Mew's first day as an official Expedition Society member began with them waking up to an empty bedroom. For a moment they wondered where they were: the very idea of a room to sleep in was foreign to them, and they were far too used to waking up to the warm jungle breeze and the sun on their face. Instead, they woke up on a weird soft object—a bed, they remembered. As they looked around the room, they quizzed themself on the names of the objects they saw: a desk, several maps, a chest, the floor and ceiling, and a window. Mew pumped a fist—they got everything right!

The bed across the room was already empty. Seemed Aster was already out and about. A low rumble made itself known over the distant creaks of the building; for a second Mew wondered what it was, then it hit them: they were hungry. They rolled onto their back and smacked their lips, then floated into the air still lying on their back. Twisting so that their legs were below them was far too much effort for this early in the morning, so they maintained this position instead as they floated through the hall. Indigo shadows cloaked the hallway, and through the window Mew saw a deep orange glow beginning to pierce the clouds. All the doors lining the walls were shut. The other Expedition Society members were still asleep, then.

Today would be a very exciting day: Mew was going to go with Aster on their first job! Their heart skipped a beat at the idea of being an Expedition Society member, though they weren't quite sure why, exactly, they were so ecstatic at their new occupation. Maybe it was because they'd get to see all sorts of new places and meet loads of different Pokemon! Yeah, that made sense. It was a dream come true!

If they remembered correctly, the kitchen was on the opposite end of the building from the bedrooms. Mew had spent the entirety of last evening meeting the other Society members and getting to know the building they worked in. Bunnelby and Buizel were pretty friendly, though they also questioned why Ampharos would let "another kid" into the Society. Jirachi kept talking about how smart he was for keeping track of the sun's position relative to the Earth, so Mew tuned him out after the fourth minute of his ramblings. As for Swirlix, she made the best food Mew had ever tasted in their entire life. Last night's "dinner," as everyone called it, had consisted of a full table's worth of dishes that Mew didn't even know the names of.

And the best part? The kitchen and pantry were for the entire Society to use. That included Mew.

They straightened out into their usual upright position—legs down, head up—as they floated into the kitchen, but it wasn't empty like they had expected. Instead, Mawile sat at the end of the long table and nursed a steaming mug filled with a dark, bitter-smelling liquid. On the table before her sat a cracked stone tablet, an ink well and quill, and several papers with scribbles all over them. The door to the pantry on the other end of the kitchen was open; noises of chewing and smacking echoed from within.

"Hi," Mew said as they approached.

Mawile looked up, her eyes sharp. "Oh," she said in a gravelly voice. "Hi."

"Do you know how to make food?"

"Not really." Her gaze fell back to her papers.

Mew sat down in the seat next to her and leaned back, the same way they'd seen Ampharos do last night. "So when will Swirlix make the food?"
"You mean when will breakfast be?"

"Is that what it's called? Breakfast?"

"Yeah. The morning meal is called breakfast. As for when it'll be… It shouldn't take more than an hour. Swirlix is already in the kitchen getting ready. Maybe if you ask nicely, she'll let you…" A yawn cut her off. She took a sip of her drink, then continued,

"She'll let you have a snack."

"Oh, sweet! Thanks!" Mew shot into the air and made for the kitchen, but Mawile grabbed hold of their tail before they could go anywhere.

"Hold on a second," she said, her tone suddenly business-like. "I got a few questions for you. I've been speaking with Celebi about your reappearance, and I'd like to verify a few things about your amnesia."

Tilting their head, Mew sat back down. "Um…okay? What kinds of questions?"

Mawile held up one of her papers for Mew to see. "Can you read this?"

The paper was covered in thin, jagged scribbles written in black ink. Mew squinted at the paper, then said, "No. Should I be able to?"

"Probably not. What about this?" She lifted the stone tablet. Carved into it were sharp symbols made up of thick lines.

"No…actually, wait." Mew leaned in closer, squinting at the carvings. "Is that…a list? I see something about bread and milk and…a fruit."

Mawile quirked her brow. "This tablet is an ancient relic retrieved from ruins located on an island off the coast of the Grass Continent. And this"—she raised the paper—"is a page from my notes on that tablet. The tablet is written in ancient runes that haven't been in use for thousands of years, while my notes are written in the common language we use today."

Mawile said that last sentence with a sense of gravitas, as though it held a matter of great importance. Mew waited for her to continue, but she just sat there looking at Mew. Eventually they said, "Okay. And? Is this a big deal?"

"The only other person who could read these inscriptions was…" She shook her head. "Never mind. It could be nothing. There's no point jumping to early conclusions. I still need to verify a few claims, and then…" She trailed off, mumbling under her breath as she started scribbling down illegible notes.

As Mew looked on, their stomach rumbled once more, reminding them of the reason they had gotten out of bed in the first place. The reading-related oddity fell out of their mind as they backed away towards the pantry, quietly so that she wouldn't notice. It was really easy to be sneaky when they didn't make any footsteps. Besides, who cared about boring stuff like reading when there was a whole world waiting to be explored? Mew was more than happy to leave the boring stuff to other Pokemon, like Mawile. She was so engrossed in whatever she was writing that she didn't even realize they were leaving.

Mew slunk in the pantry, where they found Swirlix munching away on a bowl of dried berries. When they asked for something to eat she threw a weird round thing (a muffin, she called it) at them. Then she shooed them out of the pantry and back into the dining room where Mawile still sat, writing away. Swirlix slammed the door shut behind Mew; after a few seconds, muffled chewing could be heard in the pantry once more. Mew took a bite of the muffin: it was weirdly crunchy. They chewed thoughtfully, unsure if that was a good or bad thing, as they floated through the dining hall, past Mawile, and into the meeting room to begin their search for Aster. He was the one with the Gadget thingy that accepted requests for help, so they couldn't really get to work without him. They looked all around the building, but couldn't find a single trace of him. Eventually they ran into Ampharos (who had somehow stumbled into a broom closet on his way to the meeting room). He told them that the Treecko was likely down at the beach, as he spent a lot of time there these days.

So Mew wound up floating down the street to Lively Town's plaza. The town was waking up bit by bit as the sun rose slowly, imbuing the colorful roofs and cobble paths with a golden glow. The scents of ocean salt and sweet flowers filled the air, as did synchronized shouts and war cries—probably that weird punchy-kicky event that took place in the plaza. Pokemon strolled up and down the city streets on their way to wherever it was they were going, their gazes set straight ahead. Though the Expedition Society had reacted to Mew with astonishment, the pedestrians here were seemingly oblivious to who Mew was. They liked it that way: lots of attention made them feel a little uncomfortable, so it was nice just to blend into the crowds and finish their muffin in peace.

Mew's memory turned out to be quite reliable, as it only took them three tries to find the beach (they had expected it to take seven). They made their way past the docks, where big, strong Pokemon were loading cargo onto some Lapras and other swimming Pokemon, and eventually found a familiar Treecko sitting on the sand and staring emptily into space, his satchel lying next to him.

"Hi, Aster!" they called out as they approached.

He turned blearily towards the sound of their voice, then slumped when he spotted them. "Oh. It's you."

"You ready to take on a job? I am! C'mon, let's get started!" They plopped down next to him and reached into his satchel for the Gadget, only for him to smack their paw away. He pulled out the Expedition Gadget himself and fitted in the Connection Orb with an air of resignation, and began flipping through requests, murmuring under his breath.

"Treasure hunting in the Path of Fallen Leaves…"

"Oh, that sounds exciting!" Mew exclaimed, but he took no notice.

"Item retrieval down in the Valley of Strong Winds…"

"Strong Winds? What makes those winds strong?" they asked.

"Outlaw hiding at the Frozen Falls…"

'Ooh, that one! Can we do that one?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and blew out a long breath. "No."

Mew groaned. "Why not?!"

"This is literally your first job, Mew. If I bring you along to a dangerous place and something happens…" He shuddered, his eyes suddenly haunted. He shook his head, then continued, "If something happens to you, the Chief will kill me." The Treecko turned back to the Gadget, tapped on its screen a few times, and nodded to himself. "Here we go. A little Cleffa got lost, and her mother thinks she's in the Odd Field."

Mew frowned at the dungeon's name. "Odd Field? That sounds kinda boring. Isn't there anything more exciting we can do?"

"No."

"Why not?" they asked, but he had already stood up. He shoved the gadget into his bag and made for the docks. Mew followed along as he stepped through the sand dunes, past the workers, and up the hill towards Lively Town.

"Where are we going?" they asked.

"To pack."

"What're we gonna pack?"

"You'll see," he said.

"What will—"

"No more questions."

As it turned out, they were going to pack quite a few things. Back at the Expedition Society Headquarters, Aster threw open a chest in the corner of their room and started digging through its contents. The Treecko extracted items one by one: a gnarled stick similar to the one he had used in Mystery Jungle, blue berries and yellow berries (both smelling stale), and several translucent orbs he was careful not to drop. Nearly every item he extracted from the chest was unfamiliar to them; with every little thing he placed into his bag, another question popped into Mew's mind. The questions pressed against the walls of their skull and built up beneath their tongue until they simply could not contain them any longer.

"So I know you said not to ask questions," they said, "but I was wondering—what was all that stuff you pulled out of that box?"

"Expedition equipment." He didn't elaborate further, and Mew didn't ask him to. With any luck, the function of the equipment would become clear over the course of their journey. They already knew the twisted, misshapen sticks were designed to shoot out gusts of wind, so they would figure out the berries and orbs soon. After placing the items in the bag, Aster sat for a moment and stared into space. He facepalmed. "Food. We need food."

He stood up and walked out of the room, through the hallway, and out into the morning air again. Mew followed, and as they did they asked, "What kind of food do you usually get for these expeditions?"

"The edible kind," he said without stopping.

"Okay…but what kind? Is it similar to the dishes Swirlix makes?"

He sighed and started walking faster. Yesterday Mew had thought he was just cranky because he didn't get enough sleep or something. But he was treating them the same way today, which meant this was just the kind of person he was: withdrawn, distant, cold.

"You need to lighten up, you know that?" they said.

That drew out an mirthless chuckle from him. "Maybe I do."

As they made their way down the cobble streets, the sounds of hundreds of voices grew louder and louder, and the density of Pokemon on the streets grew rapidly. Lively Town had woken up completely in the few minutes they had spent in the Society headquarters getting equipment. Now the road was stuffed to the brim with Pokemon jostling and bumping into each other. Mew hadn't known there were this many Pokemon on the whole continent, never mind in a single town. Where did they all live and sleep? Mew made a note to ask Aster about that later.

Eventually they reached the central plaza and approached one of the booths. After exchanging a few words with the Pokemon manning it (a green and yellow one with a curled-up tail), Aster handed off some little golden circles and received a couple cloth pouches presumably containing food. He dropped the pouches into his bag and set off for the town gate, slipping through the chattering crowds with ease. Mew tried to follow him at first, but the sheer number of Pokemon that kept blocking their path eventually forced them to take to the air and fly over the crowd entirely. They reunited with the Treecko down at the town gate.

"So how long will it take to reach Odd Field?" they asked over the din of voices. Past the gate was a stone bridge that crossed over a river, and beyond that stood vast green meadows dotted with houses and fields covered in strange plants the likes of which they had never seen before. "Actually, scratch that—what are those plants growing near the houses over there?"

"The trip there will take a bit less than half a day," Aster said.

"And the plants?"

He didn't reply.

"Come on, Aster, don't do this!" They moved in front of him to get his attention. "I gotta know!"

His shoulders slumped as he finally met their eyes. "Those plants are…ugh, I don't know, Mew. We have a job to do. I can't keep stopping and answering every single question you have. Now let's move." He strode forward and pushed them out of the way.

With a little sigh, they followed him through the gate and across the bridge. After a minute they came across a winding path that twisted and turned through the hills and fields. Some of the plants in the fields were turning yellow now; these ones were made up of tall, thin stalks with tiny seeds sticking out of the tips. Mew ogled the plants as the two followed the path, while the sun rose into the sky and the day grew brighter. As they traveled, a single dark cloud approached from beyond the horizon. Then another. And another. Soon the entire sky was covered in them.

Then came the first drop of water. In the time it took Mew to process the fact that water had just fallen from the sky (from the sky!), several more drops had fallen. Now the water began to fall in earnest, thousands of drops all plummeting from the clouds.

"Hey, Aster?" they asked.

"What?"

"What's the deal with this water falling on us?"

"It's rain, Mew," he muttered, looking positively miserable. "It's rain."

Though Aster seemed to hate the rain with a passion, Mew thought it was quite exciting! As they traveled, Mew spent a good few hours seeing how many water droplets they could dodge. They bobbed and weaved through the drops, zipping this way and that, giggling as their fur steadily became soaked—it was impossible to dodge everything, of course, but simply trying to was exciting enough. On and on they went, through environments the likes of which they had never seen. Steep mountain ranges whose peaks were covered in snow, golden fields of wild plants (that were apparently called grains), and a wide wooden bridge leading across a frothing river. The rain eventually stopped and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds; by the time it did it was already midday, and Mew was hungry again.

"Can we stop for a bit?" they said, shaking the water out of their fur. "I think it's, uh… What did Swirlix call it? I think it's time for lunch."

To their surprise, Aster nodded. They found a nice wooden stump on the side of the road and sat down next to it. (Or rather, Aster sat down. The ground was thoroughly wet and muddy, so Mew opted to remain floating instead of sitting on the filthy ground.) Aster pulled out the food pouches and passed one to Mew; inside, they found a bunch of little brown things and that sweet red object he had given them in Mystery Jungle.

"Check it out!" Mew lifted the red thing and showed it to him. "I got a, uh…"

"An apple," he said. He had taken out his apple, but didn't make any move to eat it. Instead, he just stared blankly at it.

"You gonna eat that?" they asked.

He sniffed and fiddled with his scarf. "I don't know."

"If you don't, can I have it?"

He didn't respond. Mew decided to take that as a no. They took a bite out of their apple—it was just as sweet as they remembered it being. They polished it off in a matter of seconds, and then moved on to the little brown things. They lifted one and asked, "What's this thing?"

Predictably, he didn't answer.

Instead of asking again, they said, "Why are you so quiet all the time?"

That got the Treecko's attention. He looked up, thought for a moment, and shrugged. "Talking is exhausting."

"Really? Huh." They had never thought talking could be tiring. Another question came to mind: "Oh, I've been wondering—how come Ampharos said you're the only one who doesn't have a partner? Is it because you don't like talking, or—"

"That's none of your business," he snapped, shooting them a scowl.

"Okay, okay," they said, raising their paws in a placating gesture. "Sheesh."

The next few seconds passed in silence as Aster glared at the grass. Mew busied themself eating the little brown things for a time; they were oddly bitter and savory, nothing like the apple. And each of them wasn't good for any more than a single bite.

Eventually, the Treecko spoke again: "Nuts."

"What?"

"Those things you're eating," he said, tugging on his scarf. "They're called nuts."

The rest of their lunch passed in a more amiable quiet. Once they were finished they continued travelling; by now they had reached an open plain with boulders and tall yellow flowers scattered throughout. The grass here was thin and sparse, closer to a pale yellow than green, and grew in thin clumps. The field reached out for miles, stretching all the way to a dark, moody mountain range on the horizon. Aster suddenly came to a halt. He threw his arm out to stop Mew.

"Can you feel it?" he said. "We take one more step, and we'll be in a Mystery Dungeon."

"Really?" They concentrated, trying to feel whatever he was talking about. "I don't feel anything."

"You will." He walked forward gingerly, one slow step at a time, before coming to a halt. "Yep," he said. "Here it—"

Mew blinked, and he vanished.

They rubbed their eyes and looked again. He wasn't there! In his place stood what looked like the exact same plain they'd previously been approaching, but it was…different, somehow. Then they realized: the boulders and flowers were arranged in a different manner than they had previously been. A memory came to mind—Mystery Jungle, and how they had gotten lost in it more times than they could count. Something was wrong with these Mystery Dungeons, though they didn't know what. The land itself had changed, and the bright, sunlit field now held a strangely menacing aura.

"Aster?" they called out.

No response. This time it wasn't because he was being a jerk; he physically wasn't there to respond. Their heart beat a little faster—this was a little frightening, sure, but also fascinating. They floated a little closer to the spot where he had vanished and extended their paw forwards past the invisible line where the Mystery Dungeon started.

They waited a few seconds.

Nothing happened.

"Huh," Mew muttered. They floated further and entered Odd Field completely. Nothing seemed to change, but when they turned around the path was no longer there. As a matter of fact, it was nowhere in sight. There were only wild fields dotted with scrubby bushes and shrubs, the occasional cluster of rocks scattered here and there. Over the span of a single second Mew had somehow traveled into complete wilderness: not a single sign of civilization was in sight, neither paths nor bridges nor houses. Curiosity, ever familiar, made itself known in the grin that spread across their face. As an official Expedition Society member, they had two jobs: help those who needed it, and document the world. Time for some documenting.

"Right then," they said to nobody in particular. After a few seconds, they took out an imaginary pencil and paper and pretended to write notes the same way they saw Mawile do. "Expedition…uh, log? I think that's what they call it. Expedition log, entry one: my partner has vanished. No idea where he's gone. Cool, right? Uh, anyways, I still have a job to do! Gotta find that Cleffa! But…where could she be?"

Mew turned this way and that, debating which direction to go first, then chose one at random and floated forth confidently. "Cleffa?" they called out. "Cleffa, where are you?"

But there wasn't a single Pokemon in sight, friendly or otherwise. Mew scanned the shrubbery and grass for any signs of life; the grass only grew taller the further they went, so they elevated a few meters above the ground to try and get a better vantage point. They continued calling Cleffa's name to no avail—no matter how loud they shouted, no response came.

Until a thin, nasal voice shouted in return: "Quiet down, will you?!"

Mew's ears pricked up. They strained their eyes looking through the field, until they eventually spotted the Pokemon who had spoken peeking out from beneath a bush. This one had a round, green body, two beady eyes, and six legs. Curious; they had never seen a Pokemon like this before.

"What're you shouting about, anyways?" the Pokemon said. "Some of us are trying to look for something, you know, and your screaming is really distracting."

"Sorry, sorry," Mew said. "What are you looking for?"

"Oh, just a necklace. It's an old family heirloom. What about you?"

"I'm looking for a Pokemon. Have you seen a Cleffa?"

"Cleffa?" Her mandibles clicked as she thought. "No, don't think so. What's she look like?"

"She—" They cut themself off. They had no idea what Cleffa looked like. "I…don't actually know."

"Well, I've never heard of any Cleffa around these parts. But I know that there's a commotion going on right now near the Yago trees. Might be worth checking there."

"Where are the Yago trees?"

"Who knows where anything is in this place?" she said with a chuckle. "Look for trees with green and white berries. But be careful—those trees tend to be jealously guarded around this time of year. Those berries are just about ripe, so everybody's fighting over them."

"Huh." Mew thought for a moment. "Wait, trees? I haven't seen any trees in this place." Mew turned and scanned their surroundings for any sort of tree; predictably, nothing of the sort could be seen. "See?" they said, turning back to face the Pokemon. "No—"

But the Pokemon was gone, as was the bush she had been hiding beneath.

"Interesting…" Unsurprised, Mew began to write on their imaginary paper once more. "Expedition log, entry two: another Pokemon vanished when I turned around. I'm thinking maybe I should just keep turning around in circles until I find Cleffa. After all, the land around me changes whenever I'm not looking, so if I keep turning around I'll find her eventually, right?"

The plan had seemed stupid in their head, but it seemed stupider when they said it out loud. But it was between that or wandering aimlessly through the overgrown fields, same way they used to wander through Mystery Jungle. They debated for a minute, then decided on the second option. Wandering around had led them to that many-legged Pokemon, after all, so maybe they would find someone else eventually. So off they went.

Soon another voice rang out in the distance, this one higher pitched and shrill. Mew blinked, and suddenly the grass thinned out to reveal a grove of tall, thin trees in the distance. Each tree was nothing more than a gangly, pale trunk that broke off into a few branches at the top. The trees' leaves were sparse, though each had a couple of green and white berries—no, Yago berries hanging off of the branches. Three blue and purple winged Pokemon were flying above the trees' canopies and darting down occasionally to bite and scratch at a tiny pink Pokemon cowering near the tree's roots. Quiet weeping could be heard beneath the flying Pokemon's piercing cries and clicks. The little one needed help!

"Hey!" Mew shouted, and zoomed towards the trees. "Leave that Pokemon alone!"

As they flew above the grass, the wind shrieking in their ears, another of the blue and purple Pokemon dove down to attack once more. Mew wouldn't reach them in time, but they couldn't just sit there and let it attack uninhibited.

Mew wasn't sure what they were doing until they had already done it. Their paw reached out at the Pokemon as it dove towards the little one, and all of a sudden the Pokemon froze in midair. Mew flicked their paw upwards, and an invisible force flung the Pokemon back into the air, spinning wildly. Wings flapping, it righted itself and let loose a piercing clicking noise at Mew, but by the time it did so they had already scooped the pink Pokemon into their arms. Just like that, Mew's first official rescue was already in progress! With an exhilarated laugh, they picked a random direction and started flying as fast as they could, clutching the little one to their chest.

"Hi, I'm Mew!" they said cheerily, putting on their best smile. "What's your name?"

"Um…" The little one stared blankly, face wet with tears. She seemed lost for words at her unexpected rescuer. Her voice trembling, she stuttered, "Mama said not to t-talk to strangers."

"What's a stranger?" Mew turned to see if the other Pokemon were giving chase. They were. "Actually, never mind! Introductions later!"

Whatever magic Mew had just done, it had thoroughly upset the flying Pokemon. All three of them were going after Mew and the little one now, letting loose a din of screeches and booming clicks and clacks. Mew flew faster and faster, the wind blowing into their eyes and grass bending in their wake, but they couldn't shake them. For the first time, Mew felt nervous. One of them dove down after Mew and went for a bite. Mew only barely dodged, rolling to one side and righting themself. Up close they realized the Pokemon had no eyes and huge fangs. Woah.

A distorted cry rent the air. Mew noticed the sickly yellow rings of energy far too late, and suddenly their mind fell to pieces. They fell to the ground, their head spinning and their stomach churning. The little one fell from their arms with a squeak. Their vision went blurry and unfocused; the flying Pokemon now were naught but blurred shadows against a blue sky. Whatever they were about to do, Mew was helpless to stop it. Did Mew really just mess up their first rescue mission? They couldn't believe it. Behind the confusion obscuring their thoughts, something like fear made itself known in the thumping of their heart. The three dove once more in unison. Mew reached out and tried to do the trick from before. It didn't work.

An unnatural gust of wind blew through the grass and into the sky, followed by a shrill shout: "Get away from them!" The wind slammed into the closest Pokemon. Its wings went limp as it fell to the ground. A pair of spheres of bright green energy followed the wind and exploded against the other two, sending them down as well. A familiar Treecko came into view, clutching a wand in his paws.

"There you are, Mew! Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?!" Aster shouted, looking positively panicked. After taking a good look at their face, he reached into his bag, pulled out a bright pink object, and shoved it roughly into their mouth. "Eat this. It'll help."

Mew obliged. The berry was bitter and hard, but soon their thoughts cleared once more, and they could stand up and float into the air again. Aster was talking to the little pink Pokemon, who had curled up and was shivering. "Come on, Cleffa," he said roughly. "We gotta move. We gotta get out of here."

"Wait," Mew said. "That's Cleffa?"

"Yeah," he told them, then turned back to Cleffa, who was making a weird noise. His eyes widened. "N-no, no, don't cry. Don't cry. You're okay—hey, hey, you're fine, right?"

"Oh, wow!" Mew grinned ear to ear. "So I found Cleffa all by myself! My first rescue was a success after all! You know, for a second there it looked like I messed things up, but I guess I had nothing to worry about!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he said without looking at them. "Hey, Cleffa, your mother asked us to come find you. Would you like to go to her?"

For the first time, Cleffa looked up. "You can take me to my mama?"

Cleffa's mother turned out to be a very stout, very pink Pokemon who was called Clefable. She lived on the outskirts of a little settlement that consisted of a few houses dotted near a grim mountain tall enough to block the setting sun. As Aster and Mew approached the settlement, Aster carrying Cleffa, Clefable burst out of her house with a cry of, "My baby!" Her little wings seemed far too small to fly with, but she literally flew towards them, snatched Cleffa out of his arms, and hugged her child to her chest.

"Thank you, thank you!" she shouted, touching down before them. Then, to Cleffa (who was positively beaming): "Oh, I'm so glad you're safe! She's been missing for a couple of weeks, you see, so I was so worried!"

"It was no trouble for professionals like us!" Mew proclaimed, sticking their chest out. "Why, the Odd Field was nothing! I bet we could've saved your kid from a really tough place, like the Frozen Falls!"

"You can hint at it all you want," Aster said, "but I still won't take you anywhere too dangerous." He wasn't exactly smiling at the sight before him, but he definitely looked a bit more content than he usually did.

"Aw…"

"At any rate, I'm glad everything turned out okay," he said to Clefable. "If that's all, we'll be going now—"

"No, no! Wait just a moment!" Clefable moved as if to reach into a bag (which she didn't have), frowned in confusion, and then rushed off towards her house. She emerged carrying a lumpy sack that was at least as tall as she was. "I insist you take these."

"Um," Aster started, but she had already dumped the sack into his arms. He looked inside. "Huh. What do you know? Yago berries."

"They're my favorite!" Cleffa chimed in.

He started saying, "You know I can't accept all of this," and Clefable said something back, but Mew had already stopped paying attention. They took a berry from the sack and had a bite. It was surprisingly sour and squishy; they swallowed with great difficulty, then discreetly put the bitten berry back in while no one was looking.

The Treecko tried to give the sack back, but Clefable waved him away and said, "Nonsense, nonsense! It's the least I can do for rescuing my little girl."

She hugged Cleffa to her chest, laughing in relief, and something very strange happened. For a moment, Mew wasn't floating in the shadows of a mountain range. Instead, they stood—stood, not floated—atop a green, flower-covered hill with a massive tree towering above them. Clefable and Cleffa weren't there either; instead, they saw a pair of green plant-like Pokemon, a mother and child. The mother was hugging the child the same way as Clefable. Warm pride suffused through Mew's chest, but it felt unearned, like being congratulated for an accomplishment that wasn't theirs.

"Fine, fine. I'll take the berries. Please stop shouting," Aster said, and the image vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Suddenly Mew felt a bit woozy, as though they needed to lie down for a while. They shook their head trying to clear it.

"Come on, Mew," he said, hoisting the sack of berries over his shoulder and taking their paw. "Let's go."

"Thanks again!" Clefable shouted as the two made their way towards the road.

At first Mew floated limply, their mind foggy and clouded, and Aster had to pull them along behind him like a balloon. Eventually they managed to pull themself together and hover alongside him. They tugged their paw out from his grip, and said, "The weirdest thing just happened."

"What?"

"I…saw something. A hill, I think, and a mother with her child."

He scoffed, adjusting the sack on his shoulder. "Yeah, those were Clefable and Cleffa."

"No, no. A-a different mother and child. They were…I think they were green."

"Hm." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "Maybe your memories are coming back."

"Maybe," they said, though they weren't sure.

"What else did you see?"

"I'm not sure. A hill, I think. Maybe houses too."

"A hill?" He furrowed his brow, adjusting the sack and bag on his shoulders. "What kind of hill was it?"

"I don't know. It was all so blurry, and I couldn't see any of the details."

They traveled in silence after that. Through the golden fields, across the wild river, and up the stony hills they went. The sun was setting now as they followed the path along a slippery mountainside; on one side stood the massive, dark mountain, and on the other side was a lush valley filled with greenery. The wind was cold and biting and the air smelled of smoke, probably the result of fire types keeping themselves warm up here. The night sky decorated itself with little twinkling stars shining in the indigo and crimson emptiness. Soon the unfamiliar memory vanished from Mew's mind, and pride—real pride this time—expressed itself in the way they raised their chin and floated a few inches higher.

"You know, I'm proud of myself!" Mew said as they traveled. "For a few seconds there it seemed like I messed up my first rescue, but it looks like I did fine, right?"

Aster shrugged. "I guess."

"Come on, you guess? I found Cleffa all by myself! Sure, you might've helped a bit, but I'm the one who swooped in and rescued her from a bunch of flying Pokemon!"

"Zubats."

"Huh?"

"The flying Pokemon," the Treecko said, turning to face them. He looked less crabby than usual. "They're called Zubats. They love berries, so I guess it makes sense that they attacked anyone who came near the berry trees—they don't want anyone stealing their lunch."

"Do you think that's why Cleffa went into the Odd Field in the first place? To get some of those berries?"

He shrugged again. "Doubtful. Maybe she just got lost."

A few more minutes passed without either of them saying anything. While the Treecko slogged forward, struggling to carry two bags at once, Mew floated lightly and stared up at the stars. They were all so bright and twinkly. Mew wondered what they were made of; maybe if they flew high enough, they would manage to touch one and see what it was like. They fell into a daydream in which they soared through the night sky and little white stars followed them around in a glittering cloud.

Aster broke the silence, his voice bringing them back to reality. "I was worried about you," he murmured, as though he was ashamed of it.

"What?" Mew tilted their head. "Really?"

"Yeah. You were alone in a Mystery Dungeon. Those places can get dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. The whole time I was looking for you, I kept thinking something would happen to you."

"Were you worried because Ampharos would get really mad at you?"

His gaze fell to the stone path. "No."

"But you said you didn't want to take me anywhere dangerous because the Chief would get mad if I got hurt."

"Well, I know what I said, but…" He floundered, waving a paw vaguely. "I guess that wasn't the only reason I was worried."

"Aha!" Mew pumped a fist and did a loop-de-loop in the air. "So you do care! I knew it!"

Aster blew out a long breath. "Well, excuse me for not wanting my partner to get hurt."

"Oh, so I'm your partner now?" They shot him a smug grin. "And here I thought you wanted me to get lost! I'm gonna tell the whole Society you said that!"

"Wha—" His eyes widened. "No, don't you dare!"

"Watch me! I'm gonna stroll right into the Expedition Society headquarters and shout it out for everyone to hear!" They zoomed forth at top speed, silently daring him to catch them. "And you can't stop me!"

"Mew, I swear—hey, wait up!" The Treecko tried to give chase, but the combination of the satchel and sack of berries weighed him down to the point where he could barely muster a slightly hurried walk. "Mew! Wait!"

They didn't wait. They flew even faster—partly because it was funny to watch him struggle to keep up, but also because they were more than a little excited at his confession. Maybe they really could become friends after all. Their exhilarated laughter echoed throughout the mountains and valleys. Over the course of a single day, Mew had made their first successful rescue, seen about five new things, and discovered that their new partner could, in fact, be mildly nice sometimes.

If every day was going to be like this one, then Mew would be a very happy Pokemon.

Mawile had spent the entire day and half of the night sitting in the dining hall writing away, only getting up once to retrieve a historical text from her study. Dark Matter's first attack had happened millennia ago, so there wasn't very much documentation about it; what little information she had was engraved in ancient stone tablets written in a language she could only barely decipher. There was another source in Celebi, who could time travel and view events in the past and future, but tracking her down was a several month ordeal that Mawile wasn't eager to repeat. And Aster, the only person who had been involved with the first attack (if only technically), was near-impossible to get anything out of. Any questions she asked him were met with either silence or a shrug, and she quickly gave up on learning anything useful from him.

However difficult it was to learn about the past, the things she did learn were very, very interesting. First of all, the heroes who had stopped Dark Matter millennia ago—an ancient Mew and a human called Aster—had actually failed, and they'd chosen to reincarnate themselves in the future to stop that monster when it reappeared. Secondly, the Harmony Scarves they'd worn had powers beyond mortal comprehension, the kind that harnessed life itself. Finally, the plan had always been for the reincarnation of Mew to disappear, and for Mew to reappear like nothing had happened.

The reincarnation, Vallea, had vanished. And Mew had reappeared, so that part was true enough. But nothing Mawile found made any mention of Mew having amnesia.

Mawile sighed and rubbed her tired eyes, the maw on the back of her head chomping idly. Her stomach grumbled, but she took no notice. Before her lay a sprawl of papers, notes, books, and stone engravings that took up most of the table. The sun had set long ago and dinner had come and gone; now the only light she had to see by was a lone candle Swirlix had given her. It emitted a deep yellow glow that wasn't much better than darkness; reading in these conditions was probably bad for her vision. She sighed, stood up, and exited the dining hall, taking a stone engraving with her.

As she stepped through the halls of the Society headquarters, the question of Mew's amnesia lurked on the edge of her thoughts. They knew nothing, except for when they did. And whenever they did, it just happened to coincide with knowledge that Vallea would've had. Mawile knew it could be nothing but a coincidence, but the things Mew did know—the Nexus's purpose and how to read ancient writings—had been significant knowledge in Vallea's mind.

Mawile reached her destination—the chief's office—and gave the wooden door a single knock. A crash could be heard from within, followed by Ampharos calling out, "Come in!" Mawile entered to find him sprawled out on the rug, surrounded by paperwork that had previously been on his desk. It was likely that the knocking had startled him enough to send him flying. She rolled her eyes and moved to help him up; his clumsiness and penchant for causing messes had once been annoying to her, but now she regarded them with something akin to fondness.

Once Ampharos was on his feet and only tottering slightly, he asked, "So what brings you here?"

"This." She raised the stone tablet for him to look at. "Can you read it?"

"Of course not. Vallea was the only one who could. Fluently, I mean," he added, looking a little embarrassed.

"I can read this about as well as a toddler, so don't feel bad," she said with a chuckle. "But here's the thing: Mew can read it. They can't read anything written in the common tongue, but they can read writings from thousands of years ago."

"I see the significance." Ampharos pressed a paw to his chin, brow furrowed. "It seems Xatu's right about this."

"The first part of his prophecy came true," Mawile said. "Mew joined the Expedition Society, and we see traces of Vallea in them."

"Now we just need to get the rest done," Ampharos replied. He didn't sit down so much as fall into his chair. "How on earth do we trick the Harmony Scarves into activating?"

"I've been giving that some thought. Vallea told me that every time she was in danger, the scarves would activate and bail her out. First time was on Fire Island Volcano, when Entei attacked. Second time was when you all faced Nuzleaf and Yveltal. And then there was the third time, where she boarded the Tree of Life to stop Dark Matter."

"So the scarves serve to protect the children," Ampharos said.

"Exactly. If we can somehow recreate the conditions needed to activate them—such as by simulating a severe danger—then maybe they could bring Vallea back."

"But one of the scarves is lost. Aster says it vanished when she did," he said, frowning.

"Only one is lost," Mawile reminded him. "We still have one left to work with."

"Then…you're saying we need to trick the boy into thinking he's in danger."

"Maybe," Mawile said, though another idea brewed in her mind. She chewed on her words, trying to think of the best way to put it. "It's possible that putting Aster in danger isn't the right idea here. Look at how he's been acting the last few weeks. He's barely been functional after losing Vallea."

Ampharos leaned forwards, quirking his brow. "Mawile, what are you—"

"Hear me out. I think the kid's afraid of losing people he cares about. What if we put Mew in danger, make it seem like we're going to kill them? Maybe Aster will get frightened enough for the scarf to activate."

"So…your idea hinges on tricking a boy into thinking he's about to lose another partner." Ampharos said it conversationally, but disapproval lurked behind his eyes. "That's…I don't know what to say."

"If it brings back Vallea, it'll all be worth it."

"If. And if this idea fails, we'll have terrified a boy for nothing."

"We've taken worse risks before," Mawile said. Memories of the Voidlands flashed through her mind, memories of a hopeless abyss and a flickering light. "Besides, it adds up with what Xatu told us. Bring Mew to the Society, don't tell them about their past, and exploit the scarves to bring Vallea back."

"But…"

The maw on the back of her head snapped idly as she waited for him to continue. "Do you have any other ideas, chief?"

He sighed. "No, I'm afraid not."

"Then I don't see any other option."

Ampharos shook his head despondently. "Very well, then. But if this fails we'll have quite the explanation to give."

"We'll need to explain it either way," Mawile said, folding her arms. "But I think trying to bring her back is better than doing nothing at all."

"That's true. They…" Ampharos leaned back in his chair and rubbed the orb on his forehead. After an exhausted sigh, he said, "They deserve a happy ending."

"And we'll make it happen."