WHAT'S THIS? That's right, the story is back after several long years! :D Looking back at my writing has me missing all the fun times I've had and I've decided that I wanted to try it out again. I'm sorry for putting it off for so long but I guess I'm here again. Now, we can safely resume Keith's tale.

What I saw was… difficult to explain in the normal sense of the word.

A Vulpix was standing in front of me. The fur was white instead of brown and the hair tufts and tail look fluffier too. It stared at me just as I stared at it. The strangest thing was, the Vulpix was like a ghost. It was transparent and I could see through it, albeit some colour.

"What… Who… Jirachi?" I stammered, looking at the Wish Pokémon. I was baffled by what I was seeing.

The ghost-like Vulpix also spoke up. "Yeah, what's going on?" From the voice, it definitely was a girl. She sounds much more scared, though there was a bit of calmness there. "Who is this Vulpix?"

"I believe that I have already briefed you just moments ago?" Jirachi asked the white Vulpix in a placid voice. She nodded. "Well… here he is."

The Vulpix looked back at me. Her face lightened up a bit. "So… he's my friend from abroad?" She asked. I didn't answer. What the hell was I supposed to say? I have absolutely no clue what is going on right now. At least a dozen questions are spinning in my head.

"Jirachi. Explain. Now." I demanded hastily.

"Right," He said, "you told me you wanted a friend, right?" I nodded. "This is her: your new friend."

His answer was both oversimplified and unsatisfying. "Could you explain me the mechanics of how this is working?" I asked, pointing at the half-transparent image of my 'new friend'. "Why does she look like a ghost?" I paused, before quickly looking at her. "N-no offence, though." I added, apologizing. She politely smiled in response.

"Hmm, okay then." Jirachi cleared his throat, then started. "Keith, originally, the wish should not have worked. However, I figured out a way. This girl you see here," He pointed at her, "she actually made the same wish you did two years ago."

I stared at her in disbelief. "R-really?" I murmured. This girl? She wanted a friend? Just like me?

"Yes, really. Of course, I told her that it was impossible and all I could offer her was advice, which she listened to gloomily. But two years from then, you are now making the exact same wish. Just like back then, I wanted to say 'I can't do that', but then I remembered the girl. So, I decided to whip up some magic."

"How?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"It's… tricky to explain. Basically, I formed a connection between your minds that allows you two to communicate to each other via telepathy. Or, something like telepathy, added with a visual 'hologram' of the person you're contacting."

Although I found his explanation difficult to fathom, I understood the basics. "So, we can do some kind of telepathy with each other?" I asked. He nodded. "Um… so…" I suddenly found my head going from twenty questions to a blank space. I didn't know what to ask anymore. Thankfully, the other Vulpix cut in for me.

"If I may ask, Jirachi." She talked in a sweet voice that I found particularly mesmerizing. "What are we to do now that we have established this 'connection'?"

Jirachi seemed confused by the question. "It's obvious, isn't it?" He chuckled. "Try and start talking to each other. You've only just met, of course."

…This is very awkward.

The two of us just stared at each other, mouths gaping like a Magikarp. Words popped into my head before quickly disintegrating into nothing. I… was not accommodated to a situation like this. Come on, Keith, think! You have a stranger in front of you, now what!?

I tried to remember the first time I met Arthur. I had just been rescued from the river and he had to do CPR on me — as much as I hated that — in order to save me. After I spewed out all the water that was in my lungs, things became awkward when I met my saviour, but eventually he introduced himself and I followed suit.

Deciding to break the tension, I started first. "Um, hi," I said, voice slightly shaking from the nervousness. "My name is Keith. How about you?"

She blinked a few times and twitched her ears. Looks like she had spaced out too. "Oh, uh, um…" She coughed, clearing her throat, though in a polite manner. "My name is Elise."

Elise… That's a nice name. I can roll with this.

"I'll take my leave now." Jirachi said, smiling. I saw a glint of mischievousness in his eyes before he teleported away. I was going to ask Elise another question when he suddenly popped back. "Oh, almost forgot! This connection will break after a few minutes. If you wanna talk longer, you need to think about meeting each other. Then you'll see each other again. Is that clear?"

Something about 'think about meeting each other' bothers me. We both nodded.

"Well then, later!" And he popped out again.

Now it was just the two of us, the wind in the snowy mountains howling. It was starting to get chilly, but being a fire-type, I don't mind it.

"May I ask why your fur is white?" I asked, attempting to engage in conversation. If this is the one Jirachi paired me up with; the one who's supposedly going to support me… I want to get to know her better.

"Oh, that's because I'm an Alolan. Vulpixes around here are actually ice-types in order to adapt to the snowy peaks of the island mountains."

"Alolan, huh?" I recognized the name. Alola consisted of a tropical and warm set of islands. I did hear that some Pokémon there have specially evolved to adjust to its surroundings, but I never realized Vulpix was one of them. "That's incredible." I commented.

She giggled warmly. Her laughter made my chest feel fuzzy. I gripped it subconsciously. Realizing that, I quickly let go. 'What's wrong with me?', I thought. She didn't seem to notice. "So, you're a Vulpix too, right? Kantonian?"

I heard that the usual fire-type Vulpixes were called 'Kantonian Vulpixes'. I didn't like that label, but I answered, "Yes, that's right."

She looked at me, observing. She stood up and walked around me, keeping her gaze on my eyes. Her transparent figure circled around me as I started pondering. Before I could settle on a single, important thought, she interrupted me by saying, "Your eyes are blue."

I turned to my left, facing her. "Yeah… They are…" My eyes, she said. I think the reason they're blue must be because I am a Mew. Mews normally have blue eyes. It made me uncomfortable. The thought came to me: what if she somehow finds out? Would my new friendship with her falter just because of that fact? I quickly switch the topic. "What's life like in Alola?"

"Oh, it's wonderful," she chimed, sitting down. "The sun always shines brightly whenever it's the summer, however it does get quite rainy during the monsoon season. Doesn't stop tourists coming though. Alola's a tropical archipelago, surrounded by crystal clear seas and renowned for its aquatic sports and traditional events. The culture there is so different compared to big city regions like Sinnoh or Kalos." The way her eyes twinkled with every word; I could tell she loved her home.

"Where do you live then? By the beach?" I asked.

"I live with a trainer; she lives in a city not that far from the shore." Elise replied.

I was surprised to hear her say she had a trainer. "So, you have a trainer?" I could feel my insides churn at the thought of Sam and the others, but I suppressed those emotions and went on. "What's she like?"

Elise thought for a moment before answering. "She's nice. Kind. Always friendly. She's a good caretaker and host. All the others love her too." I assumed that the 'others' were her other Pokémon and let her continue. "I've been with her for the past 3 years. It was rather lonely before then, but I'm happy that she caught me."

Somehow, I knew it wasn't true. There was a ringing in my ears that reverberated all the way through my skull signaling that it wasn't right. I could literally sense it with my psychic abilities. Even so, I didn't press her on that. We only continued with small talk before finally ending the conversation off, with me telling her that we should talk again soon.

…

Later that night, I walked around the park. It was around midnight, a half-moon shining brightly in the sky, along with the twinkling stars hanging in the cloudless sky. The leaves of the artificial trees rustled in the windy breeze, snow beginning to come down again.

I randomly spewed out a flame onto my paw. It remained there, flickering dimly before being blown out by the wind. I spewed another one, only this time I did it with more energy. The flame was bigger, resisting the growing wind. I tossed the flame into the air. It went up, fell, and slowed to a hovered in the air next to me.

"Vulpixes have natural control over fire," I whispered, letting the fireball spin around myself like a tornado. "It's funny that I rarely manipulate fire though." I only watched as I raised it to the sky and made it split like a firework, dissipating into the air. "Hah… What am I going to do…"

Now that I have peace and quiet, I can focus on my next move. That is, once I figure out what my next move will be.

I tried to think about it, but my mind felt dull and empty. I could call Elise again, but she might be asleep by now, depending on the time differences between our regions. But what would I talk about? I can't just rant to a person I've just met. Man, I'm a mess. I haven't been able to focus on anything now…

"Arthur," I suddenly said.

Right. Arthur. That encounter with him today. I can't believe that all this happened in a single day.

I wondered what he was thinking when he saw me; in my Mew form. Did he freak out? Was he filled with joy? Or despair? Maybe he was too shocked to even think. What made me flinch was what would he think afterwards. Surely, no one would react normally if they find out their best friend in the whole wide world is actually a mythical Pokémon with amazing powers.

I must see him…

Then I stopped.

"What am I thinking…" I said, shaking my head. I couldn't help but feel utterly stupid and foolish for even thinking about meeting Arthur again. "Why would I want to…? He… He doesn't need me anymore… Or…" I shook my head again, but more vigorously. "Damn it!" I cursed. "Why must I be so… idiotic!? Make up your mind, Keith!"

"Keith?"

I whipped my head around and jumped back. "Jirachi?" I called out in surprise when I saw him. "I… thought you had gone back to sleep."

Jirachi gave a sad chuckle. "I've been losing sleep every passing decade." He said dismissively. "I find it hard to just… remain still in a cocoon. I want to help people, even if it meant fighting my system."

I stared at Jirachi. It must be difficult for him, especially following Mew's death — his beloved partner — it would have gotten harder. "Jirachi… I don't know what to do anymore… Should I see Arthur?"

Jirachi remained silent. He hovered over to me, reaching out for my arm. I moved away from his hand. "Keith…" He said in a low voice. He sounded… strained and pained. "I… I can't help you with everything." He stopped, searching for words. As I looked into his eyes, all I could see was suffering.

"You don't have to help me, Jirachi." I said quietly. He looked up at me, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Jirachi, please don't get me wrong, but you and I? We're both extremely weak." I gripped my chest, my heart throbbing from a pain that came out of nowhere. "I don't want to burden you too much. I don't want to be a burden either. I'll figure it out myself."

Jirachi only stared at me. His arm was halfway extended. Reluctantly, he pulled it back and looked at the ground in shame. "If you say so, Keith…" Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could feel his emotions in his voice. I knew he wanted to help me, in every way he could, with all the strength he could muster, hoping that I could get back up from despair.

But he knows. He knows that he can't help me, not in this state. Yet he still tries. I'm not sure if that's admirable or just plain foolish.

After he went back in the resort, I sighed heavily. I felt tired. I gripped my chest tighter, my body feeling warmer. My heart ached from who knows what. Was it loneliness or sadness? Fear or anger?

Maybe all of them.

"I want to get this over with." I told myself firmly, weakly starting to walk around again. "I want to end it."

…

Arthur laid down on a bench in the manor's expansive backyard. During daytime it was full of life, but at night it's as desolate as a desert, with nothing but silent trees and flowers. Although it was very late, he could not sleep. I mean, how could he?

"Keith… Why did you never tell me?" He muttered to himself, rolling restlessly on the wooden seat. Keith is a Mew, Keith is a Mew, Keith is a Mew, but he never told me?

That afternoon, when he discovered Keith's identity… he was speechless. The friend he thought he knew all these years… was a completely different man. The Keith before used to be a deadpan. The Keith now was cold but sensitive, uncaring but loving. For better or for worse, he had changed that way.

When they got back to the manor, Richard — one ass of a leader — gave Sam a long, long, talk in his room. His voice was so loud that you don't need Arthur's ears to hear the entire story. Failure, failure, failure; blah, blah, blah. When Sam got out, he looked weak in the knees. His face was all sweaty and he kept gritting his teeth. The other members were also given the same, aggressive speech. It brought down the morale of the entire team.

He thought about Keith. Who knows what he's doing? Maybe he's already forgot about them all and moved on. Maybe he's training under a waterfall. Maybe he's on a boat heading to the Kanto Region. You really can't figure that guy out; he's like a rock, completely impenetrable.

He didn't know what to think anymore.

Suddenly there was a flash.

A Vulpix stood in front of him, sitting on the grass.

Arthur's eyes widened. "KEITH!?" He screamed, overjoyed and horrified at the same time. Keith - being a Mew - recently got himself on the clan's most wanted list. Being here could cost him his life. Arthur ran over to him, restraining himself not to hug and knock him to the ground. "Keith, what are you doing here!? More importantly, why are you a —"

I quickly shushed him. I wanted to say everything out as fast as I can and leave as fast as I can. "Arthur, please, let me explain everything." That got him to shut up. His ears stood up as he listened. "Arthur… About this afternoon, I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay, I shouldn't have jumped on you…" Arthur said sadly. Somewhere in his thoughts, maybe it could have turned out better if he had restrained himself a bit more. "And I should have been more careful about what I said, but you were gone for days—"

"I know, I know." I interrupted him. "And I'm sorry about that too. On the other hand… I think it's best if I don't come back."

Arthur took a moment to process the information he received. "Yeah, I see. You're a Mew now. You're their target." I could see sadness in his eyes, even after he had comprehended it. From my guess, he wish it hadn't turned out this way. I felt miserable thinking how he must be feeling but I tried to not let it get to me.

"I hope you understand my decision." I said shortly. "Now, I need to leave."

"Wait, Keith," He grabbed my shoulder firmly. "About Adam—"

"Adam's dead."

"I know, but please, hear me out." I sighed, deciding to stay a little longer. The wind rustled the trees as the night grew colder. I sat down on the trimmed grass, listening to what he has to say. "I'm sorry I lashed out at you when I heard Adam died. After I shut you out, I didn't try to understand what happened. I was just under too much stress and shock."

I didn't respond, I only stared at him through blank eyes. Oh? So now he regrets it? Anger burned like coal inside of me. Part of me wants to hurt him just for saying that.

"I know you'll never forgive me for removing you from my life and shutting you off," he continued. "But now that it has come to this, I must know the truth, whether you really did kill Adam or not. I tried to find out, but I couldn't find any evidence that disproved you killed Adam. Xera and Lirrian even showed me photos. You were…" He gulped harshly, "Covered in blood right next to Adam's body…"

I looked into his eyes, furrowing my brow. Was he telling the truth? Did he really want to find out? If he did, then why now? Before I could give him a snarky reply, I saw a bubble surface. A bubble that contained moving images and people, just like what I saw with Jirachi when he talked about Mew. Arthur kept talking, but I was swallowed into the memory itself.

Arthur was talking to Lirrian in her office, her human owner taking care of the scattered paperwork and documents on the usually pristine desk. Lirrian had a mark on her belly, remains of a gash I once inflicted to her when we were talking about my nightmares. I wonder what she thinks about me now, days after I disappeared from their lives.

"Are you sure these photos aren't fabricated?" Arthur asked the Espeon, still suspicious of the 'dubious' evidence. Lirrian affirmed. "Then… Keith really did kill Adam?"

"There's no doubt about it." Lirrian said. She didn't sound gloomy, unlike Arthur. "Ask Xera about it. I've asked her about it too regarding this case. I just couldn't believe that after I had warned him, this still happened…"

"Maybe the warning just wasn't enough." Arthur sighed heavily. He looked back at the photos of Adam's mangled, disfigured body. It was a disgusting sight; his left arm was covered in bite marks that must be inches deep, while his right arm had been completely torn off. His abdomen was now just a cavity and his face were virtually unrecognizable. His ears and tail were shredded, covered in blood. Had any more damage been done to the body, you wouldn't even be able to tell what the corpse originally was.

"You think the murder could have been stopped?" Lirrian asked Arthur.

"…I know that I said to him that I never wanted to see him again. But after he left, it got me thinking. Maybe it wasn't right. I wasn't ready to believe what all those researchers claim."

"I didn't believe it either at first," Lirrian said, sitting down and getting on his eye level. "At the end, though, I had to accept the truth, the harsh reality."

Arthur remained silent. Then, looking up to Lirrian, he gave a defiant glare. "No. I won't accept this. I know Keith. He wouldn't do something like that."

"Just because that's what you think doesn't mean that it isn't true," Lirrian shot him down. Arthur cowered a bit. It was one of the rare times she got angry. "You may think you know somebody, and you could believe that they didn't do it, but you can't erase facts. He did kill Adam and yes, he regrets it, but does that change the fact that he did it? A killer gets labelled that way for the rest of their lives; you know?" Lirrian took a deep breath, calming down. "Sorry," she said apologetically.

"No… it's okay…" Arthur said, putting the photos down. "Is there no other conclusion though?"

Lirrian closed her eyes, thinking calmly before responding. "He mentioned several times about something. Something about a syringe, that he had been injected with it."

"A… syringe?" Judging from his tone, it was the first he'd heard of it. "Keith never told me that."

"You didn't even bat an eye at him." Lirrian countered.

Arthur appeared guilty as charged right then. "…I guess you're right…" He said, feeling depressed. He wished that he could have been more reasonable, but just when Keith ran away, his emotions had overtaken him. "So, what's this thing about a syringe?"

"I don't really remember, he said something about being injected by one." There was a call from Lirrian's owner, beckoning for the Espeon to help her bring some stuff. "Sorry, I have to help my trainer. Just for the record though, I did want to believe him. The scientists here are known to be… rash, to put it nicely. The only problem was that it doesn't change the fact Adam died."

Arthur sighed sadly. Momentarily, his expression had changed from sad to confused and back again. Then he waved her goodbye and left.

As Arthur ended his story, the bubble grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared out of view. I focused my mind into reality again, vision adjusting to the surroundings. Arthur had just about finished saying, "So I don't really know what to think of." He said with a confounded expression on his face. He must be thinking about the syringe. Lirrian didn't tell him much at all about it.

"Arthur…" I looked into his eyes. The wind blew again, cold breeze shaking the leaves in the branches up above, making some twirl down. I listened quietly to the breeze. My heart calmed down a bit. I think I'm starting to reach an understanding with Arthur. I was somewhat relieved. Relieved? I guess somewhere deep down, I still wanted to reunite with him.

"…There's no denying that I killed Adam." I finally replied after some time. I could see his face fall and ears droop, any hope that I didn't kill him gone. Much to his surprise, I added, "But not of my own volition."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Somehow, I could feel hope rise in the rabbit's heart.

"Did Lirrian believe that I was injected with the syringe?" I asked him first. It was important that I know that.

"She was somewhere in the middle," Arthur stated. "On one hand, she didn't know you very well. On the other hand, she didn't think you would be so reckless. She is a psychic-type and a doctor after all. She's pretty wise, like Xera."

"Well, in truth, I was injected by a syringe. Those researchers… whatever they injected me with, it fueled me with rage and anger. I was consumed by it. Strangely, I was still partially conscious and still had awareness of my senses. What happened next, it was like body moved on its own. My emotions overtook me when I saw Adam and… I went into a frenzy with him." I looked down, not thrilled to remember how a Minccino tasted when eaten raw.

"You mean they forced you to do it?" Now I was sensing anger and disbelief from him, but the hope kept rising.

"Yeah. It wasn't enjoyable."

"Of course, it wasn't!" Arthur yelled. He seemed upset, but my intuition — when did I had such good intuition suddenly? — told me that he was more upset at himself for not having given me an earlier chance to speak up about this. "I'm going to tell Lirrian about this early next morning. Maybe then we'll be able to find something."

An idea suddenly formulated in my head. "Best if you find out which scientists did the tests on me. Their names should be in the file, so it shouldn't be a problem." Arthur nodded. "Then maybe ask Lirrian and Xera to look into their memories of that day."

"They can do that?" Arthur sounded interested.

"Hopefully," I shrugged, not giving a smile. Just then, I sensed someone walking towards us. I didn't have time to see who it was, all I did was tell Arthur, "I have to go. Goodbye," before disappearing in a bright pink light.

When the light vanished, I was back at one of the rooms in the abandoned ski resort. I gave a loud sigh as I flopped down on the bed. I looked at the clock above the vanity, but it had run out of batteries and was stuck at thirty minutes past seven. It was not that, whether it was ante meridiem or post meridiem. judging by how pitch black it was. Maybe one o'clock then, I thought to myself.

I sprawled myself on the bed, yawning. My heart felt strangely uplifted now. Talking to Arthur had kinda given me hope of reconciling with everyone. The chance of returning, however, was impossibly small. Although, if more people know about the truth and find it to forgive me, then I couldn't be more pleased.

What will I do next though, I asked myself? I can't just be here all the time. Maybe I'll talk it out with Jirachi, see what he thinks. Or maybe I should think about it first. Like, maybe I could go seek a new life over at the Hoenn region. New friends, new people, new sights… Yeah, that'd be nice…

Before I could dwell too much on the thought, I was pulled away by the lull of my drowsiness and slowly fell asleep.