Mew's first thought was that the transportation failed, since it was very aware of its body but completely swallowed in darkness. Then it heard Celebi's urgent whisper of a thought: All of you, make yourselves invisible now!

Mew did so with ease; it was hard to tell since they were, as aforementioned, in the dark, but it could feel the change as its molecules shifted to transparent. Done, Victini said. It felt the air change as Suicune altered the properties of its water vapor, shifting the way the light refracted so it would appear invisible. Mew wasn't sure what Celebi did, but when the light came on and the Trainer entered the room, he displayed no vocal or mental evidence of seeing anything at all.

The Legendaries backed into the corner of the large cubical room, moving out of the way of Pokémon Trainer Silver as he swaggered inside, tailed by his Typhlosion. The room was made of cement—cement walls, cement floors—and was completely solid with no windows or cracks. In the center of it, Entei and Raikou were bound by heavy violet chains latched to the ground. He chuckled, looking at both of them as they glared back at him.

"I thought that Pops would've awarded me a plaque for this," he said, standing so close to Raikou he was almost within biting distance. "I mean, it's not every day that two Legendaries are singlehandedly captured."

How are they being held by human chains? Victini asked, carefully omitting its thoughts from Silver's mind. They should be easy to escape.

I can sense that they're not made of mundane metal, Celebi replied. It's more like…

Congealed Toxic, Mew finished.

Then why and how are we in here!? A note of urgency crept into Victini's voice.

I can keep the air around us mostly pure through photosynthesis, as a Grass-type, Celebi answered. But we really should leave soon, because the effects will start working on us if we stay here too long.

Not without them, Suicune protested, and that ended their conversation. That, and the fact that Silver's eyes met Victini's, despite it being invisible.

"What?" his Typhlosion grumbled, appearing somewhat perplexed. Silver raised and dropped his shoulder in a shrug before returning his attention to Entei and Raikou. That made Mew a bit curious; how could he, a human, understand a Pokémon's speech? They must have been very close.

"I really, truly despise Team Rocket, even though it's Pops' treasured mafia…" He closed his eyes, a small conflict raging in his psyche as he drew a long and narrow tube from his pocket. It was incredible that even though he had the malice to capture and chain and poison Legendary Pokémon, he had the ethics to regret it, however slightly. And that slightly was a very small amount indeed, hence the smallness of his conflict. "Oh, well, what's done is done." Just like that, the battle of goodwill ended on a horrible note as he raised the tube to his mouth and, before any Legendary could react, blew a small syringe into Raikou's side and Entei's hind leg. The two appeared bemused for a moment before collapsing to the ground in a heap, a few dying howls filling the air.

No! Suicune lost its cool—a very rare occurrence for it—and regained its visibility, leaping upon Silver with jaws wide in preparation to tear his head from his body; however, Typhlosion was a hundred times faster, surrounding his body in electricity as he surged forward, tackling Suicune like a pro and sending it flying back into the wall with a bone-crunching thud!

"I knew I saw something," Silver smirked. "Turns out it's the last in the set." Mew's mind was racing; a human seeing through their illusion? That meant he was not your run-of-the-mill Trainer; it meant that he was far, far stronger.

What did you do to them? Suicune snapped, instantly getting to its feet and snarling at Typhlosion, who mimicked Silver's self-satisfied expression.

"You'll find out," he grinned, snapping his fingers. His Typhlosion snorted, shaking his head and thinking Suicune wasn't worth his time. "Typhlosion, c'mon, I'm going to complain to daddy."

Typhlosion sauntered past Suicune, intentionally kicking its leg as he went. However, Suicune was more concerned with its fellow Legendaries, running to Entei's side and kneeling at the chains. Suicune— Mew started, but Suicune's sudden coughing fit interrupted it. Suicune skittered backwards, its tails flicking as if sensing something abnormal in the air. Toxic, Mew reminded Suicune.

Entei, Suicune pressed, relentless even as each step forward deepened the grimace on its face and its thin body to tremble in venomous agony. Raikou… Say something… It coughed, a few drops of a clear, almost iridescent substance splattering on the ground.

You're bleeding, Celebi noted, unable to draw closer lest the poisonous material corrode its plantlike system beyond repair. Suicune dragged a paw across its mouth, coughing again.

En—Entei—Ra—Rai—please—say—say something—one of you—please—

Mew watched it continue ineffectively like that until Suicune fell back, weak. It reminded Mew of itself, how feeble it was after leaving Aries. It drifted closer before halting, sensing more than feeling the change in the air as the toxic metal drained Suicune. It reached out and closed its mental grip around the chains binding Entei, feeling the instant nausea and weakness it brought, and broke it down on a molecular level. The metal instantly snapped, falling to the ground. Celebi set to work on healing Entei while Mew attempted to release Raikou, finding that the chains' toxicity was affecting not only Mew's body but mental abilities as well.

We have to get out of here, Celebi said, coaxing Suicune until it could walk forward without toppling again. Mew groaned as it snapped Raikou's chains; Celebi helped at that point, carrying both with Psychic. One of them must've called Palkia, because a dark hole manifested in the wall. Victini bounded through with ease, Celebi carefully taking Entei and Raikou with it and leaving Suicune and Mew to pass through.

Something is wrong, it said to Mew, blood dribbling from the corner of its mouth.

Obviously! Entei and Raikou were captured by a single human!

No, not that; it's what that human did to them that concerns me.

What? Do you mean that syringe? Mew scratched its head. I don't recall seeing anything abnormal with their body or organ systems, so it must've been a fluke.

No… Suicune's expression was grave. There is no way that was a fluke. I could see Silver's pride very clearly in his eyes; whatever he did, it worked.

But we have no idea what he did.

Exactly. That is cause for worry, is it not?

Mew sighed. I'm a little more worried about Silver himself than what he did to Entei and Raikou, to be completely frank. No normal everyday Trainer can singlehandedly capture two Legendaries, neither can the everyday Trainer see through our deception. His Typhlosion, too, if it could take you down. Something about him is different, and it isn't the good kind of different either. It's the different that leads to dangerous.

What do you propose we do?

I don't… I have no idea, it admitted. My focus has been a little split since I arrived.

Suicune glanced at the portal, a pensive expression crossing its face. Go.

Go? What do you mean?

I'm afraid you know exactly what I mean. Go; I will cover for you.

Mew was hesitant as half of Suicune's body passed through the portal. Thank you! it said quickly, only receiving a grunt in return. However, that grunt was the most beautiful thing it had ever heard.


The sad part was that though it wanted to see Aries, it had no idea where to look. He was in Snowpoint last it saw, but humans tended to move often, unwilling to stay in the same place for too long, which it never understood; it never tired of watching nature, so how did the humans? Maybe they were too occupied in the Pokémon game and their busy lives to appreciate what the Legendaries worked so hard to create?

It was roaming Mahogany Town—where Entei and Raikou were being held, believe it or not—when it came across Silver again. He was hanging out in front of the souvenir shop in the center of the town, munching on what Mew heard was called a RageCandyBar. His Typhlosion was nearby, fraternizing with a female Blaziken who, based on what Mew heard from her thoughts, wouldn't care for him at all if his Trainer wasn't so eminent.

"Sir!" a perspiring, red-faced older man came bursting through the doors, running to Silver's side. Silver looked at him like a pesky insect that wouldn't go away. "We've found something very interesting, sir!"

"Eh? Unless it's a Legendary, I'm good," he said between bites.

"No, but it's the second best thing, I promise you!"

"Hm?" he looked at the man in interest. The man murmured something, something Mew was able to hear perfectly as it peered into his mind.

"There's a boy—Aristotle something-or-other—that has visited the world of the Legendary Pokémon!"

Mew fought to hold its invisibility as Silver smirked, finishing off his snack and crumpling the foil in his fist. "Are you sure it's not just propaganda?"

"No! The boy had an Alakazam and Slowking monitoring him as he relayed the story to the local police; it's all legit!"

"Ain't that something else. Now how did he get there?" He sounded casual, but his thoughts were far from it; a greedy interest had overtaken his mind, chilling Mew to the bone.

"That's what we're going to find out. We know where to find him." The man seemed proud to have found all of this out. Silver straightened, waving his Typhlosion over.

"Then don't hold back. Tell me where he is and I'll get the brat myself."

The man smiled evilly. "The Lake of Rage."

Mew probably broke all speed records getting to the Lake of Rage; in the moment it takes to blink an eye, it was high above its cool blue waters, watching a crimson Gyrados thrash at the edge and glare up at it. "What the hell are you doing, trespassing in my water? I don't care if you're a Legendary or what, you're not allowed—"

Is a boy here? Mew demanded, ignoring his outburst. The Gyrados snorted, raising himself until his eyes were level with Mew's.

"Why the hell should I answer you?" Gyrados snapped, filling its mind with images of pink Donphan to spite it.

I am at the end of my patience, you fool, Mew snapped, having been left zero tolerance for hindrances. If you do not answer me I will quite literally make a Hell out of your life; you'll be begging Arceus to end you when I'm done. Now answer my question.

Gyrados' cocky expression morphed into one of pure terror. To be honest, Mew felt awful about threatening the poor guy like that, but its concern for Aries trumped its individual emotions. "T-there," he stuttered, a whisker indicating a small cabin hidden in the trees in the corner of the lake. Not a second later he disappeared into the water so fast the splash probably drowned more than a few Grass-types, but Mew was more concerned with its current task. It sped down to the cabin's front door and psychically snapped the tumblers in the lock, pushing it open.

"Look who's the slow one," Silver commented, his voice overshadowing Mew's gasp. It truly realized how fast he was, how smart he was, when there was no evidence of his entrance, when it was completely unable to sense his presence like it was—Aries. Aries was half-curled up on the floor, blood trickling from a thin cut on his forehead and matting his long hair. Silver's Typhlosion was looking a little too proud of himself as it smirked at his Trainer. "I was just about to make tea while I was waiting."

Only he could be so familiar with a Legendary Pokémon, Mew thought to itself, but was too stunned to "voice" it. "I can tell by that look on your face that you're not used to being one-upped like this," he continued, taking Aries up in his arms. Mew wanted to charge him, to smash his smug little face in, but found itself very still, anticipating his words. "It's a funny feeling, isn't it? Feeling utterly powerless, dwarfed by something greater…" A nostalgic expression crossed his face, followed by one of anger, but both disappeared without a trace. "Well, I never thought I'd be facing the Ancient Pokémon Mew and having a light conversation like this—" It's really anything but light, Mew thought, "—but I'm a little more impressed by the fact that you've yet to make a move on me. C'mon, take your best shot. Just remember…" He swung Aries a little for emphasis, causing him to moan weakly.

Scum, Mew thought. It apparently transferred too, because Silver began laughing.

"'s not my fault," he chuckled. "Blame my dad; I got all my scum-ness from him."

Why are you so intent on finding the Legendaries? What possible purpose could you have? What did you do to Entei and Raikou?

"That's a little too much," he said, feigning shock. "I'm feeling pretty generous right now, so I'll answer one. Make your choice."

Why are you so intent on getting to the Legendaries?

"Hm… I wouldn't say that was the best question for you to have asked, but I'll answer it anyway. It's your choice. The reason why I'm after the Legendary Pokémon is simple, petty even—recognition."

You—recognition? Mew couldn't tell what was more prominent, its shock or anger.

"Yeah, I'll be that guy who beat the creators of this world; sounds pretty damn awesome to me."

It barely noticed its body shaking in fury. You, Silver, are the pettiest, foulest, most self-conceited human I've ever met—and that's a lot of competitors, if you don't realize.

"Like I said, blame my dad." He said that, but something was in his eyes, something that said his reasons were not all that he stated. "If you'd excuse me, it's kind of a long walk back to the shop—"

You're not going anywhere with him. Mew slammed the door shut telekinetically, holding Silver and his Typhlosion in place.

"Scary," he commented dryly, which astounded Mew further; he should hardly have been able to breathe, let alone talk.

The normal man would be scared.

"As luck would have it, I'm not the normal man." Suddenly he snapped free, running past Mew while it was still surprised and through the door. Mew started after him but was interrupted as his Typhlosion leapt in front of it, growling and flaming.

How did you break free? it asked, flustered. Typhlosion didn't answer.

"It'd be smart of you to give up," he taunted. "Silver's not your average Joe; you'd be better off runnin' back to your safe little dimension or whatever."

Mew didn't answer; it instead charged forward, a Hydro Cannon ready for him. He swept to the side quickly, but, peering into his mind, it expected that, spinning and dealing the attack to the chest. Typhlosion caught it between his palms, smashing it until it exploded in a spray of steam and particles. "That's not good enough!" he said, opening his mouth and releasing a torrent of red-gold flames. Point-blank, Mew's only option was Protect; the bubble protected it from the damage but not the raw power, forcing it through the wall of the cabin and onto the grass outside. It regained its footing just as Typhlosion came barreling through the hole in the wall he made, fist cocked back and ready to strike.

It leapt into the air just as he reached breathing distance; Typhlosion, completely undeterred, spun on his heel, switching directions and attacks like it was second nature. Mew found it twice as hard to dodge the Brick Break coming its way, and triply to evade Typhlosion's following Shadow Claw. At his fourth attack—Power-Up Punch—Mew fell to the ground, completely open to him. He grinned as he released another Flamethrower, one that felt doubly as powerful as the original and left Mew burned and weakened.

"Good thing you're not a Physical-attacker, 'cause you'd be damned," he said. It dragged itself to the air, sputtering smoke like an antique automobile. "What's the problem? Can't take the heat?"

Mew blinked, watching Silver release a Crobat and climb onto his back. It moved forward, prepared to stop him, but Typhlosion cut it off, striking it with Brick Break. Mew hit the ground and bounced twice before coming to a stop, breathless and aching. "What's the matter, huh?" he taunted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought you were the big bad Legendary Pokémon Mew; how're you losin' to a weak little starter like me?"

It made it to the air, albeit slower than before, and Typhlosion just as easily knocked it down again, this time with a regular fist to the face. I don't understand, Mew whispered; even its mental voice was weak. How are you so fast? So strong? So merciless?

"That's easy to answer." A smirk identical to Silver's crossed his face. "Learned it all from him. I mean, just lookin' at him, you can tell he's a pretty strong guy. Heartless, too. But he's twice as strong and heartless to his Pokémon; he trained us himself, putting us through Hell day after day until he was sure that we'd be unbeatable and even the great Legendaries couldn't lay a hand on us."

Mew peered into his mind; his words were the truth, as true as the burning pain and soul-shattering haranguing they received from their awed Trainer. It always knew that not all humans were kind, that some were brutal to their Pokémon, but that was far worse than anything Mew witnessed. Even so… You still obey him?

He shrugged. "Tough love. We fear him, but at the same time, best Trainer ever."

"Typhlosion, hurry up!" Silver's Crobat screeched as Silver settled on his back. Typhlosion snorted, grabbing Mew around its neck.

"I'd say it was a pleasure meeting you but, well, you know." He pulled his fist back and struck, stunning Mew with a burst of light in its peripheral vision before everything turned black.


At first, Mew thought it was still unconscious, but it realized that the darkness it saw was caused by the clouds covering the moon on a starless night. Night, it thought, stumbling as it got to its feet. I was out for six hours. In a flash of pain, it remembered all that had happened. It tried to call Palkia to make a portal back to its dimension—it could use Celebi's healing powers there and return here to find Silver and/or Aries—but it only received static, which thoroughly confused it. It tried twice more before giving up, weary from the effort. It tried to fly but that attempt also fell flat—literally. It was trying to get up again when that agonizingly familiar voice broke through the silence of the night.

"You look worse for the wear, Mew," Mewtwo commented, sitting in front of it. It tried to communicate—talk, think, whatever—but didn't have the energy to amuse him. "Oh, can't speak, can you?" it asked. It waited a few moments for the response that never came before continuing, "Well, that's a relief, actually. I have a story for you and I'm not in the mood for interruptions. Okay, here it is.

"Once upon a time, there was a determined, curious, impulsive Pokémon named—well, let's not worry about inconsequential details like names. The point is, this Pokémon—the aforementioned curious and impulsive Pokémon—retrieved a human from a destroyed town, a human called—oh, yes, no names for now—and took him to its home like any stray, planning to feed him and groom him and teach him as if he was truly a stray." He smirked at Mew's stricken expression. "I can tell you're feeling a lot of déjà vu, but I promise you this is simply a story. A very realistic one, if anything.

"Later, this Pokémon learned the error of its ways and realized how wrong it is to capture a human and hold them like some sort of pet. This Pokémon, with this sudden change of heart, returned the human to his home after nearly causing his death in the arctic. At that point, it returned to its home, distraught but somewhat pleased with itself—oh, not quite pleased, to correct myself. Instead, it missed having a human to play with, to ask questions, to keep. You might want to prepare yourself, Mew, because the story takes a darker turn from here.

"Friends of this Pokémon were captured by a haughty and rotten but admittedly glorious Pokémon Trainer. This Trainer was a human of a caliber never seen by the Pokémon, someone immune to all mental advances and rotten down to its protons and electrons. The Pokémon went to rescue its friends, where they were, hmm, let's call it infected—" Its smirk evolved into a grin at Mew's shock, "—by something of this Trainer's devising. Ignorant, this Pokémon returned the infected Pokémon to its home, where, under the rotten-slash-glorious Trainer's commands, they will carry out his orders, unhindered since the others cannot fight their so-called friends." Mewtwo held up a finger as Mew scrambled to its feet. "I'm not done yet, child.

"And while that happens, while those two Pokémon perform an order I have not yet disclosed, don't get so worked up over a very unspecific statement—I'd call that one of your faults, jumping to conclusions so quickly—that Trainer was in a private room with his Alakazam and that boy the Pokémon so easily tossed away, forcing valuable information out of him that this curious and impulsive Pokémon should have been cautious enough to erase. And fast-forwarding to the present, this gloriously rotten Trainer has all the information he needs to complete his quest, all at the cost of a six-year-old boy's life." It looked at Mew calmly. "What is it, Mew? You appear as if you have something to say or do. Come on, do you need help? Don't be afraid to ask; we do, after all, share DNA. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel somewhat partial to you; it's the only reason I came here to divulge all of this information, and the only reason I continue to go out of my way to offer you advice. Hah, if only you would heed it."

What? Yes, I do. It was just a thought, not even expressed, but Mewtwo either read its expression or somehow read its mind which, if the bit about them sharing DNA was true, wasn't quite implausible.

"Hah! If you did, you wouldn't be in the current fix! I told you a while ago to investigate Mahogany Town, and you, grief-stricken by returning your pet to his natural habitat, did not. If you had, you could have long since realized Silver's intent and ended him right there, and the Legendary Pokémon would not be in this situation."

Situation? Finally, Mew had the energy to speak. Mewtwo smirked, raising its right index finger.

"Yes; it's quite a sticky one, at that." Its finger glowed with magenta light as it waved it up and down, marking the air with a bright pink aura. Then its eyes glowed scarlet as the energy zoomed away, spinning through the air like a pink-red blade until it sliced straight through the sky, opening a portal to a darker expanse. "Go ahead," it said, rising to its feet. Then it tilted its head in a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Can you even fly, Mew?"

It hoped its replying moan wasn't as weak and feeble as it seemed.

Appearing thoroughly amused, Mewtwo raised its fist, slowly opening it to reveal a pair of ripe Berries. It bent over and pushed one—a Sitrus Berry—into Mew's mouth, ignoring its cry of protest and watching it patiently until it resigned and chewed it a bit with its weak and sore jaws, swallowing. It felt the effects almost immediately, much too fast for it to have been an average Berry. It started to sit up before an intense burning sensation rippled through its muscles; it doubled over, gasping until Mewtwo forced it to close its mouth by shoving a Rawst Berry through its lips. It ate this one faster, swallowing hard and anticipation the moment Typhlosion's flames dissolved and exited its body in a cough of dark smoke.

"Yes, that will do," it said, watching Mew cautiously rise into the air, testing its strength. It found that it not only was at full-power, it even felt a bit stronger than usual. Instead of thanking Mewtwo, it narrowed its eyes.

What exactly are your motives, Mewtwo? What do you hope to gain by helping me?

"Oh! So you finally learned to stop being so naïve," it said. "Well, I can't tell you that."

Then tell me why you do these things.

"Hm? Are you referring to speaking to you, which I cannot answer, or the whole picture? If it's the latter, the answer is a bit complicated, even for you. I am, of course, connected to every flow of information in all the regions due to my place of origin—also classified information—and I chose to divulge bits of it to you in the form of concise tips; that is all you need to know. Don't worry, nevertheless; the big picture will reveal itself to you in due time. Time reveals all, Mew, a fact you should be quite aware of as the ancestor of all Pokémon. When the time is right, all will become very clear to you."

You're a bad guy, aren't you? it asked. You're the antagonist of this story?

"Bad is such a loose term," it said flippantly. "As to whether I am the antagonist of this story—nice label for all of this, by the way—let's let time reveal that fact too. I myself am still wondering that. Well, enough light conversation. There's somewhere you must be, and I'd hasten myself if I were you—which, coincidentally, I am, so you should listen." It pointed at the portal, a placid expression resting on its similar face. Mew hesitated, completely unwilling to drop the conversation at that, but finding no other option than to pass through the portal.

Mewtwo's portal, while still leading to the Legendaries' dimension, was different, colder and emptier. It shivered a bit as it passed through into the wide expanse of space, then shivered again, worse, as it took in the bloody scene before it. "Oh, look who finally showed up," Silver grinned, tugging Aries' hand to bring him forward. He instead hid behind his legs, hair obscuring his face as he trembled. "Sneasel, manners. Greet our friend."

"Do you taste as crappy as the rest of these guys?" his Sneasel asked, grimacing as he dropped a limb torn into unrecognizable ribbons.

"Aristotle, you too," Silver sighed. "Afraid to face your old captor? Or are you ashamed to have given away her home's location?"

"Mew—" Aries cut himself off, ducking his head behind Silver's leg.

"Cute kid," he said. "Quiet, but pretty damn smart. I can use him, which is the only reason I didn't have Team Rocket deal with him." Deal with was as heavy as stone.

Why? Mew's thoughts finally focused to a point. Silver's lip curled back a bit, as if he was enraged by the question.

"Why, you ask? Haven't we already been over this? You know why I did it, you're just in denial. You thought I was another bratty human that'd just get his comeuppance, didn't you? I'll admit, I might've, if Entei and Raikou hadn't paved the way for me." He stuck his fingers in his mouth and released a shrill whistle; the two red-splattered dogs bounded to his side, poised for any order he might give.

Entei, Raikou…

"I injected them with some Team Rocket-brand nanobots." He petted Raikou's head; Raikou could've been a statue for how much he responded. "Those guys are weak trash, but they do make strong stuff; it'll even get Legendaries under your control. I'd thank Pops, but he'd just shake me off like always."

"Watch your step," Sneasel sneered. Mew clapped its hands over its mouth, fighting the urge to gag as it raked its eyes over the lifeless bodies of its many friends—from Ho-Oh to Suicune to Celebi to Regice to Dialga to Zekrom to Yveltal, all still and without breath and—and—and—dead. Every last one of them.

"You know," Silver said genially, "all I did was bite big guy over there, giving him nanobots, and self-destructed them in his blood vessels; after that, the others dropped like flies."

Arceus, it whispered, feeling its blood run cold as it met the eyes of the other Pokémon. The Alpha Pokémon, the one it had reported to for millennia, its strict-yet-somewhat-sympathetic guardian, was lying on its side, its hooves scrabbling weakly and eyes shifting all around. Mew hovered to it in a dazed state.

I knew it, it muttered, voice so low Mew had to focus completely to hear it. That human… It was a bad idea.

Arceus, don't talk—

This is why…humans…are not to be…trusted…but… There is something you…should know…Mew… There is… Arceus' voice faded, and Mew watched as the light in its eyes went out.

Arceus… No, what were you going to say? Please don't be dead… The world would be lost without you… I'd be lost without you… Mew noticed it was babbling, but it had to to alleviate the crushing grief on its heart. Come on… I'm sorry for always causing you trouble… I'm sorry for taking your Grass and Dark plates that time to play with with Latios… I'm sorry that I'm the worst Legendary ever—I'll even make a written confession, just please please please don't die Arceus…

"This is so sweet," Silver commented dryly. Mew turned to him, wanting to smash every bone in his body with Psychic, but again finding itself powerless against his natural resistance. Apparently, the darkness in him doubled as a Dark-type.

You can't begin to fathom how much turmoil the world—no, the universe will be in without the Legendaries controlling it. Especially Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, who keep the time, space, and nothingness of the world in perfect balance.

"Oh, I do fathom it, and I'm perfectly calm about it."

Why is that, exactly?

"That's for me to know and you not to find out, but take my word for it when I say that the world'll only fall apart on my watch." He jabbed a thumb at himself before running his hand through his hair. "Ah, anyway, I have to run. Dead bodies reek after a while, you know? Aries, show me the way out."

Aries' eyes locked with Mew's. "I… No, I can't…"

"What? 'Cause your old master's near you suddenly lost your nerve? You were fine about showing me the way here to deal with these guys in the first place." He grabbed Aries' arm roughly, bringing him forward. "You better show me the way out, or else your friend pays." He jerked his chin at Mew, who cringed and shrunk back.

"No!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. He pulled free from Silver's grasp and shoved him in the stomach, unable to reach any higher. Silver began to laugh but stopped, face twisted into an expression of shock as he flew back five feet—not exactly flew, but his feet were three inches into the air—before slamming the soles of his boots on the "ground," just barely regaining his footing. Aries blinked, obviously surprised, as Silver clenched his teeth.

"Sneasel, Quick Attack," he ground out. His Sneasel seemed jubilant as he lurched forward, his speed so great only the splashing puddles of blood leaving evidence of him as he raced towards Aries. He just stared, his show of telekinesis turned useless at the Dark-type, and would've been cut to bits if Mew hadn't grabbed his collar, pulling him to the side. He hit the ground hard, blood splattering on his white shirt and matting his hair, while the Sneasel slipped—Mew had to suppress a small laugh at that—and crashed into Registeel's body, losing his wits for a moment from the impact.

"Mew—" he started, breathless, tears springing into the corners of his eyes.

I know, it interrupted. You felt like I betrayed you, and now you feel like you betrayed me.

"How do you know?"

Because I understand you. I have understood you for a few years. It frowned, tugging him to his feet as Sneasel stood a few paces away, annoyed that they dodged. But how did you use Psychic on Silver? From what I know, he is immune to Psychic-type moves.

"I don't know!" he gasped, trembling. "I was terrified, and something in my brain—clicked—and—well, I can't put it into words—"

He couldn't describe it, but Mew could. It's an energy field, isn't it? An expanse where the only thing that exists is energy, the energy of the animate and the inanimate, and you exerted enough mental force to manipulate its natural flow, shifting its position from one place to another. The metaphysical was a hard concept to swallow, but it believed Aries was smart enough to comprehend it.

"I don't know how you did it," Silver said, frowning at the bloody handprints on his shirt, "but you won't do it again, that's for sure. Sneasel, see if you can find an exit while my friends deal with these two." Sneasel took off, inspecting every star in the vicinity. Silver, meanwhile, snapped his fingers, immediately bringing Entei and Raikou to his side. He pointed at Mew and Aries; the dogs growled simultaneously before speeding forward, identical bestial expressions on their faces as they prepared the Flamethrower and Thunderbolt of the century.

"Mew—" Aries started, breaking off as Mew used Protect. Their attacks bounced off of the shield easily, forcing them to a stop as they reevaluated the situation. "This is bad; they're under Silver's control, but they still have enough consciousness to strategize."

Aries, I want you to leave.

"What?" he exclaimed. Mew cringed as Raikou surrounded itself with lightning and rammed into the bubble futilely before backing off, Entei repeating the process with fire.

I know that you want to help, and you most likely can again Silver, but this is my problem, Aries, and I don't want anyone else involved. Can you understand that? He shook his head almost petulantly. I thought you wouldn't.

"Then what? How can I help?"

Mew grimaced as Raikou's next charge created a large crack in the barrier. Remember how before, during meditation, I explained to you that most Pokémon attacks are simply a manipulation of the energy field around us? I want you to manipulate that energy now, as you did with Silver, and maintain this barrier around us.

"You'll trust me with that, even after I brought Silver here?"

He forced the information out of you.

"That's not it! In Snowpoint, I was mad that you left me, and I—"

The why doesn't matter to me. This whole situation is my fault, and one way or another I'll resolve it.

"Mew—"

Aries. This time, Mew couldn't help the heart-wrenching sorrow in its tone. Don't die on me, too.

As succinct as that thought was, Aries understood it perfectly. He slowly raised his arms, palms flat, and closed his eyes in concentration. It released its hold on the barrier just as tentatively, watching Entei light itself on fire in preparation to attack again. It latched onto Entei psychically without hesitation, deepening its mental hold until it gripped Entei down to its atoms. It was immensely hard to control one with as strong a will as Entei, but Mew somehow managed, preparing to toss it back into Raikou when a sudden force slammed into their barrier. Aries cried out as it shattered into bits of energy, both of them falling.

"Good, almost praise-worthy," Silver jeered, his Sneasel returning to his side. The small Pokémon pointed at a bluish-purple star low to the ground, crying, "There! There's the way out!"

"I'll let myself out, then," he said, producing a small black remote-like object from his front pocket. "Be lucky; I'm deciding to spare you two."

Spare us? Why? Mew asked. Me especially; I believed you were after every Legendary Pokémon.

"Well, yes, I was, but coming here I came to a decision: you're much too interesting to eliminate right now. I'll leave you to your own devices, whether it's revenge or controlling the world or whatever. Him, too," he added, indicating Aries with a jerk of his chin. "I like the kid, as much of a cheeky and rude brat he is; it'd be nice to see him on Team Silver, but if he wants to join Team Legendary, hey, I'm not his daddy."

"That's it, then?" Aries asked. "After all this, you'll just leave us? How do you know Mew isn't just going to kill you immediately?"

"Because she/I can't," Mew and Silver said synchronously. "Well there it is," he continued. "The greatest Legendary in the universe can't touch me, a very average Trainer. How's that for a wake-up call?"

I wouldn't say average, Mew said deprecatorily, but Silver carried on.

"Now, like I said, I'll let you two go. The world's full of weak people and it's really very sickening to me; you, though, Aristotle, can change that. You're the first person besides Sabrina to have psychic powers, and you learned them straight from the Psychic-type. I'd love to see how you turn out in some years; maybe you can even be a challenge for me. I mean, none of these guys were—" he swept his hand across the air to indicate the deceased Legendaries, "—so hey, let's see, let's see."

You're rotten, Mew repeated. He grinned, undeterred.

"It's those around us that shape who we are as people. Maybe if you were there to intervene in my childhood, then I wouldn't be so—what's the word?—rotten." He rolled his eyes and sighed, contradicting the gravity of his tone. "I can read your expression very well, Mew. 'I'm patiently waiting for the day you get your wake-up call.' Truth is, I already got it, which is why I'm doing this now." He pressed a button on the device. "I hope we meet again," he smirked before running forward with Sneasel at his side, both disappearing through the portal.

Entei suddenly howled, a blood-curdling sound that ripped through the air until blood bubbled up and poured past its teeth, cutting it off. It fell onto its side just as Raikou suffered the same fate, falling back on its hind legs as it drowned in its blood. Mew tried to move closer, attempting to comfort them in any way it could, but Aries grabbed its tail, holding it back. It was about to yell at him before he shook his head and it realized that no matter what it did, they would still suffer everyone else's fate.

"They're gone," he said, his voice piercing through the noise of Mew's mind. It blinked, coming back to awareness and realizing that his words were true; all the bodies of the Legendaries had vanished, leaving only rapidly-drying bodily fluids.

Their bodies were formed from energy, and now that their souls are extinguished the vessels have returned to energy, it said neutrally.

"Are they dead forever?"

No; they will return in time. Legendaries were brought on in the first place by humans' wishes; humans wished for rain, for instance, and Lugia was manifested; they wished for the cessation of natural disasters, and Suicune, Entei, and Raikou were manifested. When the world begins to fail—as Silver superciliously believes it won't "on his watch"—then the humans' prayers will revive them.

He blinked, then squinted a bit, looking as if it was a trial to look Mew in the eyes. "That theory is true? That deities are created by humans' wishes?"

It seems so.

"But what about the world in the meantime? There aren't any Legendaries to control that stuff for the time being, so what will happen to us?"

I do not know; meditation can only give so many answers.

He sat back, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Really, I don't know how you can stand me. If it wasn't for me—"

Silver is a very smart Trainer, Mew argued. One way or another, he would have found his way here. I don't blame you at all; you're just a human child.

"A weak, defenseless human child," he murmured dejectedly, blinking and looking up. "What do we do now? Silver is still out there, unhindered… The Legendaries can't fight him…"

The Legendary Pokémon, it corrected. I believe another Legendary can.

He blinked again, bemused, until he caught on. "Me?"

While you're not confident in your abilities as a human, Aristotle, you do have very great capabilities as a Legendary. I can hardly harm Silver, yet you did so, showing me up, the ancestor of all Pokémon. If you can do that with the little ability you have now, imagine training to hone it. Mew took his hand. Silver is a threat as dangerous as Deoxys, potentially worse, even, with his ruthless attitude and just-as-so Pokémon. But you, Aries… I really hate to ask this of you since you're just a human child, but—

"I'm not."

Pardon?

"I'm not 'just a human'—at least, I don't want to be." He looked up at the stars overhead. "Everyone wants to be great, to have their name remembered; that's why they have Pokémon Champions, Elite Four, the Frontier Leaders, et cetera. Adults like to think I don't understand because I'm 'just a kid,' but the truth is, I know how people work better than they themselves know, just from reading books. And I realized that…even though I don't want to give up on Silver personally, but I also don't want to leave him to hurt people like he's doing now. After Deoxys, I don't think there should be any more deaths."

Is that an agreement?

He didn't answer; he simply smiled.