Ch.9: Finding Confidence! Open Up and Embrace the World!

Wes floated around in the cosmic void of his bag as he put the finishing touches on the fake flower. He took a moment to admire his handiwork. An exact duplicate made up of various objects he gather throughout his journey. Flint always said his hoarding habit would come back to bite him. Well now, it was going to help with their plan.

The fake flower's stem was made of an old wire he painted black. Again, with a paint bucket he stole. The petals were made up of dried paper that he messed with to keep their shape. It took him a while to add the little designs on the petals, making sure to get the details exactly right. He was no artist, but he did a pretty fine job. The tough part was getting that cosmic energy around the flower.

He didn't know any spells to mimic something like that and he couldn't just light it on fire. So his bet was to place transfer some power from his Spiral Amulet into the flower, to give it the illusion. The problem was that he had no idea how long the effects would last. He had to swap it out with the real one as soon as possible.

With his task done, he swam up to the exit of his bag and kicked it open. He crawled out and sighed. "Phew…okay Ella, I'm done. Let's get this in the display case and…" He looked around and saw that he was no longer in the museum. He was in a completely different building. "What the…" He climbed out and observed his new surroundings. Was he in a…waiting room?

Before he could question it any further, a door opened up and Ella walked out with a relax smile. "Oh, that felt great." She stopped upon seeing Wes, who was tapping his paw on the ground with narrowed eyes. "Oh, uh…hi Wes. You done with the flower?"

"Why aren't we in the museum?"

She feigned shock. "This isn't the museum?! How did we ever get here?!"

"Don't play dumb on me! I can smell the cherry shampoo in your fur! And the scented candles in the back! We're at the spa!"

She smiled awkwardly. "Whaaaat? No, don't be…" She sighed. No use hiding it. Wes may act like a little kid from time to time, but his observation skills are near impossible to fool. "I haven't had a proper shower in days, I needed to get cleaned up."

Wes glared for a bit longer before chuckling and rubbing the back of his head. "Heh, good point. I guess I should have expected this with how long I was taking." He narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Well, no trouble, really. We just need to get the flower into the display case and we're done."

She nodded. "Right. You have a plan to distract the bystanders?"

The Umbreon stuffed the fake flower away before placing a paw over his heart. "You wound me, thinking I haven't already come up with a plan yet. You're talking to Mysto's greatest thief!"

"Should you really be saying that out loud?"

"Probably not, but I'm going to anyway!"

Ella smirked. "Of course you are." She pushed the door open and led him out. "We better hurry. Flint and Gwyn are probably done with the potion by now. We need that flower."

"I know, I know. Let's move it." They ran back to the museum as fast as possible.

However, they weren't aware that two individuals were listening from around the spa building. And they were rather intrigued with what they heard.

"A potion, they say?" Nightmare said as he tapped his claws together. "Why would they need a potion? Unless…" A smirk stretched across his face. "I see. So that's it, huh?"

"What should we do, Master?" a shadow asked.

"We don't have to do anything. Let's let our new pawn take a crack at them," he suggested as a dark figure next to them walked onto the streets. "Find and destroy them, my minion," he ordered as he and the shadow disappeared into the darkness.

The dark figure flashed his glowing red eyes and slowly followed Wes and Ella to the museum.

"Come on, Gwyn! It's not so bad!"

Coaxing the Mew to come out of her home went surprisingly easy. A little sweet talking and reassurance always had a way of convincing someone to do something…oh gosh, he was turning into his brother. Regardless of how he did it, he still managed to get the isolated half-Legendary outside. There was a slight…problem, however.

"I regret this so much! I want to go back inside!"

…she was absolutely terrified.

Flint managed to push her out of sight of the shop, so that was a start. But now came the tricky part of calming her down. She acted like she was in a tight room where the walls were closing in on her and slowly crushing her body. This wasn't going to work if she didn't cool down.

"Gwyn, you're fine."

"Fine?! Look at them all! They're staring at me!" She hugged herself and clenched her eyes shut.

The Flareon sighed. She wasn't wrong. Several Pokémon were staring at them. However, it wasn't because she was a Mew, obviously due to the cloak.

"Of course they're staring at you. You're acting like a kid being dragged to the doctor's for a shot."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. What if they figure out who I am?!"

"Then perhaps you shouldn't be drawing in such a huge crowd like this," he suggested sarcastically.

She whimpered lightly. She wasn't use to having this many eyes on her at a time. It was only a matter of time before her cloak fell off again and she gets swarmed by a mob. Someone will find her, take her, and do who knows what with her! What if she runs into another witch? What if they want to use her for some demonic ritual too? Why did she have to suffer?

"Just let me go home! I regret coming out here!"

She tried to make a break for it, but Flint lunged at her and wrapped his forelegs around her. "Knock it off!" he shouted. He flinched at himself. Too harsh. He shook his head and whispered, "If you stay calm, no one will look at you. I'm here, remember? Nothing bad will happen to you."

She shivered uncomfortably. "How are you so sure?"

"I've broken my friends out of trouble before. I assure you, everything is going to be fine. Just trust me, please."

Her eyes shifted left and right, glancing at the crowd of people surrounding them. Maybe she was acting a little out of line. She can't really help it. Lacking social graces outside of running a business wasn't a good thing. She only knew how to handle customers, not act properly in a public setting. That's what she gets for sitting in a shop for her whole childhood and a little of her young adult life.

Flint was awfully generous to help her, even putting up with her complaints. She really was acting like a child. But that's all she really remembers doing. She had to mature on her own, teach herself. If she was going to learn to live, she needed help.

She sighed and looked up at Flint. "O-Okay…I'll behave."

He smiled. "Thank you." He stood up and helped her back on her feet. "Now then…" He walked over to the city map and hovered his paw over it, looking for a nearby bistro or somewhere to get some coffee. His paw landed on a building. "Ah, here it is. Let's go." He led her to the bistro.

They walked in silence for roughly five minutes. In that time, Flint glanced at her every so often to see if she was alright. Gwyn was…calmer. She still kept her arms crossed protectively around her as she looked at the passing people. The Flareon felt sorry for the green Mew. She truly didn't know who she could trust. Heck, it took him a while to gain her trust. He was going to need to be careful with how he worded himself.

They came up on the bistro and got a table outside. Gwyn shifted in her seat. "So…what exactly do we do?"

Flint hopped into his seat and sat on his haunches. "We just sit and talk. Simple as that."

"I see…" She looked at the umbrella attached to the center of the table and leaned forward to fiddle with it.

"What are you doing?" A strange thought flew through his mind. He sweatdropped. "Please don't tell me you don't know what an umbrella is."

She huffed. "Hardy har…I know what an umbrella is. I'm just opening it up to block the light."

"Oh…" He chuckled nervously. "Sorry…"

She glared for a moment before giggling. "Hehehe…it's fine." She turned the crank and opened the umbrella up. "Perfect!"

Their waiter, a Venonat in the standard attire, walked up to their table. "Hello, how may I help you two?"

"I'll have a cappuccino," Flint said. He looked at Gwyn. "You?"

She scratched her head. "Cappa…what now?"

"Uh…make that two, please."

He wrote the orders down. "Care for anything else?"

"Perhaps some beignets to go with it."

"Coming right up." He went inside to place the order.

Gwyn tilted her head. "What's a beignet?"

"Think of it as a donut without the hole and covered in powdered sugar." This made her lick her lips, earning a chuckle out of him. "I see you already want to eat them."

She chuckled. "Yeah. I may eat a lot of plant based food, but I do have a sweet tooth. Especially for lemon squares!" She sighed happily and practically melted in her seat. "Delicious lemon squares…"

"I take it that's your favorite dessert."

She shot up with a bright smile. "You bet!" She gasped and leaned forward with a bigger grin. "Do they have any here?!"

Flint leaned back in his seat with wide eyes. He smiled awkwardly. "I'm…not sure."

She frowned. "Aww…" She sat back down and giggled. "Oh well, I can make some later."

He chuckled. "True."

The Venonat returned with their drinks. "Your beignets will arrive soon. Please enjoy your drinks."

"Thank you!" Gwyn exclaimed. Once he left, she grabbed her cup and sniffed the top. "Ooh, cinnamon!"

"Careful, it's hot," he warned as he lightly lifted his and took a sip. Gwyn blew on hers and sipped as well. Flint lowered his cup and smiled. "Well?"

She lowered hers and licked her lips with a thoughtful expression, trying to decide how she felt about the drink. "Well…I'm a little disappointed it doesn't taste like chocolate." She smiled. "Still, this stuff is pretty good." She heard Flint stifle a laugh. She blinked. "What?"

"You got a little foam on your chin," he pointed out, laughing lightly.

She looked down and wiped it off with her finger before eating it. "Mmm!" She chuckled. "This is great!"

"Glad you're opening up a bit more."

She looked down a bit. "I guess…I'm still a little nervous being out here." She lowered her head.

He leaned forward and tipped her head up. "Chin up. You're alright."

She smiled. "Thanks…" She swished her cappuccino around. "So…how is this supposed to help me?"

"Well, I just needed to get you outside." He sipped his drink before continuing. "You said you wanted to go on a big adventure. Yet you're just afraid of being discovered."

She nodded. "Well, yeah. If people knew I was a Mew, I would just get unwanted attention. The good and bad kind."

"Who told you that?"

"My mom. She had this conversation with my dad at one point, a little while after I was born, I believe. She said he was worried about me not leading a normal life if I was constantly seen as…well, you know, an all-powerful goddess."

"I thought you said half-Legendary don't get their parent's powers."

"Not his full power, but I can still use Pokémon moves." She looked at her cup. "I'm just having trouble learning Transform. Plus, I focus mostly on learning magic." She sighed. "I don't have my father's powerful psychic abilities. I can't levitate, teleport…I just have a strong magic aura. That's all I've really inherited from him.

"Point is, because of my species, I'm a target for many different gangs and bad guys. If I was born a Petilil, this wouldn't be an issue. You get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I do…" He sighed. "I guess that is a problem. But still, not everyone is like that. Sure, some people will be…caught off guard by your appearance. Maybe even awestruck. But that doesn't mean everyone in the entire world is out to get you. There are good people out there. Like me…and my friends…"

She smiled slightly, then frowned. "As reassuring as that sounds, it's hard to take your word for it." She leaned back in her seat. "There's no guarantee what will happen if or when I reveal myself. The world can be very…unpredictable."

He rubbed the side of his head. "I suppose you're right. Still, is living in constant fear the right course of action?"

"What other option is there?" she asked.

Flint smiled. "Well, you can clearly defend yourself. That's something. You said you took care of that witch, right?"

"Sort of…there's another reason why I'm scared."

He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Thing is…when I defeated her…"

FLASHBACK

The Ariados was flung across the shop and slammed into the door. She picked herself up and wiped some blood off her face as Gwyn stared her down, panting with a furious glare. She wore a white glove on her left hand, which had a rose symbol on the back. "Whoever taught you to use your magic must have been an excellent teacher, dearie."

The young Mew growled. "I'll make you pay for taking Mom from me!" She had tears streaming down her eyes.

The witch chuckled. "If you wish to see your precious mother again, I can most certainly help you with that. All I ask is that you allow me to sacrifice you to perfect a ritual of mine."

"Never!"

"But don't you want to see your mother again?"

She clenched her fists. "No! I'd never help a creep like you!"

"I see." She scuttled closer to the Mew, who shivered in anticipation of what she planned to do. She stopped inches in front of her and snickered. "It would seem I'm too weak for your power." She turned around and made her way to the door. "But know this, child. Every waking moment of your life, you'll under constant watch. When the time comes, I will become stronger than you. I will capture you. And I will fulfill my destiny."

She clenched her teeth. "You won't-"

"Win? Sweetie, you don't know the true terror of a witch. This is only a lost battle. The war is far from over. In the end, I will have my victory. Your defeat is inevitable." She snickered and scuttled out the door. "Remember this day well, Gwyn Belladonna. From this day forth…you will never be safe." With that, she slammed the door shut, leaving the young Mew to collapse on the floor in exhaustion.

FLASHBACK END

"No matter how hard I tried to forget, her face kept popping up in my dreams. Ever since that day, I became increasingly worried someone was lurking around, waiting to capture me when I least expect it. I assumed from her words that she will return…but I don't know when. So, I just…casted myself aside, isolated. It was the only way I knew I was safe…it was the only way I knew how to survive."

Flint narrowed his eyes sympathetically. "Oh Gwyn…"

"This shouldn't be your concern. It's my burden, not yours."

"Gwyn, you can't do everything on your own. Everyone needs someone to…look out for them."

She lowered her head, laying it in her folded arms resting on the table. "Easy for you to say. You have friends who care about you. I haven't had any friends in a long time."

"Well, we're willing to become your friends. I don't care who you are. I still think you're a cool girl. Even Wes and Ella are willing to accept you, I'm sure of it."

"You're sure?"

"Ella can be a little snarky at times, but she's a great person to be around. And Wes…heh, he'd be over the moon knowing he had a friend who was a Mew. You have nothing to worry about around us."

"I suppose…"

He narrowed his eyes. "You need to stop doubting yourself. You're stronger than that." He folded his forelegs and leaned forward. "I've been through some rough patches myself. Sometimes I've even felt like giving up on things just because…I was scared of failing.

"But I've grown because of my family and friends. All you need is someone by your side to tell you 'Everything is going to be alright'. Someone there to…give you a helping hand." He held his paw out to her. "And I want to be the one to help you Gwyn. That's all I want from you. Your cooperation so I can help."

She looked up at his paw. "Why are you so dead set on helping me?"

"Because I've been in your position before." He smiled sadly. "I lost my dad a few years ago and…all I wanted was to hide. It really crushed my family when we heard the news. But, over time, we got better. We each gave each other a paw of encouragement to keep moving forward. Wes was the most devastated by his death, but…he always possessed our father's natural cheerfulness. He didn't let the loss stop him from achieving his dreams. It…actually helped me feel better.

"Ella always came by our house to help our mother out with anything she needed done. Of course, she always said she was fine, but Ella can be a little pushy. Still, she appreciated the gesture.

"That's why I'm set on helping you out Gwyn. If I have to go all around Mysto just to find that witch and apprehend her, I would do it just for you."

Gwyn was stunned by the lengths he was willing to go. He…really cared that much? That…she couldn't believe it. No one has ever said something like that to her.

"You…really mean it?"

"We all do. Wes, Ella, me…we always help a friend in need."

She couldn't believe his kindness. There was no way anyone was this nice. Was this a trick? Was it an illusion? Or a dream?

"Flint…"

"I'm serious, Gwyn. I want to help you go on that big adventure you want."

"How?"

He was hoping she would ask that. Of course, he planned this at the last minute. Heck, he wasn't sure what Wes and Ella will think. He was doing this without their input, so it's entirely his decision. Still, he knew those two and he was sure they would be on board with the idea. Plus, he didn't want this to be the last time he saw Gwyn.

He never thought he would enjoy spending this much time with someone. She's certainly an odd one, but she was also funny and sweet. He wanted to spend more time with her, but their journey came first. But, this way, both desires could be fulfilled.

"Gwyn…would you like to come along with us on our journey?"

Just as they left it, the museum was bustling with attention. Not as many Pokémon as before, but certainly enough to where a stealthy steal wasn't possible without a distraction. Pulling off this kind of heist was going to require patience and key planning.

…too bad Wes had a different approach to handling these sort of things.

"Alright Ella, you ready?"

"Wes, I'm not running in like a lunatic high on sugar," she deadpanned in response.

"Come on! It's certain to gather everyone's attention!"

"Including a mental facility who might think I'm insane."

"Oh fine. How about fake dying?"

"If someone in there is a doctor, I'll be found out."

"You really don't want to go along with my ideas, do you?"

She shrugged. "No offense, but your plans tend to be flat out insane."

"None taken," he reassured with a wave of his paw. "Look, we need to agree on something to swipe the flower. So, you either make a big uproar or I'll have to take more drastic measures."

The Espeon raised a brow. In his terms, that never meant something good. "How so?"

"Just figure out a way to distract everyone." With that, he casually walked away, sneaking around the crowds.

She sighed and looked around for a way to gather everyone's attention. What could she possibly do to diverge everyone away from that flower? She refused to pull a dying scene or steal anything. She had other things to worry about and being thrown in jail was not one of them.

She eyed a few statues off to the side. Then she noticed a brown cloak laying on a bench next to a sleeping Snover. She looked up a bit in thought before activating her psychic powers. She picked the cloak up and stretched it out, giving the appearance of a phantom floating around. Of course, to ensure no one saw the psychic energy surrounding it, she manipulated some trash from a nearby bin to hide under the cloak to keep it propped up.

With a smirk, she blasted psychic energy into the statues and toppled them to the ground. The loud sound of the blatant crashing alerted the surrounding public, bringing shocked expressions into play.

"W-W-W-What happened?!" someone shouted.

Ella coughed into her balled up paw, preparing to give her best impression of a concerned bystander. She had tons of practice pulling this bit off, having scammed a number of customers with some sweet talking or grand distress, like that one time she 'sadly' mentioned how her house caught fire and burned to the ground. Was it a dishonest method of making money? Yes. That's why she tend to pull this kind of stunt on jerks she sees passing by, who would so foolishly fall for her clever charms.

She formed a looked of artificial panic and pointed at the cloak she was manipulating. "That guy pushed the statues down! He's getting away!" She moved the cloak to fly away. "Someone stop him!"

Two officers ran after the 'vandalizer', armed with their batons. "Halt!" they shouted.

During the brief show of chaos, Wes snuck up to the case holding the beautiful flower. He looked around to ensure no one was watching before activating the Amulet of Umbra. He turned into a shadowy phantom. He moved his arms under the case and prepared to gently lift it up. He flinched upon seeing four glyphs appear on the glass.

Movement detection glyphs! He backed away from the glass in slight panic. Okay, calm down, Wes! Think! You've dealt with worse than this. He crossed his forelegs in thought.

He has dealt with these kind of glyphs in the past. They made it impossible to steal anything undetected, even with magic. Normally when he dealt with them, he'd just blindly swipe and escape. Now wasn't the best time for that sort of action.

He thought back to a time he first encountered one. There was a large ruby sitting on top of a pedestal in the middle of a room dimly lit by blazing torches, with a ray of sunlight shining down on it, emphasizing his beauty…so, basically, it was a normal Tuesday for him. Point is, when he went to swipe it, the glyph lit up. If he remembered correctly, the way he got around it was…

Aha! He reverted his back to normal for a brief moment to grab a unique amulet in his arsenal. He has stated countlessly that he has favorite amulets. This one was on those list of favorites. A vortex shaped amulet, made up of red and green strands that made up the vortex shape. At the very center was a small hole that seemed to be sucking in the vortex shape, leading into nothing but darkness.

This particular amulet was one of a kind, for it had one unique feature: the inside of the amulet was an entire dimension. Granted, a small one, but it made for great escapes and to stealthily appear in obscure places. And, considering this was the only one of its kind, there weren't many countermeasures to prepare for its power.

He turned solid again and pocked the Umbra amulet. He held the Vortex Amulet up and activated it. The solid piece of metal turned into an actual portal of green and red wisps. He placed his paw near the vortex and could feel it transforming into wisps itself, sucking into the portal. It sent shivers up his spine every time has passed through it. It was so cool!

He got himself together and fully placed his foreleg in. A second portal ripped through the space within the case and his paw stuck out. He gently grabbed the sapphire comet flower and carefully pulled it out. He stuck his head into his bag and pulled out the fake flower. Once the real one was within his grasp, he switched them out.

He looked back every so often to make sure no one was watching him. Fortunately, they were too distracted by the wreckage to notice. After placing the fake flower in its place, he pulled his paw out and deactivated the amulet, resuming its solid form once more.

Woo! I did it! He pocketed the amulet and pulled out a small container for the flower to rest in. He put it in and placed it back in his bag. He dashed away silently before anyone could spot him.

"He's gone!" the Feraligatr officer shouted as he picked up the discarded cloak. "He must have been a Ghost-Type."

"That hoodlum will be brought to justice for sure!" his partner, a Stantler, exclaimed in agreement.

Ella leaned against a wall, snickering quietly to herself. Good luck, boys. She glanced to the side and saw Wes walk over. "Got the flower?"

He patted his bag in confirmation. "Yep. Told you this was going to go off without a hitch."

"We broke public property."

"YOU broke public property. I merely stole something without damaging it."

She rolled her eyes. "How I don't have a criminal record yet because of you is beyond me."

He snickered and wrapped his foreleg around her. "You make it sound like I'm a danger to be around."

"Do you really want me to bring up that date you took me on?"

"Never mind." He stepped away from her and adjusted his hat. "Alright, let's get this baby back to the shop and our treasure hunt can begin!"

"Right!" she exclaimed. Their small moment of triumph came crumbling down upon hearing a woman scream. "What was that?!"

"I don't know. Let's check it out!" They raced over to the front entrance.

They dashed out of the west wing and skidded to a halt. They saw a Kirlia that was slammed against the front desk, disoriented. "What happened?!"

Wes raced over to her and picked her up in his forelegs. "Miss? Are you alright?"

She mumbled incoherently. The blow to her head wasn't severe, but she was clearly out of it. "I…don't…know…stop…it…"

The Umbreon's ears twitched in confusion. It didn't sound like she was responding to him. "Stop? Stop what?"

"Wes, duck!" Ella's voice echoed through his ears. He pushed himself down as a giant globe flew over his head, smashing into pieces. They rained down on Wes and the injured Kirlia.

He shook them off and looked in the direction of the globe, spotting some standing in the darkness, who he assumed was the attacker. He glared. "Hey! What's the big idea?! How dare you attack an innocent woman like that?!"

The figure's movements seemed…eerie. He would sway back and forth like a tree in the gentlest of breezes. Also, there was something odd about where he was standing. Light from the windows should be shining down on him, but there was darkness at the front. It was unnatural.

"I've come…for some payback…loser…"

The voice became instantly recognizable. He started to see the body shape hidden under the shroud of shadows. "You're that Floatzel from earlier!"

Ella stepped in front of Wes with a glare. "Alright buster, what's the big deal? Didn't learn your lesson the first time?" A huge crowd of people were coming to the front, wondering what all the commotion was about.

The Floatzel looked at the crowd and laughed. "Perfect…an audience to witness my new surge of power."

Wes smirked. "Oh, that's cute. You think you can take me in a fight."

"Wes…I don't think now is the time to be taunting him," Ella warned with clenched teeth. She felt something…off about him. She wasn't sure why, though.

"Hey, can't live life without a little risk!" He looked at the crowd. "Are any of you doctors?!"

"I am!" a Whimsicott spoke up.

He handed the Kirlia off to him. "Take care of her, please." He nodded and pulled her to the side. Wes adjusted his hat with a cocky smile and held his paw out, gesturing the Floatzel forward. "Come on. I'll give you a free shot."

"Wes, seriously, shut up!" his Espeon companion yelled.

"Oh relax, what's he going to do? Spray me with water?"

Floatzel chuckled and held his hands out. "Fear the power of darkness. Spear of Darkness!" A black streak of flames shot at him like a javelin.

The Umbreon's eyes widened and ducked with his hat staying temporarily airborne, allowing the javelin of black flames fly in between them. His hat fell back on his head, slightly askew. He adjusted it and looked at the damage the spell caused.

The entire front desk he was in front of…was a pile a smoldering ash. Actually, ash wasn't the right way to describe it. Perhaps a smoldering pile of death!

His eye twitched, his mind considering the damage it would have caused it struck him. Then his mind raced again, considering another option. He saw the Floatzel with his own eyes before. He didn't possess a magic aura beforehand. And yet, he had one raging with darkness. Come to think of it, his aura looked strikingly similar to…

He looked back at the Floatzel with panicked eyes. "Oh crud…"

He smirked and stepped forward. "Took you long enough, freak…" He came into full view. His fur had turn black and white. His fins were a dull gray, as gray as a gravestone in the fog. His face had a skull tattoo over it. His eyes gleamed blood red as he glared down at the Eeveelution. "Still think you can take me in a fight?"

The Umbreon chuckled nervously and stepped back. "N-Now, now, pal, I'm sure we can come to an agreement here. You want to kill me and I…don't want that at all…"

"Spear of Darkness!" He threw the javelin of dark fire at him. Wes instinctively placed his paw over the Amulet of Umbra and transformed into a shadow just as the attack came close to him. He could feel the flames lick his ghostly body, making him shiver.

He became solid again and shouted, "Everyone, get out of here!" The crowd dispersed in a rushed panic.

Floatzel laughed and slammed his palms on the ground. A blanket of shadows stretched across the ground.

Wes jumped away from them, but was caught off guard by the shadow spikes that struck out. He clenched his eyes shut, but never felt them. He opened one eye and saw the floor being torn up and blocking the attacks.

He smiled. "Thanks Ella!"

"You can thank me later!" She remove tiles out of the floor and fired them at high speeds.

Floatzel created a bubble of darkness around him, absorbing the attacks into nothing. He created two Spears of Darkness and threw them at her. She lifted up more floor and blocked them, but the explosion knocked her off her feet.

Wes caught her and slid on his back. "You okay?"

"I'll live."

The Umbreon set her down and stood up with a glare. "Alright, no more Mr. Nice Guy!" He reached into his shirt and pulled put the Star Amulet, which glowed brightly. "Come and get me, shadow!"

"C…Come with you?" Gwyn stuttered in disbelief.

Flint nodded. "I'm serious. You would make a great addition to the team. You're a great potion expert and pretty smart. You could really help us on our journey."

She pulled down on her hood again with an unsure expression. "I don't know. I mean, I'm flattered by the offer, I really am. Like, super flattered…" She shook her head, feeling herself get off track. "B-But, I'm just not sure I'm ready for that kind of life yet. Look at me," she said, spreading her arms out. "I'd stick out in a crowd."

He shook his head with a chuckle. "I'm telling you, you have nothing to worry about. I mean…yes, you can't deny people will be admired by your appearance. It's hard not to feel like you're standing next to someone of higher power. I understand being a Mew has its share of consequences.

"However, that doesn't mean you should hide yourself under a cloak. The world is full of the cruel monsters that you've envisioned over the years."

"Still…" She looked down at her feet.

He smiled. "Gwyn…the residents of this city truly admire you. Some may think you're your mother, some think you're her assistant. But that doesn't change the fact that these people see you as an inspiration. They would accept you. And, I'm sure, the rest of the world will, too."

The green Mew looked around at the passing bystanders. Was that how they really felt about her? She knew her mother was an inspiration herself, but what would they think pass the cloak? Would they still see her as an inspiring force?

"You have nothing to be afraid of, Gwyn." He reached out and placed his paw on her hand. "If anything were to happen, Wes, Ella, and I will come to your aid.

"A true friend always comes back to help a friend in need."

"A true friend…" She slowly looked right at him. "Flint…" She smiled before grabbing his mane of fur and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you…"

He wasn't expecting the hug, but he didn't deny it. He hugged back. "You're welcome."

They heard screams start up through the air. They released each other and turned around, seeing a stampede of Pokémon running away in panic. Flint looked up at the sky and saw a cloud of smoke rising up. "What the…"

"That's coming from the museum!" Gwyn pointed out with wide eyes.

Flint glared. "Wes…what kind of trouble did you get yourself into now?" He reached out and stopped a fleeing Cacturne. "Hey, what's going on?!"

"Danger, that's what!" he shouted, shaking the Flareon with fear filled eyes. "Some weird looking Floatzel started throwing shadows or whatever and he's destroying everything! Some Umbreon and Espeon are fighting him right now!" He let Flint go and fled with his arms flailing. "Run for your lives!"

The Flareon looked at the ground. "Shadows…oh no, they're back!" He zipped his head in the direction of the smoke and prepared to rush to it, but Gwyn grabbed his mane.

"Are you crazy?! You're actually going there?!"

He looked at her and placed his paws on her shoulders. "Gwyn, you got to help everyone evacuate the city! Get them all to safety!"

"M-M-Me?!"

"They'll need your help! Make sure everyone is as far away from here as possible!" He turned away and rushed off. "I'm counting on you!"

"Flint, wait!" she called out.

She jumped away as a second wave of Pokémon rushed pass her. Her teeth chattered, looking back at the stampede and the smoke. She really hated making split second decisions like this.

She sighed and jumped onto a barrel, shouting, "Hey, everyone!" No one could hear her over the chaos of the screaming. She glared and took in a big breath, exhaling it into a massive, "HEEEEEY!" Her shout reached all ears, freezing them up in shock.

"We need to evacuate in a calm, orderly fashion! I'll get you all to safety, I promise!" Most of the city was well familiar with the cloaked Mew, despite not knowing her true species. Almost immediately, a large chunk of the crowd nodded. "Good! Now everyone, calmly exit the eastern side of the city! There are safety shelters there!"

They nodded and followed her instructions, calmly, but quickly going in the direction of the shelters. Gwyn kept a look out for any kids that were lost. However, another thought came to mind.

They listened to her without hesitance. She barely knew these people, yet they acted like she was the mayor. Or a high ranked official. Or…they really did think highly of her family. Did this city really trust her judgment, despite the rumors about her mother?

She narrowed her eyes, then looked back at the smoke rising up in the air in deep thought.