Chapter 49: First Steps Towards Mew

A few days had passed since their most recent trip to Galar, and life had returned to being, for lack of a better word, normal. In the Cerise Laboratory, Goh was sitting in the REC room, staring intently at his phone. Chloe, having gotten sick of the silence, finally broke it.

"You don't have to stare at it all day. It wouldn't kill you to take a break."

"I can't help it. It's been almost a month since I applied, and I haven't heard anything back yet."

Ash, who was starting to get worried, tried to get him to his feet.

"Come on, let's go catch some Pokemon! That'll take your mind off of it."

Before Goh could respond, his phone beeped to inform him of a message. When he saw who the message was from, he squealed in delight.

"It's from Project Mew! They've reviewed my application and are willing to give me a trial!"

"Sweet! Where is it?"

"It says I'm to report to their lab at the base of Mount Coronet in Sinnoh."

"Great, let's go!"

But Goh held him back, a firm look in his eyes.

"No, it says I'm to go alone."

"Aw, but I was hoping for an adventure! It's been ages since I've been to Sinnoh!"

Lillie lovingly patted him on the arm.

"Don't worry Ash, I'm sure Goh can handle it. Besides, this'll be the perfect time to get some training in."

"You're right, Lillie! I've got to make sure my team is in top condition! Good luck, Goh!"

Goh gave him a thumbs up before making his way towards the harbor to catch the next ferry to Sinnoh.

"Come on, where is it?"

Goh hiked through the snowy forest, checking his Rotomphone for where to go next. Having never been in Sinnoh before, he was quite lost, but he knew he was on the right path.

"The phone says it should be right…here!"

Sure enough, he found a clearing where a base had been set up. Goh had to admit, given how much hype was built up around them, he was expecting a larger setup. As he approached the base, though, he saw a familiar face walking away from it.

"Gary?"

The young Oak smirked when he saw Goh approach.

"So, they finally gave you a chance, huh? Where's Ashy boy? He finally ditch you?"

"Hey, I don't need a babysitter! I can take care of myself!"

Gary laughed, and sarcastically patted him on the back.

"I hope so, otherwise you won't stand a chance! Well, I better get going. Smell ya later!"

"What does that even mean?!"

Gary just ignored him and walked off, making Goh even more frustrated. But before he could do anything about it, the door to the base opened, revealing…a Pokemon he had never seen before. It appeared to be some kind of metallic blob, with a knut for a head. Curious, Goh took out his Rotomphone for more information, but…

"No data found."

"Huh? A brand new species of Pokemon?"

"Oh, Meltan, there you are!"

Just then, a man in his 30's stepped into the doorframe, carrying several boxes of books and other items. The Pokemon, now identified as Meltan, chirped and hugged his leg. The man smiled, stroking the blob like Pokemon with his foot before turning to Goh.

"Hey, are you here for Project Mew? Would you mind giving me a hand with this stuff for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure!"

Grabbing some of the boxes, Goh followed the man into an office space. Once they had set the boxes down, Goh finally managed to get a better look at him. He had wild, white hair, atop of which sat a pair of goggles. Upon further inspection, he saw that the man was wearing a lab coat, peaking his curiosity.

"Are you a Pokemon Professor?"

"I guess the lab coat gave it away, huh? My name's Willow."

"Aren't you a little young to be a Pokemon Professor? I mean, you don't look a day over 30!"

"35, but thanks. What can I say, I love Pokemon!"

"So, are you a challenger with Project Mew!"

Professor WIllow just chuckled.

"A challenger? Kid, I'm in charge of this whole project!"

Goh's jaw dropped to the floor.

"You? Wow, that's so cool!"

"Yep, all to share my dream with the world!"

"What dream would that be?"

"Why, to uncover the mysteries of Pokemon, of course!"

Goh looked around the office. The bookshelf was full of books on Mew, other legendaries, and history of the world. On the wall was a huge map of the world, with Mew markers scattered all over. Goh just shook his head. He thought he was a Mew fanatic, but this guy took it to a whole new level.

"So tell me, what's your name?"

"Goh, Mr. Willow."

"You can just call me Willow, Goh. So, why are you so interested in Project Mew?"

"I've wanted to catch and study Mew ever since I was a little kid. I'm kind of like you, I want to uncover the mysteries of Pokemon. If Mew truly is the ancestor of all Pokemon, then they might be the key to that."

Professor Willow nodded, but before he could respond his own phone beeped.

"Oh, it seems I have to cut this short! I just received some footage from a trial mission, and I need to review it. Danika!"

A blue haired woman entered the room, a stern look on her face. Goh recognized her as the person he saw talking to Gary on the phone.

"Give Goh a briefing, will you? I have other matters to attend to."

"Certainly, Professor. Come on, kid."
Goh followed Danika to a meeting room, where she motioned for him to take a seat. Once he had, she started up a slideshow presentation. On the screen appeared blurry pictures that looked like they could be of Mew.

"As Professor Willow, the goal of Project Mew is to understand the origins of Pokemon and how our universe came to be. Mew, the supposed ancestor of all Pokemon, is the key to our search for knowledge. And after years of searching, we think we've found where it's located."

The next image was of a mountain Goh had never seen before, so much covered in mist that he could barely see it.

"We've tracked Mew to this mountain, Mount Origin as we've taken to calling it. We've tracked its location to an island far outside the reaches of any of the known regions, but that's as far as we've gotten. Until now."

The image changed to the same mountain, though a lot clearer.

"For a single week between the dry and wet seasons, the fog that constantly surrounds the mountain disappears, allowing for a more in depth expedition. That's where challengers like you come in."

The image on screen changed to one of a token like the one Goh saw on Gary's phone.

"In Project Mew, you start out as a Challenger. You'll be assigned trial missions, and if you complete them successfully you'll get tokens. Some missions will give you more than others, which is important. At the end of the trial period, the three challengers with the most tokens will become part of the expedition team, or chasers, along with myself and one other person. Any questions?"

"Yeah, about Mew-"

"I'm sorry, but any information about Mew is restricted to Chasers and Professor Willow. Any other questions?"

Goh retracted his hand, allowing Danika to continue.

"Then it's time for your first mission."

The screen changed to show a video of the mountain, with a very curious anomaly: An Alolan NInetales, looking very pissed off.

"How-"

"That's what our field agent is trying to find out. Your mission is to capture her and bring her in. Once she's in our custody, we'll return her to her natural habitat."

Goh nodded, accepting the mission. Then, without warning, the whole base shook before rising into the air, having become a sort of helicopter. After a moment, they reached the summit and Danika lead Goh to the door, handing him a backpack as he dropped onto the snow.

"You have 6 hours to complete this mission. If you fail, you'll be disqualified from Project Mew."

Goh nodded in understanding.

"One more thing, there's another candidate on this same mission. If your paths cross, you're allowed to work together. Otherwise, only one of you will be allowed to pass."

"Got it."

WIth that, Danika took off, leaving Goh to his own devices.