It took a while before I realized that I had come back. The light within the cove was still eerily dim and I was on solid ground instead of the air. My senses got confused for a second, almost slipping into the water. "U-uh, sorry." I murmured, catching myself just in time. The rapid switch caught me off guard.
"I was getting to the part where Delphi showed me around the city, and I noticed you were zoning out. Like, really zoning out. Like you weren't even conscious."
"Oh, sorry…" Since the opportunity had presented itself, I decided to ask about it now. "What did I look like?"
"What do you mean 'what did I look like'? You were just staring into me with blank eyes. Even when I paused you still kept on staring. It was freaky."
"Yeah… that may have been my power…" I started to carefully explain what I had seen, what I had felt, what I had sensed. I explain the past usage of my power as well, like what happened when Jirachi talked to me about Delphi, and what happened when Arthur talked to me about his conversation with Lirrian. When I finished, Merlot appeared to be greatly fascinated.
"So, you have the power to enter memories? I didn't think it was possible…" He said in a low voice, racking his brains on what it was. "I've never heard of such a thing before."
"Me either," I said sadly, still perplexed. "Is it a good thing?"
"This ability of yours could prove useful," he admitted. "However, a power you cannot control is just as dangerous."
"'Dangerous?" I blurted out, "Dangerous, how?"
"If you don't have direct control over your abilities, you'll wind up hurting yourself sooner or later," he explained to me. "It's just like a young pokémon unable to use an advanced move properly. If you try to do something that's beyond you, you may succeed, but you could also get really hurt." I nodded. Merlot made a point. "While I can't exactly explain what exactly the negative consequences of this power would be, it might be best to talk it out with Uxie."
"Do I really have to talk to Iwes again?" I shuddered at the thought of hearing her passive-aggressive tone again. "By the way, why don't you ever call them by their names?"
Merlot flinched at my words. He let out a long sigh before finally speaking. "After Mew— I mean, Delphi, died, I couldn't find myself to say her name. It just didn't feel right. And since she gave everyone else their names, it felt wrong to say it too." He looked at my direction and asked. "Is that weird?" I was confused by his logic, but I accepted his reasoning anyway and nodded.
"Anyway, I think we got a bit deviated by my earlier… ascent from reality." I cracked a joke, chuckling. Merlot laughed too. "So, what happened after you both left the lake?"
"Oh that, I was just getting there. You see…" He paused for a moment. "So basically, after I start reminiscing again, you're going to be back in that memory? He asked me for a confirmation.
I shrugged. "I have no idea how this power works, but theoretically, yes."
"Well, alright then." Merlot shrugged back. "It'll feel weird talking to an 'empty shell', but okay. So, as I was saying before, me and Delphi headed to the west, passing the mountains and towards Oreburgh City…" Shortly after he started talking again, I felt that strange feeling wash over me again. There was no bubble this time, but the memory world suddenly reappeared from a dot in front of me and expanded, enveloping me in the imaginary place.
The next thing I knew I was falling from the sky.
"AAAAAHHHH!" I screamed as I plunged from the sky, the ground coming at me like a speeding car. I stopped myself, regaining control as flipped my body over in midair before levitating safely. I let out heavy breaths. "Phew… I almost died… Actually, can I even die here? I guess I'll never know."
I continued to pursue Azelf and Delphi as the soared through the sky, bird pokémon flying here and there. I could feel the air rushing through my fur as I continued after them. My fur actually seems to be a bit longer despite being a mew, it's more furry than fuzzy. Jirachi never mentioned that. Perhaps being a vulpix for so long affected my mew form.
It was a while before we eventually got to the city. I looked down below. The city looked rather old-fashioned with rustic-looking buildings and shoveled paths scrawled over the dirt. There were factories and several other industrial buildings to the north, while I could see a large coal mine to the south. Cliff sides and rock faces surrounded all sides of the city, as if protecting its environment from the outside world. I remember this place; it was Oreburgh City. Sam once went here to earn his gym badge and he managed to get it on his first try. That felt like so long ago, but I don't find myself missing him. Sam didn't seem like a part of my life anymore. Ever since he joined the clan, it was like he's a different person.
I noticed Delphi and Azelf stopping, so I stopped as well. I watched as they settled down and sat on the roof of one of the factories. I got closer to them, practically sitting right across them, but being a figment of memory, they weren't able to see me.
"This is Oreburgh City, also known as the City of Energy. All the main power plants in the region are located here." Delphi told a starry-eyed Azelf.
"Wow… This looks a lot like Sunnyshore City. That place is kinda industrialized too, but a lot fancier than this. And brighter!" Azelf commented, beaming. "I didn't realize that Sinnoh look like this. We passed over a bunch of places too!
"See?" Delphi smiled at the cheerful boy. She tapped his shoulder, directing him to look around. "The world is full of wonder and fascination, with so many interesting things to do. Haven't you ever wanted to know what's out there? What surprises there are? That's the reason why I travel all the time. I want to meet and help all the pokémon I meet on my journey, as well as fulfilling my duty as a mew."
"Do you like it?" Azelf asked. "You like that kind of life?"
Mew smiled, but it didn't look like a happy smile. It looked like the smile of someone who was amused by the irony of the answer she was about to give. "I do. Most of the time." She paused for a moment, looking upwards at the sky. Azelf remained silent, looking curiously at her. "There are times when I wish I could lay down for a few days. Enjoy a few moments of peace to myself and relax. A part of me even wants to have a family. But that's all just hopeful thoughts."
"Then why don't you just… stop?" Azelf asked again. "Like… take a hiatus from doing work."
Mew's unconvinced smile weakened further. "I would like to, but I can't." She replied, her knees clutched close to her chest, her hand resting on them, pondering over something. "It's not just my duty, but it's my sanction too."
"Sanction?" Azelf looked astonished.
"N-nevermind, I said too much…" Mew looked away from him. "But I do hope you'll be able to—"
"KEITH!" A loud voice yelled into my ear funnel.
I snapped awake. I was back at Bleak Cove. Merlot was looking worryingly at me. "Keith, are you there?" He had appeared very concerned that even I was feeling the same. I tried saying something, but my body wouldn't let my mouth talk. Instead, I nodded weakly in response. "Oh, thank Arceus, you're okay… I thought I'd lost you?"
"What are you talking about?" I asked him, utterly baffled.
"I had stopped talking one minute ago, when I told you how Delphi told me that there are plenty of things in the world to do, yet you continued spacing out. I called your name several times, but you were like frozen in time."
Until the part where Delphi told him there were many things in the world? But… my sighting went beyond that… I clearly remembered the forlorn expression on Delphi's face. I cleared my throat and tried talking again. "I'm sorry Merlot, I don't understand. The last thing I heard was that Mew said that her duty was also her sanction."
Merlot suddenly froze up. His body became as rigid as mine earlier. "Y-you saw that…?" He muttered. I nodded back. "…Then you saw beyond what I told you… Incredible…" Merlot didn't seem pleased though. "If that's the case then, maybe…"
As I waited for him to finish his sentence my brain was suddenly hit by a massive headache. I let out a screech, grabbing my head with my paws and fell on the ground. The pain hurt. It hurt so much that it I thought I would implode.
"Keith, what's happening!?" Merlot's voice called out from somewhere.
The pain was replaced by a brain-freeze, making me grit my teeth. My legs gave away and my body slumped weakly onto the grass. I could feel the darkness dragging me away, my mental strength drained. The last thing I saw was Merlot looking panicked and calling out my name before my eyes shut and I went out cold.
