"Mew…two…" It said quietly.

"Sorry…?" said Haruki, thinking that he didn't hear the pokémon correctly. The pokémon looked at him.

"Mewtwo…"

"Mewtwo…?" asked Rin, whipping out his pokémon species book.

"Hmm…" Haruki scratched his head. He sighed after a while as Rin flipped through the book and shook his head in frustration. "Don't bother, Rin. It's not in there…"

"But-"

"It must be a new pokémon…undiscovered. Yeah…that's the only reason…" said Haruki, his eyes shut as he nodded his head.

The Mewtwo looked around the base as Haruki spoke, taking in the surroundings. Rin looked at Haruki. "Should you give him one of your human nicknames?"

"What…? Oh, yeah…sure." Haruki thought for a moment. "What would be a good name for it…wait…" He looked to Mewtwo. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

Mewtwo looked at Haruki and shrugged.

"Uh…you…don't know…?" Haruki asked, shocked. "Well…uh…we'll just say that you're a boy…" He searched for a name that would suit the new pokémon. "How about…Hoshi?"

"Hoshi…?" Said the Mewtwo slowly, tilting his head.

"Yeah, I like that." Rin said happily.

"Uh, Rin…?" Haruki mumbled, eyeing the Squirtle.

"Hmm?"

"It's not your name to decide!" he said, smacking Rin over the head.

"…I…like it too."

Haruki and Rin looked at the pokémon, stunned. He was smiling.

"Hoshi…I like it."

"Okay then," said Haruki. "Hoshi it is! My name's Haruki and this is Rin." He stared at Hoshi for a moment before asking, "Hey, what's your favorite color?"

Hoshi stared back at Haruki, thinking. "Red…"

"Cool!" said Haruki happily. "That's my favorite color too! I like it because it reminds me of fire, and how it can be really powerful. Why do you like it?"

"…blood."

"What?"

"…reminds me of…blood." Hoshi whispered, staring with half closed eyes at the ground. Haruki looked into the pokémon's eyes. There, in that one instant, he saw what appeared to be a touch of malice…and a hint of bloodlust. It made a chill run up his spine…and he hoped that he had only just been seeing things. Then again, maybe he did see it…

"Why bl-?" began Rin, but Haruki put his hand over Rin's mouth, muffling his question.

"Uh, just ignore him," he laughed nervously. "Sometimes he doesn't ask any good questions." Haruki could feel it in his gut that the last thing he wanted to know was why Hoshi associated the color red with blood.

"Oh…okay!" said Hoshi, smiling again, the look no longer in his eyes. He stood up and jumped off the bed and began to explore around the small base.

Rin removed Haruki's hand. "What'd ya do that for?"

Haruki whispered, "I just…don't want to know…"

"Well, what if I do?" Rin whispered back.

"Trust me," he replied back, watching Hoshi play with the rocks on the table. "I don't think we want to…" Rin looked at Haruki, and after seeing the look on his face the Squirtle nodded and watched Hoshi also.

"Should…should we make him part of the team?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Would it be a good decision…a good thing to do?"

Haruki shook his head, "We need to wait and see…but…I wish there was someone…someone who could tell us what we should do. We need someone…who can see into the past…or into the future…to tell us of the consequences of either letting him join…or not…"

Rin thought for a moment, "Well…there is someone like you described…"

Haruki looked at Rin, "Who?"

"Xatu…"

Haruki stood up, helping Rin to his feet. "Then, let's go see him! Where does he live?"

Rin pointed out the window, "Up high on the mountain. We had better stock up on supplies before we go, though. It's at least a half a day's hike up the side, and with the earthquake from last night…there's no telling what's happened to the landscape up there."

Haruki nodded, "Right, let's get everything we need first."

Hoshi watched Rin as he packed fresh berries into the pouch and asked about each one…what it was for, why it was the color that it was, and what it tasted like. His inquiries held up the packing longer than it probably would have if he had just kept quiet. Finally, after about an hour, the trio was ready to hike up the mountain.

A couple of hours later, Haruki was out of breath. They weren't very far up the mountain, and he grew dizzy every time he looked forward at how far they had to go. Rin, who had probably done a lot of hiking, had plenty of energy and was encouraging Haruki and Hoshi to keep up. Hoshi also had a lot of energy, but he would stop every couple of feet to ask what some of the plants were or what tracks belonged to which pokémon…and Haruki let out a loud groan when Hoshi began asking about how many species of rocks there were in the world.

"Rocks don't have species!" Haruki moaned, continuing to trudge up the mountainside.

"But…there are so many different kinds!" said Hoshi excitedly. "There are grey ones and black ones and brown ones, and some that have pretty shiny things on them! Are those girl rocks?"

Rin laughed, "No, Hoshi those are-"

Haruki threw up his hands in irritation and annoyance at the many questions, "Yes! They are girl rocks! Can we please keep moving?!" Hoshi pouted and walked faster past Haruki, catching up to Rin and leaving Haruki to lumber behind.

A couple of hours later and three rest stops later they were halfway up the mountain.

"A-Are you s-sure this is t-the only w-w-way t-to get to X-Xatu, R-Rin...?" Haruki asked shakily as he tried hard to keep his balance while carrying a scared Hoshi. Rin had been taking them along the trail that was most commonly used to reach Xatu before realizing a deep gorge had been made by the recent earthquake. Someone else must have noticed this before them, because they had laid a tree across the large gap; at seeing how deep the gorge was, Hoshi became rigid and had refused to cross it. Haruki, eager to reach Xatu as quickly as possible, offered to carry the scared pokémon across the tree.

Now, he was wishing he had just kicked the little cry-baby across; Hoshi was shivering so violently that it was hard for Haruki to keep his balance. "Cut it out, Hoshi! You're gonna make us fall!" This, of course, didn't help Hoshi hold still.

"Yeah, t-this is the only w-way..." Rin stuttered as he followed behind Haruki. He hated heights, and Meowth knew ways of avoiding high places to keep Rin calm and his head on the mission. He kept telling himself not to look down, but his eyes just seemed to be drawn to anywhere than in front of him. As soon as he glanced at the scenery below, he saw how high they actually were and dropped to all fours. "Man, I reeeally hate heights...!"" Rin made his way slowly across the tree, clinging to the rough bark tightly.

After a few minutes, the trio made it safely across the tree and rested in the shade for a while before continuing. "Here," said Rin, opening his pack and pulling out two bottles of water.

"Finally!" groaned Haruki, grabbing the bottle gratefully. Hoshi took his bottle and stared at it. Haruki looked the pokémon as he opened his own bottle. "You need help?" He watched as the cap on Hoshi's bottle began to twist itself slowly off, floating in midair as Hoshi drank heavily from the bottle.

"Woah!" exclaimed Rin. "You really are a psychic pokémon!"

Haruki watched the cap as he drank his water, being careful not to slosh any on himself as he drank. He wished that he had been turned into a different type of pokémon…he wished he was any type except a fire type; fire types always have to be careful of anything that involved water. The last thing Haruki wanted to do right now was to inflict damage on himself by spilling his bottled water all over him.

Hoshi finished his water and the cap twisted itself back onto the opening, and he handed the empty bottle back to Rin. Haruki soon finished his water and handed it back to Rin. "Thanks, Rin." Haruki said, standing up and stretching. "How far are we from reaching Xatu?"

Rin stood up, patting off the dirt from his pack. "Not long now as long as nothing else has changed…" He looked at Hoshi, who was still sitting on the ground and staring up at the tree limbs above. "Hoshi…?"

"……"

Haruki looked up at where Hoshi was staring; he could see a nest. A Pidgeotto and a Pidgeot were beside the nest, and Haruki could just barely see three little Pidgey poking there heads up for food. "Mama, Mama! Papa, Papa!" they said excitedly. He turned his vision back to Hoshi, who continued to stare at them, a pondering expression playing along the little pokémon's face.

"Haruki…?"

"Yeah, Hoshi…?"

"…do you…have a Mama and Papa…?"

Haruki nodded. "Yeah."

This time, Hoshi addressed Rin, "Rin…do you have a Mama and Papa…?

Rin nodded. "Yes, they live close to the ocean."

"Hmm…" Hoshi continued to stare up at the family above, watching the babies being fed.

"Do you," began Haruki, kneeling beside Hoshi, "miss your Mama and Papa…?"

Hoshi shook his head and whispered, "No…"

Rin sat beside the little pokémon, "But…you must miss them. Maybe a little…?" Again, Hoshi shook his head.

"Why not…?" asked Haruki.

"…because…I…don't have one…"

"One what? A Mama? Papa?"

"…a family…" Hoshi whispered. Haruki could see the hurt in Hoshi's eyes, but he could also see a hint of anger.

"Did…they die…?" he asked, beginning to feel sorry for the little pokémon.

"No…I…never had one…no Mama…no Papa…just me…" A tear rolled down Hoshi's cheek. "Only…me…"

Haruki patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. Hoshi looked at Haruki, wrapping his arms around him, beginning to cry on his shoulder.

"Poor little guy…" said Rin sadly, rubbing the pokémon's back gently. After a while, Hoshi cried himself to sleep. Haruki pulled the pokémon onto his back.

"Let's go, maybe things will go a little faster now that he's asleep…"

Rin walked beside Haruki as the continued up the mountain. After half an hour they still hadn't spoken since the moment under the tree, but Rin finally broke the silence,

"Do you…think that…you know…?"

"…Know what…?"

"That it's true? That he has no…family?"

Haruki didn't respond, continuing to stare forward as he trudged along. Rin sighed and shook his head.

"I couldn't imagine life without my Ma and Pa…I bet it would be awful not to have a family. There's no one to take care of you…keep you warm when your cold…be there when you need help…love you when you need it…"

Haruki shifted Hoshi a little, holding onto his arms. "…It must be hard for him. Maybe…maybe Xatu can help us with that too. Tell us…why he doesn't have a family…"

The trees began to thin and Haruki could see the top, and he estimated that they would probably make it before sundown. They continued, not resting until they were a few feet from level ground. Hoshi continued to sleep as Haruki and Rin finally set foot at the top of the mountain. As he looked around, Haruki could see everything in the distance: the forest, the base, and even the village. "Wow…" He then saw a tall figure facing in the direction of the sun, staring over the horizon.

Haruki and Rin approached the figure slowly. "Excuse me, Xatu…" Rin said to the pokémon, speaking kind of quietly. "We've come to see you about-"

"I know why you've come…" Xatu said ominously.

"You do…?" asked Haruki.

"You have come…to learn of the one you call Hoshi…"

Haruki and Rin nodded in unison.

"You seek the knowledge of the past…and a glimpse into the future."

Again, they nodded.

"I am afraid," began Xatu, not looking at either of the pokémon, "that I cannot reveal to you the past of the one you call Hoshi. For, even I, cannot bear the knowledge I possess of the pokémon you carry with you…it is…far too heartless for you to grasp…the harshness of the truth…too great a burden to place upon ones so young in life…"

"We can handle it," said Haruki confidently, setting down Hoshi on the ground.

"You, Haruki…" said Xatu softly. "You are…not a normal pokémon."

"H-How did you know that…? How do you know my name?" asked Haruki shocked.

"I have seen your past and I have glimpsed your future. You are…a human. A human selected by the great forces that dominate this world…" Xatu raised a wing, gesturing to the sleeping Hoshi, "to help the pokémon called Hoshi…" Haruki and Rin were silent, but Xatu must have been reading their thoughts. "You are aware…of his lack of a family…lack of…love…" The two nodded. "This…will be the downfall of the entire world…"

"The downfall…?" began Haruki.

"Of the entire world…?" finished Rin.

Xatu nodded, "If he does not know love…then the entire world will pay the price…"

"How can we get him to know love…?"

"That," said Xatu, "is what you must learn on your own. Celebi had paid a visit to me not too long ago, and asked me of the future…and she told me of the growing darkness emanating from deep within a pokémon… "

"Celebi?!" shouted Haruki and Rin, surprised.

"I told her of the great destruction that would befall us all…of a great and terrifying power that would devastate everything in its path…"

"And you," began Haruki, looking back at the sleeping pokémon, "think that that power…the power that would destroy everything…is Hoshi?"

Xatu continued on, "I foretold of a being of unnatural birth…that would escape its prison and reek havoc across this world…searching for the one thing it has not…and never once stopping until everything…and everyone…exists no more."

"So…Celebi thought…thought…"

"Celebi knew where the darkness was originating, and took a voyage to the future…the destruction she saw…it was unbearable…like nothing she had ever seen…and she wanted a way to put a stop to it…before it had a chance to begin…"

"But…that doesn't explain why Hoshi is here." Said Haruki as Rin took a few nervous steps away from Hoshi's sleeping form.

"She went into the past…searching for the future destroyer of our world…but…it was difficult…for the darkness that she had come to stop had not yet begun to thrive…had not yet revealed itself…in the heart of the Destroyer…so…"

"You mean," interrupted Haruki, "that she didn't know for sure if Hoshi's the one-?"

"She searched through the dreams of pokémon," continued Xatu, cutting Haruki's question short, "…hoping that there would be some clue as to where the Destroyer lay dormant…and…she found him…just as the seed of hatred…of pain and desolation…implanted itself into the young heart…"

Haruki and Rin remained silent, and Hoshi stirred, writhing from a nightmare.

"Darkness had already begun to form inside…grasping the young one tightly in its grip…multiplying the already powerful pokémon's abilities…and twisting his dreams…infecting them with images that made him fall into despair…and hopelessness…making him believe that to get what he wanted…what he needed…he had to destroy…until he found it…"

Hoshi kicked at the dirt, whimpering, his heart beating faster and faster with each passing second. His breathing quickened, his small fingers grasping at the dirt as rocks, large and small began to levitate around him, unknowingly to Haruki and Rin.

"Unless he has gained what he is searching for…we shall all suffer…and the suffering will not stop at only our world…" The rocks began to levitate towards the three pokémon, picking up speed, "but…for the entire universe as well…"