As per usual, I start writing this the day after I post the last one. We're coming up to the climax of the fic soon, as well as one of the 2 arcs i had planned out back in February last year, so keep your eyes open for that. Also i know this fic is just isekai, but eh, it works for me.

No matter what happens, life goes on. What we choose to do with it, determines who we are.

Chapter 19; A Jungle in the Winter

The pair of explorers had recently passed through Treeshroud Forest, going east, and could see Mystery Jungle in the distance. Unlike the rest off the Grass Continent, which was mostly just dead in the winter, and lush in the summer, Mystery Jungle was thick and green all year round, merely thinning a bit in the winter. It stood out in the region with its green everprescense. The area surrounding it was even warm.

"Isn't Mystery Jungle a dungeon?" Ian asked. "They creep me out."

Venus thought for a moment. "Yeah… i think so. Back when Churchill came through here to find Mew so he could get fen back, he said it was a dungeon. That's one of the reasons we're not going alone. Dungeon madness is extremely dangerous."

"I know. One of the guards at Frosted Village got stuck in a dungeon for a week and he was basically a wild animal. I can't imagine if he had been there any longer." he sighed. "What even happens when you go dungeon mad?"

"We… don't really know." Venus said. "There's a lot of theories. Some say its based around it amplifying existing mental problems. Others say it's something in the air that drives Pokémon to instinctual madness. I think it's just a product of how they are."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like… an aura. Lucario as a species in general have a hard time with dungeons, since it messes with their auras. They say it's not just your physical body that goes feral, but your entire soul. It degrades it and taints it, with the dungeons aura." Venus explained. "That leads to the question, though, what would happen to a human soul in one? Or a Pokémon with a human soul? Like yourself. Would you be immune, or what would happen?"

"I… don't want to think about it. Back in post town, when I stopped there for a night, I spoke with the voice of life. They stated that I hadn't had my human body transformed like the other former humans, but instead, my body itself had been formed from Mew, and had a soul transplanted into it. That's… when I learned I had to find Mew, by the way."

"So you still got a human soul under that new coat of fur… huh. I guess how you would react to dungeons might be different. Or not. Depends. I'm not willing to learn." Venus said.

"Me either."

"It can be extremely scarring for those who manage to survive it, and those who don't? Well, they usually escape, and live as either wilds or dungeon ferals. There's 3 types of Pokémon, you know?"

"I always thought it was just feral and civilized…?" Ian said, confused.

"Well, there's 3. Wild, feral, and civilized. Wilds are functionally, as you put it, 'animals' but don't attack mindlessly unless provoked. Ferals are only found inside dungeons, and are driven to madness by it. They attack mindlessly, disregarding their own lives. Civilized folk are the third class. As sapient as you and me. Any species can be sapient or feral, as well, but not all can be wild."

"Im…. kind of confused."

"Let me explain." she said. "Some species cannot be wild. They can be driven to madness in dungeons, or live in society, but never get found in the wild. They've been given the class 'object' Pokémon. For example, you might see a wild Eevee, or a wild Bidoof, but you would never see a wild Electrode, or a wild Garbodor."

"I uh…" he thought for a moment. "That's… odd. Object based Pokémon only exist in civilization… weird. Or in dungeons."

"That's one way to put it. Anyways, we're almost at the jungle. Most of this isn't too important, in all honesty. Its a niche field of study. all you really need to know is how dungeons might affect someone's mind, since we're heading into one soon." Venus said.

"That's fair." he said, as they reached what looked like an archway made of trees.

"So Mew should be in here?"

"Keyword 'should.' no telling if she left, or if she's still there. If she isn't, well, that's alright. You can still go back to Lively Town after."

"Yep." the two of them entered.

A Lapras pulled up to the docks at Lively Town, and an Espeon stepped off. "Thank you. I can take it from here." she said, heading into the mainland. The Lapras nodded, simply tired.

It was mid afternoon, and the town square, although busy, was not at its fullest yet, due to the season. Many Pokémon trading with Kecleon, or eating at one of the cafes, or just heading through the town. Lively Town was easily the biggest town in the world, potentially, even a city, and it was slightly overwhelming to the psychic cat, so she made for the Expedition Society quickly.

As soon as she entered, Dedenne was already there. "Hey, what can we do for you?"

"Oh, I'm uh, Ava Espeon. I was told to report to the headquarters to see Ampharos?" Ava had been looking around the room for a certain black fuzzball.

"Oh, he's just upstairs. And yeah, I got news you were coming. Just head up the stairs in the back."

"Alright. Thank you." she said, following the electric types instructions. Ampharos was on the top floor, and he turned to see her coming up. "Ah, miss… Ava was it? We've been waiting for you! Well, I have."

"Is he here?" she asked.

"Not quite. He and Mawile left shortly after sending the letter. I was left out of the finer details, but from what I could gather, he wanted to search out the reason he had been put into our little old world first. So… ah, he isn't quite here. He and Mawile should be back in a day or 2, however." he said.

"Oh…" She was clearly disheartened.

"Cheer up, miss. I can keep you company in the meantime. I trust Mawile will keep him safe. She's a skilled warrior, and a good friend. For now, we can work out what to do when he returns, if you like?" he said, cheerily.

"That's alright, mister Ampharos. If you're busy, I'm not gonna take your time." she said.

"If you insist. I guess I do have a lot of paperwork to do, since Mawile isn't here. I better get to it then! Your quarters will be downstairs, right hall, second door on the right."

"Thank you." she headed downstairs, finding the old quarters. It was empty, with 2 piles of very old hay in them. There were a few paintings on the wall. Many of them showing 2 Pokèmon, a Riolu and a Fennekin. They both had scarves on, and seemed to be good friends. In every one, they were smiling.

Ava looked at them for a bit. Was this room where the Dark Matter heroes had stayed? It seemed…. Empty now. Each of the photos showing key points in their journey. The top of Revelation Mountain, part of a small town, Serene Village, one on what looked like a volcano island, etc. many different and varied locations around the world had been artistically depicted, likely by one of the heroes.

A section of the paintings, however, were different. Many of them devoid of the same colour and vibrancy as the others. They depicted a lone Riolu, presumably Churchill, as he went about his life, alone. They were mostly mundane, and a few of them straight up depressing, but eventually, in 2 or 3 of them, mew appeared. These ones seemed brighter, but still… different.

'Was this how Churchill saw the Dark Matter story? I heard that for every human coming to the this world, there was always a parting… but… I never imagined it like this.' Ava though, looking over the remaining paintings.

The last one wasn't a drawing, but instead a piece of writing.

"No matter what happens, life goes on. What we choose to do with it, determines who we are."

Ava could only wonder the meaning of the quote, as the hours passed by, and she waited for her own human partner to return safe and sound.

As the 2 explorers stepped into the jungle dungeon, Ian shivered, a chill running down his spine. "Ugh… I hate the feeling of entering these things… it's just… unsettling." he said, as he looked at the path ahead of him.

"I do too, but you get used to it. No turning back now. We're into the maze of trees until we either find mew, or the exit. Or die, but that's not very positive thinking." Venus said, as she watched a feral breloom run out in front of them. "Here, stand back." she said, running up to it, and socking it across the face. It tried to block, but failed, due to the force of the punch.

"Wow, you just… socked it to a fighting type. How'd you do that?"

"I've been a fighter all my life. That, and an old friend of mine was a Breloom. He showed me his species' weak points. Just under the mushroom cap is extremely easy to hit, and will nearly always knock them out, but never kill em." she said, wiping her hands off. "Come on, you should never stay still in a dungeon.

"Yeah… I got that." he said, following the Mawile deeper into the dungeon. "Not exactly… a welcoming place, if I'm honest."

Just outside the path, the dungeon was almost entirely thick, overgrown lush trees, seemingly ignorant of the weather outside. They twisted and bent around each other, creating a thick canopy, which little sunlight came through. It seemed unnatural.

"That it isn't. Lotta grass and bug types around as well. And probably poison. I would be careful with the Pokémon here. See that?" she pointed to a purple flower in the trees. "Gloom. Don't get any closer, or it'll attack."

"Ooh yeah, I kinda see it now. I should be able to see these better." he said.

"Yeah. Mawile aren't exactly known for their eyesight, while most Eeveelutions are. What's up with that?" she asked.

"I, well, only recently evolved. And I had to use glasses as a human. My vision was never awful, and it got better when I was sent to this world, but otherwise, my vision was never… great." he explained.

"Didn't you evolve like, 2 weeks ago?" she asked.

"May as well have been, like, 9 months, with how much has changed. Or maybe that's just a lazy writer's way of looking at it." he coughed.

"Anyways… we're nearly to the halfway point of the dungeon." Venus said. "Keep an eye out for the Kangaskhan rock. They emit an aura that wards off the effects of the dungeon."

"You know, I haven't seen one of those in any other dungeons before. Why is that?" he asked.

"They don't appear in all of them, only very large dungeons. Scrappy ones like the one just outside Frosted Village wont get one, unless the dungeon grows. And why the statues are Kangaskhan, nobody knows." she explained.

They reached the statues, which sat in a small clearing. Venus sat down. "Here, pass me something to eat. I'm hungry."

He dug around in their bag, and gave her a banana. "Here."

"Thanks." without peeling it, Venus threw it just behind her, where her maw snapped it up, and ate it, before she stood up, and continued off down the route.

Ian would quickly follow her. "That uh… how does it even work?" he asked. "Like, your maw?"

"It can eat stuff, just like I can. All goes to the same place. Usually I'll feed it when it's more convenient to do so, as opposed to eating it myself. If I'm eating for sustenance, I feed the maw. If I'm eating because I wanna eat, then I do it myself." the Mawile explained.

"Oh, interesting. I wouldn't have thought of it like that. I thought it was just… like, a weapon."

"It can be. Its able to clamp just about anything. I can also use it like a blunt weapon, since It's mostly made of steel."

"There's a lot of weird quirks about different Pokémon species, huh? I don't even know much about myself." He said, looking down at his front paws.

"Well, I can tell you what I know. Your rings can secrete poison, like a sweat when under stress. It can be flung at an attacker, but its hard to extract. Your fur is black, of course, giving you good camouflage in the night. Your body is generally quite bulky, but not the fastest. And… I think that's everything. Generally Umbreon are omnivores, but skilled hunters. If you tapped into any sort of instinct, you would be an excellent hunter." Venus said. "That's really all I know."

"Didn't think of a lot of stuff like that. Here's a question, though. And… It's kinda important? I guess? Uhm… my memories of my life have gotten… kinda… really foggy over the past year or so, since this all happened. Like… It's bad. I don't have 'amnesia' per-say, but like… the majority of stuff i remember is gone, barring, for some reason, things from those Pokémon 'games.' You know, what I mentioned earlier?" Ian explained.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't remember my own last name, but I remember every little detail from every Pokémon game still."

"That's… really weird. Maybe it has something to do with how you became a Pokémon? Or just… because you are one, your mind just latched onto those?"

"Yeah, that could be it. But… I don't know. Maybe mew knows?" He said.

"Maybe Mew does know!" A new voice said. It seemed to come from all around them. A high pitched, but snarky voice, coming from the shadowy jungle around the Mawile and Umbreon. "Or maybe she wants you both to leave. Now."

Ian would look around, in a slight panic. "Wait, Mew?"

"Yes! Obviously, idiot!" She appeared in front of the duo, a scowl on her face. "Mawile, I told you to clear my records. What in void is this kid doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, Mew." Venus said. "He claims he's a human, who showed up last year."

Mew thought for a moment. "...you."

"What do you mean you?! I don't even know you!" He said, agitated.

"Last Entei, I was on an errand for Necrozma. A leak in Ultra Space, or some shit. Went south when I popped up in the human world. Accidentally killed a bunch of kids. I-"

"You killed me!?" He yelled. "How the fuck does that happen on accident!?"

"Stop interrupting me! I hit a yellow vehicle, I learned was a bus, into a river. I went down to salvage what i could, and you were the last one to die. I stuffed your soul into a makeshift Eevee body, and threw it onto the Mist Continent. There. There's your story. You happy?"

Ian stood there for a moment. He died? He was here because of an accident? It wasn't some… he was mad. He was torn from his old life because some Mew fucked with him.

"Are you kidding me?" He said, calmly.

"Do you need it drilled into your head, human? You can't go back. Now leave, before I make you." Mew explained. Venus simply took a few steps back, not liking the atmosphere in the slightest.

"You killed me and did all… this to me out of laziness?!" He began to growl, his eyes narrowing at the mythical Pokémon.

"Leave. Or I'll make you wish you'd left."

"Make me."

Mew sighed, and suddenly, vanished from view.

"Ian, you complete nimrod. You just pissed off one of the strongest legendaries!" Venus yelled, before a psychic wave slammed into her from behind, knocking her to the ground.

Ian spun around, seeing mew hovering above Venus, before he started to sprint towards the psychic cat.

Right before the Umbreon could land a claw into her, she somehow lifted him up off the ground, psychically. "You know, for being, I would assume 17 now, you really are an idiot. You're technically made of my DNA. I can psychically do whatever I want to you." She said, bringing the flailing Ian right up to her face. He feebly tried to claw at her.

"Let me go and fight fair you bastard!" He yelled.

"No. If you're going to be like this, then I'll send you away. Even I don't know where. But it'll be somewhere." She began to glow.

Venus slowly stood up, and shaking her aching head, noticed what was going on. She sprinted towards the 2, but right before she could reach them, a flash of light appeared, and Ian was gone. Teleported away to Arceus knows where. "Fuck you!" She yelled, trying to land a sucker punch on Mew.

Mew spun around, and dodged, planting a paw fist into Venus's gut. "You're next. I'm not going to kill you. I recognize your worth to this world. Leave, and never return." Mew said, before Venus would vanish into thin air, leaving Mew alone again.

"...Damn it. I should have just let him die."

Expedition Society headquarters

A flash of light appeared right next to the nexus, and spat Venus out. She quickly got up, putting a hand to her head, as she felt the effects of teleportation hit her. "Where the hell… wait…"

She was back at the Expedition Society. And it was just her.

"...Where's Ian?" She mused aloud, before.

"Mawile?" A voice from behind her said. She spun around, coming face to face with Ampharos. "What are you doing back so soon?"

"Ampharos… a lot happened. Bad things. We… he's missing." She said.

"Oh dear… that's quite the pickled Oran. I trust you'll tell me, and Ava as soon as you can?"

"Yep. Is she here?" Venus asked.

"Yes. I'll go get her." And with that, Ampharos walked down the stairs.

"...Damn it… where did she send you?"

Hey, uh… sorry for the big ass me-vanishing-thing. I played a lot of vidya and stuff. I plan on having roughly 100k words and 30 chapters by the end, so that's good. Of course, please review, comment, whatever. It means the world to me.

See you when I upload again.

Beta read by Sparkfire.