Eli, in his zorua form, let out an aggressive bark as he began to gather a large amount of dark energy around his body. He took a quick breath and held his focus towards his target, determined not to let the attack fizzle out on him again. After amassing enough energy, he lurched his body forward slightly and let loose his attack, shooting off a concentrated shock wave of pitch black energy straight at his target; a large wooden log propped up against a tree. The shockwave of dark energy hit the log dead center, and after being lifted partway into the air by the force of the blast, unceremoniously flopped onto the ground on its side, showing signs of light wear.

Eli gave off a cocky smirk and glanced back towards Alex. "Hey, didja see that, man? I think I'm getting better at Night Daze faster than Shadow Ball." Much to Eli's bemusement, however, Alex didn't react outside of a simple polite smile in Eli's direction before he began blankly staring off into the distance again, rapidly tapping his foot against his leg and idly fiddling with the straps of his backpack while he sat in a crisscross position. Eli lifted an eyebrow and walked towards Alex, sitting down in front of him. "You okay, dude? You've been getting more and more spacey since you got here. What's up?"

Alex blinked and focused his attention on the fox pokemon right in front of him. "Huh? Oh- ugh, sorry, man. I uh... guess I'm just a bit distracted today."

The dark type pokemon smirked the slightest of amounts. "You don't say? Never woulda guessed after you all but told me you wanted to come out here with me to get your mind off of things."

Alex gave the fox pokemon an unamused frown, and simply rolled his eyes, averting his gaze from Eli, after he got another teasing snicker from him.

"Alright, spill. What's got you so distracted?" Eli asked in a more serious tone, after deciding that he had tortured Alex enough.

Alex let out a nervous exhale through his nose, still looking away from the zorua as he continued to dwell on his issue. "It's- um, did I tell you about the job interview for that pokemon research position?"

Eli sat up straight and abandoned the rest of his mischievous mood while they discussed the important issue Alex brought up. "You mentioned it, yea. Did it already happen?"

Alex nodded. "Mhm. Two days ago. And I'm pretty sure I nailed it. It's just like... ugh, any day now, would be nice."

Eli nodded in understanding. "You said it was for the university, right?"

"Yea, the university's biology lab. They're studying pretty much anything from how pokemon moves work to how common medicines and chemicals interacts with their bodies and other shit like that."

Eli's eyes flashed with curiosity. "Wow, that's a lot. Wonder what all they-" Eli cut himself off, jostling his head after he realized he began to stray from what he originally wanted to say, "Ah never mind. Not the time. Anyway, you also said that they're just now starting the semester, right? Even though it probably should've been delayed?"

Alex scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. "Still don't know what the logic is behind that," he muttered in a tone just loud enough for Eli to hear.

Eli tilted his head to the side, imitating a shrugging motion. "Well then they're probably just up to their eyes in work, trying to get caught up. I mean hell, if they barely had time to talk to you on the phone of all things, it makes sense that they'd be working on just trying not to get overrun during the week."

Alex let out an impatient huff. "Today is Saturday, though."

Eli rolled his eyes, then fixed a rather testy look at his friend. "Dude, it's way early afternoon. I get that you're worried, and I totally don't blame you, but the weekend just started. Just chill. It'll be fine."

Alex leaned his head back and deliberately bonked it against the tree behind him. "Yea, easier said than done," he muttered once again, this time not caring if Eli heard him or not.

Eli looked downward and let out a soft, but frustrated sigh. "Just tryin to help, bud. Worrying won't do you much good... in any case, I'm gonna focus on refining my Shadow Ball. You wanna help out?"

After a few moments more of dwelling on the source of his impatience and frustration, Alex eventually gave up, figuring it was going to solve nothing right away, and stood up with his friend. "Alright, fine. Let's see where you're at," he muttered, trying to force some positivity through.

Eli looked back up to face Alex and flashed him a smirk, before turning back towards the worn log, still keeping eye contact as he made his way back to his training spot. "Awesome. Now watch this. I think I found a way to power it up faster..."

Alex continued to help Eli with his Shadow Ball attack for the next half hour, giving him very helpful tips that would improve his efficiency with the move in record pace. Halfway through their training session, however, Alex noticed that Eli started making curious glances towards Alex every so often right after Alex would further coach Eli and give tips to strengthen his attacks. Alex mostly brushed it off at first and dismissed it as Eli's normal human personality still seeping through, but it was happening frequently enough to where Alex eventually began to wonder if something was wrong. Alex's concern was further exacerbated after getting a better look at one of Eli's glances towards him. Alex noticed there was a considerable amount of intrigue, as well as... was that fear? Uncertainty? Alex couldn't tell for sure what it was, but it was something negative, and that startled him. Alex still continued to train and coach Eli, but that expression of Eli's formed a curiosity that continued to eat away at the back of Alex's mind for the remainder of the session.

After launching his last attack, Eli trudged over to a large and shady tree, and unceremoniously flopped onto his side. "A'ight... I think I'm gonna take five. Whew..." Eli lifted his head up to face Alex. "That shit takes a lot out of you," he griped.

Alex chuckled and unzipped his backpack, bringing out a small ceramic bowl and a water bottle. 'Heh, don't I know it,' Alex thought to himself. "I can imagine. Here, you should get some water," he encouraged as he filled the bowl halfway up, setting it in front of a rather unamused Eli.

"This still feels so demeaning," he muttered as he reluctantly sat himself up and began lapping water from the bowl Alex set in front of him.

Alex threw up his hands defensively. "Hey, don't blame me. This is how all quadrupeds drink water. Besides, didn't you yourself tell me it was easier to drink that way than trying to mess with water bottles n shit? Ain't my fault you refuse to transform, even during rest," Alex jabbed with a teasing inflection in his voice.

Eli just grumbled in response and continued lapping away at his water bowl until he got his fill, and curled up into a resting position close to Alex.

Alex, meanwhile, decided to take a healthy swallow of water as well, also wiping away a fair amount of sweat that had collected onto his forehead. "Whew... I tell ya what, I like it here and all, but the one thing I've never gotten used to even after living here for so long is the heat. How many triple digit days have we had this year?"

Eli made a grunting noise that sounded rather glum. Alex faced the fox pokemon to see him distantly staring past his water bowl as if he was deep in thought. Alex felt a pang of worry. 'Shit, I really hope I didn't go too far this time.' "Hey Eli?"

Eli faced Alex after a beat of silence. "Yea, man?"

Alex rubbed his upper arm nervously and averted his direct gaze from his friend. "Hey, I'm sorry if I went too hard on you. I was just trying to help you hone your skills to the best of your abilities, but if I'm going too far-"

Eli's ears perked up and his eyes lit up in surprise. "Oh, nonono, don't worry about that, man. It was never anything I couldn't handle."

Alex let out an unconvinced grunt. "You sure? Cuz like, if you're feeling uncomfortable training so hard, especially in this heat, we can stop. I just thought, you know, you'd like a training buddy and all..."

"Hey, don't worry, man. You haven't been too hard on me at all. Promise. I'm just... off in my own little world," Eli said with a weak chuckle.

Alex gave Eli as warm a smile as he could manage through his uncertainty. "Well good. Just... you know, lemme know if I start to push you too hard."

Eli flashed a stiff smile back at Alex before staring off in the distance again, going back into deep thought.

Alex inwardly groaned at the uncomfortable silence as he too began to stare downwards, relaxing against the tree trunk as he did so. 'I really hope he's not just trying to be nice... I'd hate it if he actually was upset with how hard I've been going about training him.' Alex exhaled through his nose and shook his head slightly. 'I mean, I tried to make sure that didn't happen by adjusting for how hard I normally train as a legendary pokemon. Is the drop off in power really just that great? It didn't look like he was too exhausted at any point.' Alex looked back at Eli, who was staring idly at his water bowl with a look of growing unease becoming apparent on his face. Alex narrowed his eyes, perplexed at the level of discomfort his friend appeared to be experiencing.

'Now that I think about it... no, he looks way too troubled for it to be something as simple as me pushing him too hard. Then what on earth is it?' Alex studied his friend's expression and body language for a brief moment longer before looking away again, going back into thought, himself. 'I wonder if he feels some sort of pressure being a pokemon... yea, that's gotta be it. He got like this the last couple of times he was training too. I'd be willing to bet the longer he stays in that form, the more uncomfortable he feels. Like someone's gonna discover us and flip their shit on Eli. Sorta like those two jackwads we ran into weeks ago.' Alex let out a melancholy exhale for his friend. 'I know he said he wasn't bothered by stuff like that, but... I mean hell, I sometimes say things to try and trick myself into believing it too. Maybe he's the same way. Something like what we ran into isn't so easily forgotten in just a few weeks.' Alex reached out to pet Eli, but stopped himself halfway and pulled back with an inward chuckle. 'Damn it, keep forgetting. Ah well...' Alex leaned back all the way against the tree, crossing his arms against his head.

"Hey Alex? Um... can I ask you something?" Eli asked in a hesitant voice.

Alex faced the fox pokemon again. Eli was fixing a nervous gaze at Alex, continuously shifting his body uncomfortably. "Yea, what's up?" he asked, trying to remain as casual as possible for Eli's comfort. 'Hopefully whatever it is, I'll be able to set his mind at ease. Being a zorua suits him too much for him to be so uncomfortable with it. Maybe we can-'

"When were you going to tell me that you're Mew?" he asked quickly, but quietly, averting his direct gaze again.

Alex blinked several times, trying to fully process what Eli had just asked him. Alex slowly leaned forwards, facing Eli directly, suddenly at full attention. "I... I'm sorry, come again?" Alex asked calmly, but with clear and obvious confusion in his voice.

Eli's eyes flitted around as he tried to keep his composure. "You- you're Mew, right? It's okay. You can tell me," he whispered with baited breath even more quietly, yet speaking with even more force than he had a second ago, as if to double down before he second guessed himself.

Alex hung his mouth open to respond, but closed it again after a few seconds of being unable to find the words to respond with. 'Well... of all the things I could've guessed that he wanted to talk about, that was certainly not one of em.' It may have been how incredibly sudden the topic came up, or it may have been how much Alex trusted Eli already, or even a combination of the two, but Alex felt oddly calm at the prospect of his friend guessing his identity 'Still,' Alex reasoned, 'I still may want to avoid comfirming his suspicions if I can help it. I'm still not sure how desperate everyone is to find me.' After taking another moment to organize his thoughts, he faced Eli directly. "What makes you think I'm a pokemon, let alone- ah- that one, of all things?" he asked, voice slightly faltering mid-sentence in an attempt to keep himself from naming his species out in public.

Alex's tone wasn't challenging. Merely curious. But the simple fact he asked caused Eli to avert his gaze again, appearing unsure of himself. "Well it's uh... a couple things, really. First off, you-"

"Hold up," Alex said suddenly, quickly holding up a hand to halt Eli's explanation for the moment. A thought occurred to Alex before Eli got halfway through his first sentence. 'On second thought, this really isn't the best spot to discuss this. Even if passersby couldn't understand Eli, they're gonna know something's up hearing my half of the conversation. No matter how vague I make it.' Alex pursed his lips uncomfortably and quickly examined their surroundings, briefly ignoring the perplexed zorua in front of him. There didn't seem to be anyone listening in. Still... "Maybe we should head back to your place to talk about this. Don't wanna have any prying eyes."

Eli's eyes instantly widened and focused back on Alex, intently studying his face after hearing what Alex figured must have sounded like an indirect confession. Alex's stoic face betrayed nothing, however. After a few tense moments passed, Eli gave a short stiff nod, conjured his human illusion with a flash of purple light, and turned back in the direction of his apartment. After letting out a stiff exhale and getting up to pick up everything the pair arrived with, Alex followed Eli closely behind.

Alex closed the front door behind them both and set the backpack down next to the shoe rack. Eli promptly dropped his illusion again and hopped onto the couch, flopping onto his back in the process. "Uuugghh I dunno about you, but man, I'm beat. That was a lot of training in such a short time," he griped with a slight air of satisfaction in his tone, despite his words implying otherwise.

Alex chuckled and flopped onto the seat next to the fox pokemon. "I could tell. You were working pretty hard. You sure it wasn't too much? I can ease up on you in the future if you like."

Eli tiredly shook his head, not even looking at Alex for the moment. "Naahh I need to be pushed. I mean... not sure if-slash-when I'll get into a battle, but hey, better have it and not need it, right?" he droned out, hardly moving a muscle from his relaxed position.

"Fair point," Alex responded with a nod, grinning at how docile the fox pokemon looked laying in the position he was in. 'Oh my god, I wish he'd let me pet him. He's adorable like this.' Alex blinked, double checking what he just said in his mind, and shook his head at himself in amusement. 'Well. I certainly know how to make it weird, apparently.'

As Eli let out a content sigh, Alex quickly reminded himself why they were so quick to return to Eli's apartment. Alex's smile faded and he started to go over his options. 'I mean, I guess I could just leave it alone. Eli seems to be pretty content with letting the topic slide. Maybe just cuz he's not the most comfortable talking about private things? Eh, either way...' Alex nearly fully convinced himself to just let the topic slide, but another counterpoint occurred to him in an instant, causing him to shake his head to himself. 'No, I need to bring it up again. Eli may very well be the type to let it slide like that if he thinks he approached a topic he shouldn't have, but my silence on the matter would all but confirm his suspicions if it seems like I'm avoiding it. Ugh, curse my natural curiosity being used against me.'

Before Alex could second guess himself, he turned himself to face Eli and tried to relax himself as much as possible before getting his friend's attention. "So what was this you were saying about me being Mew, again?" he asked in a nonchalant tone.

Eli visibly tensed up, but otherwise remained motionless. He remained silent for several moments. Long enough to where Alex began to think that Eli, for some reason, hadn't heard him, but then Eli's quiet, timid voice sounded out again. "To be honest, I was halfway hoping you'd forget about me asking that."

Alex let out an amused exhale. "I mean... that's not really the type of thing one would so easily forget about in just fifteen minutes," he said as a matter of factly.

Eli just grunted and lazily sat himself up, intently staring at Alex. "Well... are you?"

Alex made a very slight adjustment to the way he was sitting in response to Eli's inquisitive gaze. "If I said 'no,' would you believe me?" he responded without missing a beat.

Eli's expression betrayed the slightest of smirks. "Not really. Not unless you can give me a reason to think you aren't."

Alex forced out a snort and raised up his hands in faux-exasperation. "Eli, I can't really do that unless you let me know why you think I am in the first place." Alex paused for a beat and crossed his arms, leaning back into the couch again. "To be fair, if I was Mew, I probably would be trying to hide it. But- and no offense to you. You're my bud after all- even if that were the case, it sounds to me like you're just blindly guessing right now," Alex said gently, but firmly.

For half a second, Alex was worried that he may have said too much, but the growing doubt on the zorua's face assured Alex that that wasn't the case. Still, it didn't seem to be enough, because Eli still had a determined glint in his eye that made Alex rather uncomfortable. "It's not a blind guess. There are a couple of things that make me think you're Mew," Eli muttered, "For starters, the way you help me train is like... too good. Like, I get anyone can be a coach to some extent, but the way you help me is... a lot. It's like you already know about the limits of pokemon strength and already have a really stacked knowledge for how moves work."

Alex slowly nodded as Eli explained himself, internally grimacing at the small slip up. 'Hmm, well, I guess that article I found on all the different types of elements might've been a bit too helpful. Hah, funny how that works out. Still...' Alex just flashed Eli a half smile. "Okaaayy? So I have a good feel for pokemon. Big deal. That just means I have a lot of headcanon in mind regarding pokemon biology and energy that just happens to be right, or close to it, at least. Nothing supernatural about that. Hell, I always had the feeling that pokemon would be more naturally durable than humans anyway. And besides," Alex continued before Eli could amend his thought process, "even if me being unnaturally familiar with pokemon-kind's physical limits meant I was a pokemon myself, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm Mew."

Eli had another glint in his eye that made Alex shift in discomfort again. "Maybe not, but it would make sense. I mean, it'd be kinda pointless to hide your species if you were just a regular ol pokemon, especially cuz you've got a fricken dark type as a friend- no, scratch that, a dark type that can also come up with crazy powerful illusions. Especially when I evolve. So if you had a reason to hide your species even knowing that, you'd have to be something pretty dang special. And lucky me," Eli continued with a knowing smirk, becoming more and more confident in his explanations as he spoke, "I just so happened to see a news story about Mew being spotted in this very city," he finished in a rather cheeky tone.

Alex was starting to become visibly uncomfortable with how much confidence the fox pokemon was now radiating. "There's still no sort of link between me and being a pokemon, though. Remember, me being a pokemon was only a theoretical for the purposes of explaining one reason why I knew so much about pokemon. I mean, I am still a big fan of the franchise, so it's only natural I'd figure out so much so fast."

Eli nodded and his facial expression returned to one that held a more serious light. "True. And I don't have any hard proof, but there are a couple of things that make a pretty strong case for it."

Alex could practically feel his heart speeding up in his chest. 'I really don't like the way he said that... does he actually...?' Alex tried keeping his breathing as calm and as steady as possible as he prodded Eli into sharing his thought process. "Which are?"

Eli kept a steady gaze towards Alex the entire time. "First of all, the squeaking noise I heard when I first visited your place. You said it was birds from somewhere else, but looking back, it didn't really sound like that at all. I think it was you. I don't really know what you were doing in your pokemon form, but you were alone, so you had plenty of chances to turn back and forth whenever the hell you wanted."

Alex shook his head. "Eli, I told you. Those were birds. Not all birds sound the same. I'm pretty sure some can copy any ol noise they hear, so you could hear damn near anything that comes from them."

"Then why didn't you hear it?" Eli asked pointedly.

Alex raised an eyebrow, confused as to what the fox pokemon was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"You basically told me that your walls were as thin as paper when you first visited my place. So if I was able to hear 'the birds,'" Eli stressed using verbal air quotes, "then you should've too. But when I got to your doorstep, you seemed like you didn't know what I was talking about at all. Which doesn't make sense at all..." Eli paused and leaned in for greater effect, "unless you were what was making the noise."

Alex felt a jolt go through his body midway through Eli's first sentence of his theory. 'Ooohh fuck. How the hell did he even notice that? I didn't notice that issue! How am I- no, it's okay, I can still spin this...' Alex took a calming breath and shook his head disapprovingly. "My guy, have you ever heard of an exaggeration? Yes, they're thin walls, but they're not so thin that I can hear what my neighbors are doing at all times. It just means that sometimes sounds are more pronounced than they normally would be. I can still miss them though if I'm preoccupied with something. Also, again," Alex continued, pouncing on another logical inconsistency he noticed, "even if those noises did come from me, it doesn't mean I'm a pokemon. Just that I make weird noises and I was too embarrassed to say something about it. Oh well."

Eli couldn't help but chuckle at the last two sentences Alex said before he continued on. "I mean, I could go on and say why I think that's bullshit, but I'll skip it, cuz my second point is the bigger one anyway."

Alex felt his heart skip a beat. He wanted to simply melt into the floor and disappear. But he was already in too deep. "What's the second point?" he asked maybe a bit too nervously, losing any pretense of being calm.

Eli flashed another smile at Alex. But it wasn't a teasing confident smile. It was a sad, knowing smile. And that one smile told Alex all he needed to know. Eli knew. "Your injury."

Alex felt a chill go down his body. 'Oh fuck... he does know.' Alex pursed his lips. "What about it?" he asked weakly in one last vain attempt to plead ignorance.

"You said you got it healed by a pokemon. But... that couldn't have happened. If you were human, anyway. See Alex, you have to be a pokemon for the simple reason that humans can't be healed by pokemon moves."

Alex slumped back into his seat and stared off into the ceiling, shaking his head in frustration. "Fuck me, and I thought I had more time to figure out a way to break it to you..," Alex muttered under his breath, not even caring if Eli heard him anymore.

Eli's ears flicked and his eyes widened the smallest of amounts. "So... s-so you admit it, then? You really are Mew?" he asked weakly as his confidence rapidly turned into shock after hearing what was basically the beginnings of a confession. One that Eli clearly had not fully expected to hear, even if he was right.

Alex let Eli's question hang in the air for several seconds, dejectedly debating on whether or not he should still tell him the truth. 'I mean, it's still nothing really concrete. I could come up with something different to explain everything that Eli is suspicious about, but... no, I can't do that to him. There's a difference between keeping a secret and just straight up lying my ass off to a friend just to look after myself.' Alex let out a frustrated exhale through his nose, releasing a lot of tension in his body, and while still staring up to the ceiling, he responded in a somber tone. "I mean... I guess there's no real point in hiding it anymore. You're a hundred percent spot on."

Eli kept opening and closing his mouth, making the occasional abrupt vulpine noise that Alex couldn't understand, possibly to try and find the words to express his emotions. Eli eventually settled with a simple, "Woah."

Alex snorted in amusement and started chuckling at his friend's reaction. "Yea. Woah is right," he said in a rather light tone for the situation.

Eli stammered and sputtered, obviously not able to fully comprehend Alex's confession, even if he was right. "But- when did... you uh... you- you don't have... well uh, anything else to say?" he asked awkwardly.

Alex just shrugged rather apathetically. "I don't know what else to tell you. Everything you said was correct." After another few seconds of awkward silence, Alex let out an uncomfortable grunt and leaned forward slightly, glancing towards Eli, who looked like he had more to say or ask, but was too nervous too. Despite himself, Alex couldn't help but chuckle. 'Well glad to see he's still plenty of himself, even as a pokemon, I guess.' Alex decided to break the tension by asking something that had been nagging at his mind just the smallest of amounts. "How did you know, though? I mean for all you know, I could've lied about how I'd been healed. Or hell, maybe I never got healed at all and was just the best at fighting through pain."

Eli shook his head. "I thought about it, but like, the way you were moving before and after that night at your place, you had to have gotten healed. And anyway, I don't think you're the type to lie about something like that. I think you told me the truth. You really did get healed by a pokemon. It's just..," Eli flashed a careful smirk, "I doubt you knew about that little snag at the time, did you?"

Alex shook his head and lightly banged his head against the couch cushions. "Uugh, I about lost my shit whenever I found out that fun little detail. I found that out at the hospital of all things too. When I went to visit my friend, I mean. Some guy who turned into an audino apparently tried healing his family once, to no avail."

Eli's amused smirk shifted into a slight grimace. "Oof. Yea, talk about unlucky, man."

Alex chuckled again. "No kidding." He gave another look to the fox pokemon and saw that he was still taking nervous and measured glances at Alex. Alex felt a pang of sorrow. 'Oh lord, I really hope this doesn't change the dynamics of our friendship. It'd really suck for both of us...' Alex turned to face Eli directly with a soft look to his face. "Hey man, you know you can always talk to me about anything that's bothering you, right? Me being Mew doesn't change that. I'm still just a normal guy."

Eli's gaze drifted away from Alex and he idly started pawing at the couch seat below him. "Well it's just... how come you didn't tell me?" he asked, after a moment's hesitation.

Alex pursed his lips and briefly thought about how to word his response. "Believe me, man, I really did want to tell you. It's just... with everything that happened in the past few weeks- the explosion, the botched rescue, the news article... I had fewer and fewer motivations to tell anyone who I was. Hell, that news story we saw?" Alex paused so Eli could respond with a brief nod, signaling he remembered what Alex was referring to, "I'm still a wanted man, Eli. They're out for any information on my whereabouts. And by anyone else knowing who I am, that puts them in harm's way too. I was eventually going to tell you and Isaac because both y'all knew I got healed by a pokemon, but outside of that..."

Eli raised an eyebrow and shot Alex a perplexed look. "Yea, about that news story... what exactly happened, anyway?"

Alex groaned and shook his head slowly, remembering the painfully hectic day. "Long story short, I was investigating a missing person's report, said person happened to be a pokemon, stumbled into a human... well, pokemon trafficking ring- a really sloppy one too- had to battle our way out, and the building caught fire somehow in the middle of everything."

Eli's expression just became more confused than before. "The building caught on fire and you don't know how it happened?"

"No! I don't!" Alex nearly shouted in frustration as he stood up and began impatiently pacing around the living area, "There was a fire pokemon with us, but he was pretty damn adamant that nothing he did was the cause of that fire. And after experimenting with fire type moves myself, I'm inclined to believe him. And that warehouse was such a gigantic mess and had so much clutter around, it could've been set off by literally anything. I really have no fucking clue how that fire happened."

Eli rapidly nodded his head and waved a paw in Alex's direction in a placating manner. "Okay, okay. I believe you, man. Like I said when we saw the news, I had a feeling there was more to the story. I wasn't saying it just to say it."

Alex gave a brief, nod in response and started to calm himself down again. "Fair enough. Sorry, man, I didn't mean to freak out on you. I guess I'm still kinda trying to process everything that's going on," he muttered stiffly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I totally get you." Another few seconds of silence passed until Eli bashfully looked away and quietly muttered something Alex couldn't hear. "...?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

Eli grunted and shifted in place awkwardly. "Can I... see your pokemon form?" he asked still rather quietly, but this time loud enough to where Alex could hear.

Alex blinked, then started laughing out loud.

Eli let out a rather embarrassed whine and curled up into the couch. "Alex, c'mon," he whined out.

Alex forced himself to keep his laughing in check and emphatically waved a hand towards Eli to keep his attention. "No, no, it's cool, man, I'm not laughing at you. I just... heh, it's just- I just told you I'm Mew, and one of your first reactions is to want to see me that way. Instead of something like... I dunno, some feeling that would strain our friendship or something like that."

Eli hesitantly sat back up, still refusing to make eye contact with Alex out of embarrassment. "I guess..."

Alex let out one last chuckle before regaining his composure. "You're fine, dude. Promise. As for what you asked me, of course. Hell, if I were in your shoes... well paws, I'd be asking the same thing. Just gimme one sec." Alex took a breath, staving off any misgivings about transforming in front of someone. This was his friend. Alex trusted him. Before he could second guess himself, Alex willed himself into his mew form.

A bright white light quickly flooded the apartment, quickly catching Eli's attention. He watched in awe as Alex, before his very eyes, shrunk to about a fourth of the size he was before. "I was right..," he whispered under his breath. In just a few seconds, the white light faded, and there before him was a small pink cat pokemon, floating in mid air, right at about Eli's level as he stood on the couch.

Alex opened his eyes again to see his friend staring at him with awe. Alex gave a sheepish smile, clearly not used to that type of attention. "Well... there you have it. Am I like what you imagined?"

"Wow, you actually are...," Eli started, but trailed off very quickly. Eli went completely silent, losing himself in his awe stricken state, marveling at how there was a living mythical pokemon right in front of him that just so happened he was friend. Eventually, however, he shook himself out of his astonished state and he found his words again, finishing his statement that he left hanging after noticing one particular thing about Alex. "...really fricken small!" he quipped sharply.

Alex gave a snort of laughter and covered his mouth to try and control himself from losing it any further again. "Yea well, Mew was never really known for its size," he responded humorously. "Besides," he continued, "you're small too, so I wouldn't be talking."

Eli shot Alex a mischievous smirk and hopped forward so that he was standing directly in front of Alex. "Still taller than you," he teased.

Alex reflexively swatted at Eli's head fluff and floated backwards, away from the trouble making fox pokemon. "A'ight you, don't you be getting any funny- uwah-?!"

Alex stiffened up as his entire body shuddered with his very short and fine fur standing on end. A shot of adrenaline coursed through his body, causing him to flinch at the very unexpected and foreign feeling.

Eli blinked and watched his friend with worry. "Hey. Hey, you okay, man? What's wrong?"

Just as suddenly as the feeling came, it went, leaving a very confused Alex floating in mid air, wondering what had just happened. "I... have no idea. It was this weird adrenaline that went through me just now for some reason."

This did little to ease either pokemon's nerves. Eli narrowed his eyes at Alex's response. "Well... do you feel okay, at least? You're not hurt- well, more than you already are, right?"

Alex did a brief self inspection, searching for anything that felt different than moments before. His chest still ached a bit, but that was to be expected. Aside from that, though... "No, I'm fine. It didn't hurt. I dunno what that was. But... I still feel fine right now."

Eli's confused gaze drifted off to the side, wondering what that reaction of Alex's could've possibly been. After mulling it over briefly and coming up with nothing, Eli gave a shrug and faced Alex again. "Well maybe it was just a chill going through your body or something like that. Happens to me sometimes."

Alex responded with an unconvinced frown. "I know what you mean, but that's not what it felt like. It felt like something... different. Not sure if I can explain it."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "Good different or bad different?"

Alex shrugged. "Not really either, I don't think?"

Eli gave an unsatisfied frown, eyeing Alex with concern. "Well... if it happens again and it does feel like it's hurting or bothering you, maybe you ought to get it checked out."

Alex shook his head. "With what doctor? It could be pokemon in nature for all we know, and it's not like me casually waltzing up as a fuckin mew won't turn a couple heads. I don't think it's anything to worry about anyway. Yea, it felt weird, but I'm still just fine."

Eli held his frown for a few seconds, still clearly worried for his friend, but then reluctantly nodded his head. "I guess you're right. Even if they didn't know what you were, they'd still want to know, and... well that could turn into a huge mess."

Alex nodded and floated back over to the couch, sitting down on it, making sure to not sit on his tail. "Yea, I'd rather let as few people as possible know that I'm Mew for now."

Eli nodded in understanding. "Fair, fair... hey, speaking of which, who all does know that you're Mew, right now?"

Alex's face darkened the smallest of amounts, and looked away from Eli. "Aside from you, just one person, and he's... well, he's in the hospital right now," he muttered sorrowfully.

Eli grimaced hard. "Oh shit, is he the guy who...?"

Alex wordlessly nodded, still not maintaining eye contact with Eli.

Eli let out a frustrated exhale and turned to face the back of the couch, lightly hitting his head against the couch cushion. "Ugh, I'm really sorry, man. I didn't mean to bring that up."

Alex waved a paw towards Eli dismissively. "Don't worry about it, dude. You didn't know. How could you? Hell, you only just now learned my species," Alex said as a matter of factly, trying to keep as much emotion out of his voice as possible.

Eli just responded with another quiet grunt of frustration, not saying anymore on the subject. Then he did a double take as something else caught his attention. "Hang on," he said in a more normal tone of voice, "you said only me and him know... does that mean your roommate doesn't know?"

Alex nodded, relieved to be talking about something other than the state of Nick for the moment. "That's right. He doesn't know yet either. And before you say anything, I'm going to. I just... dunno if I'm ready to yet."

Eli raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Well... were you ready when I asked you about it?"

Alex snorted. "Not really," he said simply.

Eli went on, nonplussed by Alex's instant response. "Okay, and did your world come crashing down after the fact?"

Alex eyed Eli carefully, not liking what he was getting at. "Not... really?" he offered, weakly.

Eli just smirked at Alex. "Well then there's no time like the present, is there?"

Alex groaned and looked away from Eli again. "Look, I see what you're getting at, but I'm just- I'm still trying to deal with literally everything. Nick being in the hospital, my injury- which thankfully I've nearly fully recovered from- that whole mess of a rescue I went through and the ensuing media attention it got, hell I'm still struggling with the prospect of simply being Mew. My mind is kinda overloaded right now even without having to deal with the fact that a few friends know my species, and thus could be in danger just because of that."

Eli frowned at Alex "You've said a lot of words, but- and no offense to you, man, but all I'm hearing is a bunch of excuses."

"Eli?!" Alex nearly shouted, gawking at the fox pokemon's rather insensitive remark.

Eli instantly looked guilty. "Shit, maybe I worded that badly. Look, I'm sorry man, I didn't mean for that to be mean, but like..." Eli shifted in place and idly looked up as he thought about his wording before facing Alex again with a firm stare, "you might've had a point when it first happened, but since then, you've had some time to recover from it all. At least partly. With something like this, it sounds like it's one of those things where you're never really gonna be ready ready. So you just gotta go for it. Besides, he's your roommate. He deserves to hear it from you instead of figure it out after reading something off of the internet."

Alex wanted to reject everything Eli had suggested. He went so far as to hold an indignant glare towards the dark type. But after a few seconds, Alex looked away, scowling off to the side with clenched teeth. "Tch, I'm starting to hate it when you're right..." he muttered in resignation.

Eli trotted up to Alex and gently prodded him on the side. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, I'll go with you. I probably need to tell him I'm a pokemon too, if I'm gonna be hanging out more at your place."

Alex smiled a little bit. "I guess that would help some, yea."

Eli returned Alex's smile with a bigger one of his own before hopping off the couch. His body began glowing a bright white and rapidly grew in size until the light faded, leaving Eli in his human form. "You're gonna have to lead me there, though. I still haven't been there enough to know the way by heart," he said sheepishly, nervously rubbing his arm.

Alex chuckled and floated over to an empty part of the living room before transforming back to his human form as well. "Alright, fair enough. Won't be too far away. Just follow me."

Alex unlocked the front door of his apartment and opened the door to walk inside, with Eli close behind. Alex spotted Isaac sitting on the couch watching TV, and waved at him. "Hey, I'm home. I hope you don't mind, but I brought company."

Isaac curiously looked past Alex as soon as he mentioned his company, and noticed the very meek Eli standing right behind Alex, who offered a shy wave when Isaac laid eyes on him. "Oh hey! You're Eli, right?"

Eli nodded and relaxed a little bit after seeing that Isaac was okay with his presence. "Yea, that's me. Um, sorry about last time. I know I wasn't really the most... social, I guess." Eli walked all the way inside and stood right next to the entrance after Alex shut the front door behind them.

Isaac gave a dismissive hand wave. "Don't worry about it, hun. That's more than understandable, given y'all's situation at the time. Though I would've appreciated just a bit of advanced notice," he chided in a lighthearted manner, aiming his last statement more towards Alex.

Alex responded with a guilty smile. "Sorry, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

Isaac shook his head, still holding a smile on his face. "Alright, well that's fine. Either of you want something to drink?" he asked, getting up from his seat and moving towards the kitchen.

Eli shook his head. "I'm fine, thanks."

Alex walked over to the dining room and sat down in one of the chairs. "I'm good too. We still have bottled water from earlier."

Isaac glanced over to the pair curiously as he opened the refrigerator to fish out a can of sprite. "Did you guys go on a walk or something?"

Eli and Alex nervously glanced at each other before Eli faced Isaac's general direction, not making direct eye contact. "Something like that," he murmured.

Alex, however, did face Isaac directly, fixing a rather serious look on his face. "Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Not quite that, but something similar."

Isaac's raised an eyebrow, wondering what Alex and Eli could've been talking about that was this serious. He walked over to the dining room table and sat in the chair across from Alex. "Alright, hun. I'm all ears."

Alex drummed his fingers against the table as he figured out where to start. 'I could transform right now, but... nah, that'd be a little bit too jarring.' Alex eventually settled on starting with why they were in the woods. Alex first turned back to face Eli, fixing an inquisitive look to him. "Hey, do you mind if I first tell him why...?" he trailed off mid sentence, but it was enough for Eli to understand what Alex was referring to.

Eli nodded. "Yea, that's fine. I was gonna tell him at some point anyway, so go for it," he allowed, without much emotion in his voice.

Isaac, meanwhile, looked on with intrigue, wondering what Alex was referring to, but said nothing and let him explain himself at his own pace.

Alex faced Isaac again. "Alright, well I'm just gonna come out and say it. No, we weren't on a walk. What we were really doing was I was helping Eli here train. Because he's a pokemon. And he wanted to get strong enough so that he could protect himself from danger, especially after the shit we got up to during his first visit."

Isaac's eyes widened and instantly shot over to Eli, who shied away in turn at the confession. "He's a- wow, for real?"

Eli offered a nervous nod, confirming Alex's claim. "Mhm, I'm a zorua."

Isaac's eyes narrowed again in confusion. "A what?"

Alex let out a light chuckle and glanced back to Eli briefly. "Isaac hasn't played as much pokemon as I have. He's only familiar with gen one." After getting an understanding nod from Eli, Alex faced Isaac again and continued. "A zorua is a first form dark type that has the potential to conjure powerful illusions. Potential being the key word, though. Just like with any starting athlete, a pokemon's skills need to be trained. And well... he only recently got to a point to where he feels he can win fights. His words, not mine."

Isaac's expression turned thoughtful as he digested the information Alex presented to him. "Okay, I guess that explains a couple things, but why are you helping with that, hun? I mean, I get you know a lot about pokemon, but it sounds like Eli does too, right? How come you're helping and not someone else, like another pokemon? Especially when you're supposed to be taking it easy," he finished rather pointedly.

Alex made a defensive gesture. "Hey, I've been keeping still while he does all the taxing shit!" After receiving an exasperated eyeroll from his roommate with him muttering under his breath, Alex continued his reasoning. "And it kinda has to be me for a couple reasons. First off, Eli uh... kinda doesn't have anyone else to train with. Even another non-pokemon."

Isaac's attention switched over to Eli again, and after seeing his awkward stance while avoiding any eye contact, he pursed his lips guiltily, feeling like he went somewhere he shouldn't have. But Alex continued speaking, silencing Isaac before he could say anything about it.

"And second..." Alex paused and took a shaky breath, steeling himself to reveal what he had been hiding from his roommate for the past month. "I'm... kind of the perfect coach for him anyway. I know the limits of pokemon stamina, I know roughly how each element functions, I know ways to efficiently gather energy for attacks... all because I too am a pokemon," he divulged slowly and seriously.

Isaac's eyes shrank to pinprick sizes. "Woah, what the fuck-" he started before being interrupted by Alex, who wasn't finished speaking.

"Actually, I'm not just a pokemon. I'm the perfect pokemon to train with. I'm-" Alex stammered. He could feeling his confidence starting slip away, which was evident in how his voice began getting quieter and quieter as he noticed just how dumbfounded Isaac was, but he forced himself to finish what he was confessing to. "I'm Mew," he croaked out, lightly trembling as he feared what kind of reaction he'd get from his roommate.

For an entire agonizingly long minute, no one said anything, and Eli and Alex both shifted uncomfortably in place as Isaac's massively widened eyes shot back and forth between the two humans-turned-pokemon with his mouth hanging wide open in disbelief. After too much time had passed, Isaac sputtered out a single question. "Is... i-is this a joke?"

Alex flinched. 'Well shit, he's not taking it well,' he thought bitterly. "No, it's not. I'm being a hundred percent serious. I really am the mythical pokemon Mew."

Isaac stood up and began pacing. "No, no, I'm dreaming. Or this is a prank. You cannot really be telling me that A, you're a legendary pokemon, and B, that you've hid it from me for a full month now. I'm sorry, Alex, but if this is a joke, it's not a funny one," he spat out with a surprising level of hostility.

Alex found himself getting less fearful of his roommate's reaction, and more irritated. Alex started grinding his teeth the more Isaac ranted, up until Alex hit a breaking point with his patience. "Alright, that's it," he muttered. In one fluid motion, Alex sharply stood up, shoved his chair aside, directed a steely glare towards Isaac, and willed himself into his pokemon form right in front of him.

Isaac could only watch in astonishment as the last thing he expected to happen happened. Right before his eyes was a tiny, floating pink cat pokemon, fixing a serious stare right as him. "Why... didn't you tell me before?" he muttered weakly, too stunned to do anything else.

Alex gave a frustrated sigh. 'I'm getting really tired of answering this question.' He willed himself back into his human form so he could properly answer. "Look, I know how it looks, but I didn't initially intend to hide it for as long as I did. But shit just kept happening, and after the first guy I told was... ugh, I mean the only reason I'm saying anything now is cuz Eli found out and-" Alex's tired and careless explanation was interrupted by a suddenly very heated Isaac.

"Wait a sec, you told someone else already? Well when the hell were you gonna tell me?!" Isaac snapped, causing Alex to recoil.

"Wait, Isaac, it wasn't-"

Isaac didn't give Alex a chance to speak. He threw his hands up in outrage and his voice grew louder still. "So what, I'm apparently not important enough to tell something as big as that first? Your best friend?! And only because he knew first?! Is it because you straight up don't trust me, or something?!" Isaac challenged, still maintaining his glare towards Alex while pointing an accusing finger at Eli, who was beginning to breathe faster out of fear and unconsciously inch towards the front door.

"It's not like that-" Alex tried interjecting, but Isaac wasn't finished.

"Really? Cuz it sure as hell seems like it to me!" he spat, getting up in Alex's face. "Do you not understand how hurtful that is, Alex? I don't wanna seem like I'm entitled to know, but for something like that, I'd like to think after knowing you for over a decade now that I'm the type of guy you can come to for serious shit like that! And yet you're telling me it's only because someone else found out first that you're telling me?! Fine. Whatever. But then who was this mystery third man who's apparently far more trustworthy-"

"His name is Nick, and he's the guy who right after I told him about me, GOT BLOWN UP FOR HIS TROUBLES!" Alex shouted, getting face to face with the suddenly stunned Isaac. Alex fixed a murderous stare at his roommate for several seconds, shocking him into silence, before Alex let off an angry scoff and began pacing back and forth the living room.

Eli swallowed nervously. "U-um... sh-should I... go?" he asked meekly.

Alex's stare softened and he glanced back at Eli, waving a hand at him to stop him. "No, no, you're fine, I'm just- ugh... I'm sorry you had to see that," he muttered.

Eli bit his lower lip, but nervously nodded and went over to the dining area, sitting in the chair furthest from the other two.

Alex's stare hardened again and shot an irritated look at Isaac again. "Look man, I wasn't ready to tell anyone at first. I was struggling hard with the prospect of simply being Mew. Hell, I still kinda am! I only told Nick because the circumstances happened to be just right and he just happened to be there in person at the time, and I just started accepting that maybe I can be a pokemon and live in society as normal. But then literally five minutes after I told him, we both got blown up. He's still in the fucking hospital in a coma for crying out loud! All because I pulled him out of the way and told him after maybe accepting what I was. Now?" Alex let off a bitter chuckle and shook his head, "I still fucking haven't, and to make matters worse, now I'm a wanted man because of a freak accident that happened involving me! They're out there looking for not just me, but anyone that happens to know anything about 'Mew's' whereabouts. So yea, I didn't tell you. But it wasn't because I don't trust you. I hid it because I had no other choice."

Isaac's stupefied stare as Alex explained himself turned into one of perplexed thoughtfulness as he honed in on one key detail. "Hold up, you said you're a wanted man now? Fuck's sakes, hun, is that why I had a couple police officers show up at our apartment a few days ago looking for pokemon?" he asked accusingly.

Alex blanched and started trembling out of fear. "Wait, the fuck?! There were police looking for me?!" he panicked.

Isaac groaned and brought a hand to his forehead. "Yea, they were looking for a pair of pokemon who got into an unprompted fight with a couple of guys. Alex, what the fuck did you do?!"

Alex's fear turned into bewilderment in an instant. "What the- that doesn't sound at all like what happened. Even if you spun it a certain way. Do you know who made the accusation?"

Isaac shook his head again tiredly. "No, they just said it was a couple of guys in the apartment complex who say a couple of pokemon came up to them and started a commotion, prompting them to defend themselves."

Alex let out a loud irritated groan and did a double facepalm, recognizing instantly what the altercation in question actually was. "It was those two idiots you stopped. They came up to us while we were going on a walk and started accusing us of being pokemon. We seriously tried to get away from them, but they wouldn't have it. And well... you saw the rest."

Isaac's jaw dropped. "That's what happened? Jesus Christ, that didn't sound like what the police described at all- oh for fuck's sake, they filed a police report on that shit?!"

Eli piped in and spoke in a rather serious tone compared to his normal demeanor. "You guys should file one in return. I'd be willing to bet the only reason nothing was done was cuz those two left out details on what really happened. If you guys filled in the rest, well, they may get arrested. Both for assault and filing a false report."

Alex pointed a thumb at Eli while facing a very befuddled Isaac. "He's got a point. Normally I wouldn't, but those assholes are trouble... Isaac?" Alex tried maintaining a relatively positive tone in an attempt to defuse the tension that had built up in the past few minutes, but Isaac simply scoffed and started slowly making his way towards his room.

"I'm going to be in my room for... a while," he muttered bitterly, not bothering to look back at Alex or Eli.

Alex's heart fell. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Isaac's shoulder. "Isaac, wait-"

Isaac sharply turned, pushing Alex's hand off his shoulder. Alex saw fury in his eyes for a fraction of a second, causing Alex to wince, until Isaac's anger melted into simple irritation. "Alex, stop. Just..," Isaac closed his eyes and took a deep breath, visibly relaxing and letting the tension wash away. After which, he opened his eyes again and, much to Alex's relief, Isaac's stare no longer held any negative emotions. There was some understanding, but mostly exhaustion. "Look, I know you're right. I know you did the best you could considering your situation. You're right, I shouldn't have blown up on you like that, and I'm sorry. It's just... I'm being thrown a lot right now. I need some time to process it all."

Alex nodded sadly. "Fair enough... guess my approach could've been a bit better, huh?" he added with a weak chuckle.

Isaac snorted. "Oh gee, you think?"

Alex flinched at the apparent harshness of Isaac's words, but a chuckle from Isaac quickly set Alex at ease again. He offered up a small hopeful smile.

Isaac returned Alex's smile with a tired one of his own. "And don't worry, hun. You're secret's safe with me. Promise."

Alex's smile widened. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it... I'll uh, leave you be for now, though," he said, backing up to give Isaac space.

Isaac responded by exhaling through pursed lips, puffing out his cheeks as he did so. "Yeeaa, this is gonna take a bit to get my head around. Prolly gonna do something easy for dinner tonight. Pizza good with you?"

Alex's enthusiastic nod was all Isaac needed.

Isaac chuckled. "Alright, well text me what you want in a bit and I'll get it ordered soon." Isaac started to turn around, but glanced back as he remembered their guest. "Oh, and Eli, you can join us if you like," he called out before stepping into his room and closing the door.

After his roommate shut himself in his room, Alex turned around to face Eli, who was still nervously sitting at the dining room table. "Well. That uh... could've been worse, at least," he offered with an awkward grin.

Eli rubbed his arm guiltily. "I'm sorry for making you do that. I didn't think it was gonna be that bad... heh, guess I haven't learned after the way I transformed," he muttered bitterly.

Alex waved a dismissive hand at Eli and walked over to the couch, flopping tiredly in it. "To be fair, I was always worried about how he'd react at any point of my telling him, other than 'right away,' which... you know, obviously didn't happen. You were right in pushing me to do it now rather than later. I just kinda made a mess of explaining myself is all. But that wasn't your fault."

Eli gave an unsure look towards Alex. "You think he's gonna be okay?"

Alex nodded confidently. "Oh yea, something like this isn't gonna keep him down long. He always does this when something huge comes up. It's his way of coping. It never takes long, though. A day or two at most."

Eli let out a relieved sigh. "Okay good."

Almost instantly after Alex gave a nod towards Eli, his phone began buzzing in his pocket. Alex fished it out in light irritation. "Weird timing for anyone to be calling me right now," he mumbled.

"You think it's the job calling you back?"

Alex's eyes lit up and reflexively looked at the number. It wasn't one that he recognized. "Oohh maybe. God, I hope so..." Alex steeled his nerves and pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm looking for Alex Lawrence?" a deep male voice asked.

Alex's hopes and excitement rose slightly. "That's me," he responded without missing a beat.

"Hi Alex, this is Sebastian Heinz from the University of Texas Pokemon Research lab. I just wanted to call and see if you were available sometime this or next week to come in, talk a little more in depth about your position, and then start the process of getting you in the system so we can get you your lab ID, after which we can discuss a schedule for you, given your availability. Are you free to come in sometime this coming week?"

Alex's eyes grew wider and wider as he realized the exact implications behind this call. He had gotten the job. Alex stammered out a response. "I- um, y-yea! I can come in this week. I can uh, is Tuesday good for you guys?"

"Yea, Tuesday works just fine. Now I just want to let you know that you still need to get your WHMIS certification, the link to which should be emailed to you by the end of today. If not, just give me a call tomorrow using this number and I'll have it to you as soon as possible. Have that taken care of- it should take less than two hours, and if you can print out your certification and bring it to us, we'll go ahead and reimburse you for the cost. You'll need to bring that, your ID, and your social security card. You think you can have that with you on Tuesday?"

Alex made a quick mental list of the things they asked him to bring and gave a quick nod after repeating it to himself. "Yup! Won't be an issue at all."

"Fantastic. So just have those three things and head to where they led you for your interview, and we'll get it you in the system and work out a schedule."

Alex began trembling with excitement. "Awesome. Thank you so much!" he said maybe a little bit too eagerly.

"No problem. Do you have any questions, comments, or concerns?"

Alex tried thinking of something, but his excitement was making it difficult for him to think clearly. 'Oh well, I can always ask them in person on Tuesday!' "Nope, I think I'm good right now."

"Alrighty, then. We'll see you on Tuesday. You have a nice rest of your day."

Alex grinned happily. "Thanks, you too!" Alex hung up and did a hard double fistpump, clenching his phone in his hand as he did so. "Fuck! Yes! I got the job!"

Eli grinned and did a smaller fistpump, himself, showing his excitement for his friend. "Nice! See? Toldja there wasn't anything to worry about."

Alex scoffed. "Oh bite me," he griped, but even through his feigned annoyance, he couldn't keep the large, glowing grin off his face.

Eli smirked and got up from the dining room chair to sit on the couch next to Alex. "We should celebrate somehow."

Alex shrugged. "Well we kinda already are. Isaac's gonna be ordering pizza for us in a bit. I'll tell him about it then and we can all celebrate. In the meantime..." Alex eyed the consoles that both he and Isaac owned, and as his eyes fell on the switch, an idea came to Alex's mind. "What say we wind down with a bit of smash?"

"Oohh you're gonna regret asking me that. I've got a pretty mean Greninja, and I've taken stocks from a few notable players before," Eli bragged with a cheeky sneer.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You play competitively?"

Eli gave a modest shrug. "I dabble a bit, yea."

Alex chuckled and went over to the games drawer, pulling out smash ultimate. "Alright, I'm still going with it, if only to see how good you are."

Eli snickered and picked up a joycon that Alex handed to him. "Your funeral," he sang in a sing-song voice.

Eli turned out to be right. Alex was getting destroyed, game after game, and it wasn't particularly close. But he hardly cared about that. He was simply enjoying life as it was. In the midst of all the chaos of pokemon being on Earth and them not being seen in a great light, Alex still had close friends who knew his secret and still had his back, and he gained a new job that would undoubtedly give him some insight on how pokemon functioned. Alex still had multiple questions on how to go about life as a mew, but seeing as he had a real support system now, Alex knew he could answer them at his leisure. For now, he thought, things were working out just fine.