Chapter 7
"Uninvited Guest"
I read more about what the book said about the different Eevee evolutions and compared them to what my Pokédex said. A lot of what they said were exactly the same.
……Pikachu? I asked.
"Pik?"
'Yeah?'
…Come here……
Pikachu came next to me and stood there curiously.
……Okay, I sighed, Here.
I gave Pikachu my Pokédex.
"Pikachu?"
'What's this for?'
I want to see what it says about me.
"Pi-!?……Pikachu!?"
'Wha-!?……About you!?'
Yeah. Just point it at me. It should work…
"Pika…chu……"
'Okay…Here goes……'
Pikachu held my Pokédex with both paws and clumsily aimed it at me. It worked though. I saw the detector flash, and it beeped.
"Pokémon found," Dexter said, "Searching database……"
Huh…?
"……Mew. An extinct Pokémon. It is said to exist only in myth."
Dexter clicked off.
……That's it?
"………Pikachu…"
'………It doesn't recognize you, Ash…'
It's not supposed to!
"……Pikachu?"
'……Do you think it would if you Transformed?'
Uh……I don't know…I guess it's worth a try……
I Transformed into me, and Pikachu tried it again. Dexter said the same thing it had when I was a Mew.
……Does this mean I can't train anymore……? I wondered.
"Pikachu!"
'That's ridiculous!'
Maybe it's not…
…………I guess you're right.
I picked up my Pokédex again.
"…Is there anything else?" I asked.
"……Mew is believed to be the rarest and most powerful of all Pokémon. Little else is known."
"………I don't feel very powerful…"
"Pika?"
'You don't?'
"No………This is stupid. There's gotta be someone out there who knows more about Mews!"
…Maybe I was more powerful than I thought I was…It was as if someone heard me and had gone and decided to grant my wish……
The doorbell rang.
…Mayo hadn't been over yet that day, so at first, I thought it was her…
"I'm coming!" I heard my mom say.
I changed back. There was no point in Transforming longer than I had to.
The front door opened…If I had still been human, I wouldn't have heard what I did…
"…Philantha……It's been a while…"
Philantha!? I squeaked.
I recognized the voice. I recognized the name he used……Philantha…That's Mom……and the voice…? Oh, I knew who that was…
I froze…I didn't notice the way Pikachu was staring at me…I just listened.
…Mom didn't say anything for a while. I think she had to recover from shock too…She knew who it was…
"…What are you doing here!?" she gasped finally.
"I want to talk to you and Ashura……Is he home?"
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No……This can't be happening……
I didn't realize that I was thinking out loud. Pikachu was starting to worry.
"…Ash? Oh…um……He's, uh………Hold on a minute…"
Don't do it, Mom. Don't tell him…I'm not here!!
"Brock! Will you go check on Ash, please?"
"Uhh……Sure……"
NO! Nononononononononoo…!!!
I heard Brock's footsteps coming up the stairs.
Hide. I need to hide.
I glanced everywhere. There were so many spots to hide…I hid underneath the dresser.
Brock knocked on the door…Good old Brock. Always being polite…unless he's around girls…
"Hey Ash? Can I come in?"
………No.
"Huh…? Why-"
Shh!!! Do you have any idea who that……Wait. Get in here.
I couldn't talk to him while he was outside. Anyone standing by the front door would be able to see and hear him.
He opened the door and came in. I struggled out from my hiding place. Both Brock and Pikachu stared at me.
Brock, do you know who that guy is?!
"No. I don't."
Consider yourself lucky… I muttered.
"Huh…?"
He's……He's the head of Team Rocket…
"What!?"
Yeah…Now…Sh……
"But it seems like he knows your m-"
Shhh!
"Why do I have to be quiet?"
I……don't know…but…listen……I…don't……like that guy…
"I can imagine……"
Listen…Can you help me? I want him out of this house! I can't……I………He scares me…
"………Ash…I know where you're coming from, but……"
But what?
"……It's not my house…I don't really have any say in these things…"
But he's the head of Team Rocket!!
"………Does your mom know?"
Uh-!
I hung my head in shame.
………Yes………
"…She does?"
I only nodded.
"………Ash, is there something going on here that I need to know?"
………Promise not to tell anybody?
"……No…"
What!?
"Ash, what if this is a secret that you shouldn't keep?"
I can't believe this……What is he saying!?
Brock………
"……If you don't want to tell me……I'm not going to force you to……"
………Brock………They're…………………They're my……my……my parents…………
I know I saw his eyes widen when I said that…I wondered if it was a good idea to tell him or not…
"………Both of them?" he whispered.
I nodded.
He didn't say anything for a long time……I got more nervous with each second that passed by……
"……Ash……"
"……Mew?"
'……Yeah?'
"That's……I never……"
I………I guess……We have something in common, huh?
He looked at me, as if trying to figure me out…
"……Ash…I never……I never asked before, because you and your mom never talked about it…….I thought he was dead or something……"
I just shook my head.
"…Pikachuu……"
'…Why didn't you tell me?'
Why didn't I tell you…? Because……
"Ash! Ash, what's going on up there!?"
I winced. I did not want to go down there. Not at all.
"……Pikachu…?"
'…What are you going to do?'
I don't know………Brock…?
"I………I'll…see if I can talk her out of this……but I'm not promising anything…"
……Promises are cheap anyway………
He gave me a strange look, then got up and left the room…
…Even though Pikachu was still with me, I felt so alone…so vulnerable……He was in my house……Who knows what he could do next…?
……Mom……Why do you have to do this to me…?
"…Pikachu?"
'Are you okay?'
……No……
I can't leave him down there with……all of them……
I could hear Brock talking to Mom………Giovanni wasn't saying anything. He was just listening……I could almost feel him coming up with a plan……but what it was for, I didn't know………
………I'm going down there.
"Pika!?"
'What!?'
I floated upwards.
I have to take care of this myself………Wish me luck.
"………Pikachu……"
'………Good luck……'
I opened and closed the door silently, then hovered in front of my room, watching the three of them from the upstairs hallway.
"But Ash really isn't feeling very well at all……It could be something serious. Maybe he should come back some other time," Brock was saying.
"…He seemed fine this morning," Mom said.
"It's probably one of those fast-acting diseases. They hit when you least expect. It's probably best if…"
He's lying…for me……
His lies weren't working though. Mom knew I was okay…I don't know how, but she did. I decided it was time to step in.
…Mom?
All heads turned towards me.
"Ash! Brock said you were sick!" Mom scolded me.
…I'm not……I……Don't blame Brock okay? It's my fault.
"Huh…?" Brock began.
"……Ash! I was beginning to worry!"
Mom……
I glanced at Giovanni…They were both sitting on the couch together…Giovanni was being so quiet……His eyes pierced into mine……I tore away and looked back at Mom.
Mom………
"…I think it would be best if…the three of us……had a private conversation……" Giovanni suggested.
No……No, anything but that……
"…That would probably be best…" Mom agreed.
Mom, no…How can you agree with him!? Do you know who he-!?
Mom stood up, and Giovanni followed suit.
"Why don't we go to my room?" she said.
Giovanni nodded.
They started coming up the stairs. I couldn't move. I couldn't believe what was happening…
…I could only stare at the two of them……They were like black and white. They were both so different……What could they have ever seen in each other…?
I found myself staring at the way Giovanni was smiling……It wasn't like the other smiles I had seen him use……It was as if he was genuinely glad to be back with……with Mom……
I floated down to the ground, hardly noticing myself. All I saw was the two of them…A nightmare come true……
"…Ash? Honey? Aren't you coming?"
I literally could not move. I wanted to break out of my trance. I was trapped by my own spell…My spell of fear……I wanted to scream…I wanted to scream at the both of them. Why can't you see? Why can't you see that you weren't meant for each other? Why can't you see that being here won't do you any good? Why can't you see…that you're hurting me……
"………Ash? Are you all right?" Mom tried again.
No…I'm not all right. How could I be all right…?
"Mm…Maybe Brock was right…Maybe this isn't a good time……"
"On the contrary," Giovanni stated, "I think this is the perfect time……Right, Ashura?"
Ashura? Why is he calling me Ashura? I'm Ash!……Didn't I tell him to call me Mew? Why didn't he listen? Why!?
……I'm going crazy………I am going crazy……
………If I'm already crazy……Nothing can hurt me, right…? Crazy people are invincible……I must be crazy………
Right……This is the perfect time…… I said monotonously.
I refused to let myself know what was going on. I refused to care about it too. If this was the way things were going to be……I wasn't going to trouble myself with worrying about trying to change things……I couldn't change anything…
We went into Mom's room. Mom sat down on one side the bed, and I sat down on the foot of the bed…Giovanni sat down on the other side.
"…We're all here…" he said.
"Yes……" Mom said.
I can't believe this……This isn't real. This isn't real. This can't be real!
"…First of all," Giovanni said, clearing his throat, "I would like to apologize to you, Ash…"
Apologize? You? No way…
I gave him a doubtful look.
"I did some things that I really shouldn't have done…and I'm sorry……"
I looked away. I didn't believe him.
"…All I'm asking for right now is your forgiveness……If you'd let me, I want to start over……We'll pretend that none of that ever happened."
Pretend it never happened? Now that's something that's never going to happen.
"…Ash?" he asked.
……Don't waste your time. I know what you want.
He sighed. "Ash, Team Rocket is through…You were successful. You destroyed it…It's all ancient history now……I guess it makes sense…that if anyone was going to be able to get rid of Team Rocket…that it would be you……"
…Quit it………I don't want to be flattered.
"……Then what do you want, Ashura?"
I looked back at him.
…He's a good actor…He's trying to make it sound as if I can trust him……
…Well………First of all, I want you to stop calling me Ashura……It's Mew.
"Ash…?" Mom whispered in surprise.
…And second of all………I want you to leave.
"What?" he said.
………I don't want you here. I don't want to "start over". I just want to be left alone……
He was quiet for a while. Probably trying to think of a good reason to stay……
"………You're never going to forgive me……"
…Never.
"…I see…………Then I shall just have to accept that, I suppose………Maybe what I did was unforgiveable………Maybe Billie was right…Maybe I am evil………"
So he did hear!
"Oh, Vanni……Don't say that………" Mom said gently.
She reached over and place her hand on top of his…I saw her squeeze it, trying to comfort him……
……I couldn't watch. I looked away before I started to feel sick……
"………You really hate me, don't you, Ash?"
……It's Mew.
"……I guess that answers my question………"
"……Ash, I'm not going to force you to like your father, but he's really not that bad, if only you'd give him a chance…"
He had a chance, I replied angrily, He had a chance…eleven years ago……He should have used it.
I Teleported out of there. I couldn't stand it anymore.