Chapter 38
"In One Reality Or Another"
"Pi, ka, chu!"
'Ash wake up!'
"Perrrrrr……"
'Please wake up, Ash……'
Ash…? That's…
…That's me.
"……Mew…?"
"Pikapi!?"
'Ash!?'
"Mewwww……" I moaned.
If this is my reality, then let me sleep again…
I couldn't see straight, and even listening and thinking was difficult. I never gave actually physically moving a thought.
"…Pikachu…?"
'…Are you okay…?'
"Mew……"
'No……'
…That's expected………but you've already managed to stay awake longer than ever compared to the last two days……
"Mew?……Mee-ewww…?"
'Two days?……Does this mean it was all a dream…?'
That can't be true…It couldn't have been a dream……It was real…It had to be……
……I really was living as someone else……
……Not just a dream… Nekiro answered, …Something more……
"Mewww….…Mew……"
'Something more……yeah……'
I closed my eyes…Just that small conversation had been so draining……
……Rest now, Ashura……You need it………May your sleep be dreamless……
…Thanks…I think……
"…Pikachu…"
'…Good night…'
* * *
"…So that's it? You're just gonna leave it at that?"
I looked up to see……me…
What…What do you want……?
Weren't you the same me from the fog…? And why are there so many of me…?
"……Doesn't it mean anything…Mew?"
Ash…My…name…is Ash…
He shrugged. "If you insist…I always thought it was my name, but if you think it's yours too……"
What do you want? I repeated.
"I just want to know what you think of it all……Did it seem real to you? Because it sure did seem real to me……"
…Did what seem real?
"You know what I'm talking about! The 'dream'. But you know as well as I do that it wasn't just a dream……Nekiro knows it too, and I know you're gonna believe him."
……I know it wasn't just a dream. I don't need you to tell me that.
"…So what does it mean then, Mew? Tell me that."
It……It means………
"…Don't you get it? Remember the story of the Dark Mew?"
…What about it?
"……When humans have forgotten about us and their connection to Pokémon. They warned us of a time of great conflict between good and evil. From the midst of the evil will come a Mew more powerful than any other Pokémon and even Mew in existence. With nothing but hatred in its heart, it will create a storm unlike any other. This storm will destroy the world, leaving nothing to be mercied by this unfeeling being…We call this Mew the Dark Mew…The last Mew to come into existence…"
…What are you trying to say…?
"…You know as well as I do…"
……Then you don't know much, do you?
He sighed and looked off at nothing.
"…I wish it was still that way…" he whispered.
* * *
I awoke to feel a cool liquid run down my throat…For once, I didn't even care about the taste.
"Are you feeling better, Ash…?" Mom's soft voice asked.
…Yeah……a little…
I opened my eyes wide and I actually could see clearly. At the foot of the bed, Persian was sleeping with its head tucked behind its tail and resting over its front paws. Mom was next to me, holding my head up so I could drink. Pikachu sat next to me. Behind Mom, Nekiro hovered, glancing all about him, as if he had something very important on his mind.
"…I'm so glad you're okay……" Mom whispered, stoking my fur absent-mindedly.
"Pika, chu…"
'I'm glad too…'
"Mew…" I said, not really paying attention to them or me.
'Thanks…'
I was still confused by my dreams.
What does it all mean…?
* * *
Clouds filled the sky, darkening the land. It had been night anyway, but now dark purple rays of light were peaking over the barren horizon. It threatened to engulf the blissful darkness and fill it with burning light. The coolness of the night would be replaced with unforgiving heat…Bare backs would be unprotected from the fire of the sun…
I looked down. I was protected. I sat in the shade. Below me were the creatures that had given their lives to me. They were mine. I owned them.
There were rows of them…Their backs bent and twisted…Their eyes lowered…None of them dared look upon me. To do so would mean death. They were nothing but slaves. Only the most fortunate could even dare to come near me.
There was a scuffling of bare feet. I didn't need to look to know who it was.
Is everything going according to plan? I asked simply.
"Yes sir," said the meek, feminine voice…She sounded so different than she usually did…She was no longer the haughty red head who didn't think twice about using her fist to get her point across…Then again…I had changed too.
Good…
I gave her a sidelong glance. I caught her off guard enough to see her eyes widen and her head duck quickly down as if it had been there the whole time.
…How are the troops?
"Still in training," she said, her voice nothing more than the barest whisper. "…They'll be ready though," she finished, raising her voice bravely and even daring to peek at me through her bangs.
I gave her the smallest smile, but not in humor.
You've always been the strong one…
She hung her head quickly, hoping that she hadn't offended me in her boldness. I dismissed that thought with a wave of my paw.
I'll let you off this time, but you should be more careful. I could have had your head for that.
"……I know that…"
I thought about that response…She knows…Of course she knows. Everybody knows…but she went ahead anyway…
……Very well then. If death is not the ultimate punishment for you, then I'll make sure that you're given something worse……far worse……
Much like I have had to go through… I added silently to myself.
Neither of us spoke for a time, and I began to fear I hadn't said the last part to myself.
"……I'll remember that……sir…" she whispered.
I waved her off. I'd had enough of this conversation.
Go rally the lower officers. Tell them I want more slaves working on the border. Send out the overseers. Make sure the job gets done. I want no slackers.
She simply nodded, then scurried away with her new errand.
Yes…the world was soon to be mine……
I greeted the rising of the sun with defiance, ignoring its bloodred glare. Nothing could hold me back.
* * *
Ash, are you okay? Nekiro asked me. I could feel the urgency in his voice.
No…No, I'm not okay… I answered, shaking from my new nightmare.
…It was a bad one, wasn't it?
Yes…
He paused, reluctant to tell me what he wanted to say next.
…Ashura, I have to tell you something…
I don't know if I want to hear it…
Ashura, it's important……These dreams that you're having…They're not normal dreams…
…No…? I asked, wishing that he would be wrong.
No…They're much more………There's no real human word for it…but we call them seeings…
Mews…?
Yes…Seeings are……glimpses……into the past…the future…the present…and the possible in general…What has been, what will be, what might be, what might have been……but it's impossible to tell until the dream becomes a reality.
I felt my throat tighten.
…'until the dream becomes a reality'…not if……when…
…Does that mean it's all real…?
Nekiro didn't say anything for a long time.
……In one reality or another……………yes.