Chapter 3

Rivals and Friends

The night was quiet, the caterpie and weedle asleep, the pidgeys softly cooing from their roosts. In a small clearing, a fire quietly crackled, slowly eating at the logs that were thrown in before the fire was lit. On one edge of the fire sat a boy no older than eleven or twelve, who stared into it with viridian eyes. In his lap dozed a fox-like pokemon, with black fur and golden ring marks.

When the pokemon moved to get more comfortable, the adolescent raised his hand from her back, waiting for her to settle before he returned to gently stroking her back. The night was quiet, peaceful even, the kind he'd only enjoyed in the times when it was just him and his pokemon in the wild.

It had been a year and a half since he started his journey back in Kanto, with a Squirtle as his starter and a group of cheerleaders following his every move. Even if he was strong enough to win every match that came his way, he couldn't deny he'd been incredibly arrogant. It took being beat in the Indigo Conference for him to realize he'd gone too far.

Now though, sitting amid the Ilex forest, on a quiet night like tonight, Gary Oak was grateful he'd received such a rude awakening. His pokemon were more powerful than ever, their mutual bond deep and filled with trust. And now he was traveling through Johto, working on the eight gym badges he would need to enter the Silver Conference. Gary knew he was unlikely to make it far, but his heart was set on trying.

He, Umbreon, and Blastoise had just made it through their second Johto gym the day before, earning the hive badge while in Azalea town. The Gym Leader, Bugsy, certainly hadn't gone down easy—his Scizor gave even Umbreon a run for her money with constant use of Agility.

The trainer found his lips lifting in a small smile, pulling his eyes from the fire to look at the Eeveelution in his lap. "You did an amazing job tripping that Scizor up today, Umbreon." Even half-asleep, the fox-like pokemon purred at the compliment. However, the purr didn't last long. After a moment, Umbreon's ears began to twitch, as if listening to something only she could hear.

The dark type sat up, red eyes staring across the clearing and Gary frowned. "Umbreon?" He murmured in confusion.

She glanced at him before facing forward again and nodding at the shadows on the other side of the clearing. "Um, umb, eon," the fox stated, before sliding gracefully off Gary's lap and closer to the fire. "Bre, breon!" She called.

To the trainer's surprise, there came a soft call in response, before a small, pink cat-like pokemon emerged from the shadows. Gary could only blink in surprise, as the psychic type floated closer, humming as she flew over the fire, to land in front of Umbreon.

The new pokemon glanced at Gary before turning back to Umbreon, speaking quickly and gesturing to the shadows she emerged from. Gary watched as the conversation went on, Umbreon's ears standing on end, or laying back, as she experienced different emotions. After a bit, the dark type finally nodded, seeming to acquiesce to some unknown question, and the pink pokemon rose into the air, floating over to hover in front of Gary.

She looked Gary in the eyes before reaching out and gently setting a paw against his forehead. He tensed at the contact but remained still, his grandfather's lessons about reacting to wild pokemon having long since become ingrained in the very fiber of his being.

"Easy, young one. We mean no harm." A soft, feminine voice intoned in his mind. The sound echoed, like bells, and Gary found the researcher part of him fascinated by the tone and wording. The pokemon snorted, as if reading his mind, before she pushed on. "I am Mew. I and a friend have been searching for you, Gary Oak."

"Me?" He questioned quietly. "What have I done to gain your attention?"

Mew's tail twitched in amusement. "It is not what you have done but what you will do, and who you know, that has gained our attention. I will not go into the specifics, for it is not my story to tell. A friend of yours recently became caught up in a war he wasn't aware of. Damage was done and, while I wish to change certain outcomes, there is only so much I can do without upsetting the balance."

Across the clearing, another creature emerged, the gray-skinned, purple-tailed, bipedal pokemon bringing to mind a memory of when he'd faced the creature in battle at the Viridian City gym, and lost badly. However, it wasn't the pokemon himself that caught Gary's attention, but the bundle held in his arms. The trainer felt himself go pale as he recognized the torn and bloody shape clutched in Mewtwo's arms, horror and grief bubbling up within his chest. Only a smack from Mew's tail managed to distract him from the other pokemon and his burden. Turning back to Mew, he hoped for at least some answers. The phantom pokemon sighed, her tail drooping in sorrow.

"He is still alive—we were at least able to do that much, but he and his pokemon both need care that we cannot give and time to come to terms with what has happened. The reason we have come to you, though, is because he chose you."

"What do you mean 'He chose me?'" Gary snapped back, terrified by what the pokemon was telling him. He'd known his friend and rival was more than capable of getting himself into some serious trouble. But, looking at him now, hearing what Mew was saying, it sounded like Ash had finally bitten off more than he could chew. And was paying the ultimate price for it.

Fortunately, Mew seemed to accept his outburst without rancor. She shook her head, tail curling in on itself. "I am not as used to your language as my kin. Ash has an innate ability, one that is rarely found in humans anymore. Over time, he would've unlocked it himself but, to save him, I was forced to release it early."

"Wh-" Gary stopped, trying to absorb everything the legendary was telling him. Ash had gotten killed—or almost killed considering he appeared alive now—in a war. Then, a legendary pokemon, the creator of all pokemon no less, had brought him back by unlocking some innate ability in his childhood friend. And somehow that correlated to that same legendary hunting Gary down.

"Correct." Mew hummed as if happy the young Oak had been following along with her explanation. "The reason we have come to you—"

"The reason we sought you out is that Ash's aura has bound itself to yours."

Mew groaned at the interruption. Gary blinked as he processed the much deeper tone, one reminiscent of a male's. If he had to guess, he would say it was Mewtwo's voice. Considering the larger pokemon had stepped forward, gently kneeling to set Ash beside the fire, it was a highly probable deduction.

Mew turned to glare at the larger pokemon, a silent, but obvious, conversation going on between the legendaries. Without warning, the phantom pokemon flew over to Mewtwo, shoving him in the direction of the stupefied trainer. That done, Mew continued to Ash, placing her paws on the injured trainer's head.

The genetic pokemon shook his head and turned to Gary, tail swishing behind him quietly. "Forgive us. We are still in the process of reaching common ground on certain matters. The only reason we can discuss these matters diplomatically is because of Ash and what he has accomplished. But that is neither here nor there. To return Ash to Earth, we had to bind his aura to that of another human. Ash's aura chose the one he was closest to and, while I am confused as to your history with him, Mew seems to believe your shared bond is that of siblings. That he sees you as a brother and a friend is the reason he chose you, instead of another."

It was a lot to take in, most certainly. What perhaps surprised Gary the most was that Ash had kept the same opinion of their friendship as he had since they were children, playing on his Grandfather's ranch. The trainer did not have any siblings, his parents having died when he was too little to remember, and, so, Ash became the next best thing. They were good friends, having the occasional spat, and often roughhousing like they were blood brothers. That was until they found the old pokeball. When it split in twain, so too had their friendship.

Looking up at the legendaries, however, Gary felt a spark of hope in his chest. Maybe, possibly, he could repair what the old pokeball had broken, and have his best friend and brother back. Wishful thinking, but hopeful all the same.

After a moment, Gary nodded and rose to his feet. "I will take care of him. What do I need to do?"

Mewtwo turned to Mew, a silent conversation once more passing between them before the genetic pokemon looked at him. "For now, both he and his pikachu are severely injured. While their injuries are not immediately life-threatening, Mew suggests taking them to get treated as soon as possible. Beyond that, I cannot say. It will be up to you to see him through. His bond to you is his only stable, reliable link to this world. Should something happen to that, Giratina will take him for good."

"I understand." Gary nodded, his features turned sour by what he heard. Having grown up under his Grandfather's tutelage, he was not as panicked as some others would be, but he still recognized this was a very dangerous game he'd just stepped into. Something occurred to him then, and the trainer looked around before turning back to Mewtwo. "Where is his pikachu? Normally he would be within arms reach."

In reply, the genetic pokemon held up a paw, flicking the appendage over to reveal a pokeball, a lightning bolt sticker on it, in his palm. Gary arched a brow but took the ball, listening as Mewtwo spoke once more. "The island was collapsing. Very few of the pokemon and trainers managed to escape, save for those who could fly. Mew made it very clear it would not be an even fight if I let something happen to that pikachu. With how injured he is, I am not surprised he retreated into his ball as easily as he did."

Gary nodded, gazing at the ball in his hand, before turning to the legendaries. "Thank you. Even if Ash's condition is due to you, at least you took the time to try and save him. I'll see to it they make it out of this alright." Mewtwo nodded in agreement before glancing at the phantom pokemon and disappearing. Mew, however, remained behind. She floated over, once more resting her paw on his forehead.

"When he is ready, and only when he is ready, travel to Rota. There he will learn what he is missing. Do not say anything about this to him, though. He has to be the one to know when it is time to go."

"And how will I know that?" The trainer quietly asked in return. Whatever this aura ability was, it sounded complicated and dangerous...too much like Ash to be a coincidence.

Mew hummed, glancing down at the sleeping adolescent. "Watch and listen. You will know he is ready when you hear the name: Sir Aaron. Only when he has reached that step will we speak again. So long kin of Oak, safe travels, healthy battles, and much luck." Like that, the phantom pokemon was gone, nothing more than a small flash indicating she had teleported.

The trainer sighed, looking between the pokeball and his friend, and tried to figure out which to handle first. It was too late to try and make his way out of the forest, even with Umbreon guiding the way. He just hoped he had enough supplies and energy to last until morning when they could set out for Azalea Town.

"Might as well get to work." He muttered, before calling out louder, "Umbreon, fetch my bag. I have a feeling this is going to be an all-nighter." With that, he tapped the center button on the pokeball and prayed to the legendaries above.