Story Notes:
My first attempt at writing anything remotely planned out (and first published work, too). Wish me luck! All criticism is welcome.Rating is for future chapters.Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Prologue - Loved and lost
-----
Regular talking is in double quotations, telepathy is italicized double quotations.
*****
Crack.
The unnatural sound broke through the strange silence that permeated the forest, causing a figure in the shadow of the tree canopy to freeze abruptly. Now watching his path more carefully, the figure sidled behind a tree and held back of sigh of frustration. Being sneaky was so difficult, especially with his usual way of breaking through obstacles with brute force. The figure poked his head out to check that his quarry was still in the meadow a few metres in front of him. Sunshine briefly illuminated his face through a hole in the tree cover, revealing the visage of a boy in his late teens. His head was adorned with a large green bandana that served as the rim for a spiky white ski cap that resembled the hair of so many cartoon characters. Black sideburns with just a hint of blue peeked out from under the edge of the bandana - an odd colour, but it ran in the family - framing a pair of emerald-coloured eyes.
Those same eyes now scanned the clearing for the tell-tale moving grass, a sure sign of his target today. What he saw a second later was a fuzzy pink face with baby blue eyes staring right back at him from less than an inch away. The boy gave a strangled yelp and stumbled backward, tripping over a protruding tree root and landing on his backside with a thump.
The rest of his body was revealed: he was dressed in a black and orange short sleeved shirt and black pants, the green strap of his pokemon trainer backpack drawing a line from his shoulder to his hip. Strapped to a belt on his waist were the pokeballs that further indicated his line of work.
Brendan swore under his breath before he was reminded of his audience by a cute fit of giggles coming from the pink thing hanging in midair. He looked up at the mew that was still giggling at him, its eyes twinkling in amusement. It flew up to him and waved it tail in his startled face a few times before turning its back, as if to fly away as it had done to scores of astonished travelers before him. The mew stopped, however, when the boy called out to it.
"Wait."
It turned back and peered at him curiously. The boy had gotten back onto his feet, one hand brushing the dirt off himself while the other lazily moved toward the belt of pokeballs at his hip. He fingered one before unclipping it. Expanding the capsule, he spoke again.
"How about a little friendly battle? We'll make a game of it."
At this, the mew's little pink ears perked. It loved games. It turned back to him and nodded cheerfully, flying a circle around him before resuming its position in front of him. The boy grinned and threw the pokeball into the air.
"Go, Sceptile!"
*****
-Three years later-
The first warning he had was the sensation of tugging on his bedsheets. A young man in his late early twenties groaned and held them tightly to his body before they were heartlessly yanked out of his grasp.
"Morning, Master!"
A tinkling, cheerful voice rang in his head as the cool air of the cheap Rustboro
apartment room assailed his suddenly coverless body. He groaned again and grudgingly opened his eyes before giving his companion a response.
"Do you have to wake me up so early, Mew? I'm retired now, you know."
Not only that, but it had only been a week since his long-time rival had been killed in the last battle against the warring legendaries of the region, Kyogre and Groudon. A stray jet of water from the former had knocked her off her wailmer and dragged her down into the murky depths of the ocean. By the time he had stopped looking for her, he had caught hypothermia and was barely conscious as his milotic frantically carried his body back to the shore, away from the same waters that had claimed May. Things were calmer now after Rayquaza had forcibly stopped its two brethren, but things would never be the same without her. Somehow, Brendan didn't feel like getting out of bed early like every other day when that sweet girl he had loved would never wake again.
The same voice broke him out of his reverie. "You can't go on like this, you know," Mew spoke, her tone becoming uncharacteristically solemn.
The morning sun was shining irritatingly into his face. Brendan shut his eyes tightly and rolled over onto his side away from the window, almost tumbling off the bed in the process. He managed to keep his composure, but didn't answer his pokemon again. For a while, the muffled chirping of taillow outside was the only sound that could be heard in the room. After a few minutes of relative silence, his pokemon spoke directly to him for the last time.
"I guess I'll have to do something about this, then."
Brendan braced himself for he kick that would knock him out of bed, but it never came. When he finally opened his eyes again and turned back to Mew, she was gone.
*****
Mew reappeared in a forest far away, not unlike the place she had first met her trainer years ago. Hovering slightly, she scanned the area with her psychic powers before finding the pokemon she was looking for.
"Hypno!"
The tapir pokemon turned around, surprised, before breaking out into a rare grin. His silvery pendulum hung from his fingers, swinging slightly at the motion. "Well, if it isn't Mew!" he exclaimed. "It's been far too long since you were taken away by that human. What brings you here today?"
Mew took a small breath before replying. Hypno winced; things couldn't be good news if even Mew was worried.
"I need you to make me think I'm a human."
With those words, Mew was enveloped in a blinding light. Hypno averted his eyes briefly until the whiteness disappeared. Where Mew used to be stood a young human boy who looked about five years old, dressed in a thin light blue shirt and white shorts. Hypno thought the boy looked familiar, and he realized with a shock that it was because the Mew's new form held a striking resemblance to her human master. They had the same colour hair and eyes.
Disregarding Hypno's lack of a response, the Mew-turned-boy clarified, "I want you to seal away my memories and powers using your hypnosis. I can't be killed so it shouldn't be a problem," Mew added upon seeing the incredulous look starting to form on Hypno's face, "but if it makes you feel better, have my powers be released in the case of an emergency."
"But... but why would you want this?" Hypno asked, still baffled by the strange request. "Surely it's not because of that human of yours?"
The boy looked down at his feet and didn't reply. Finally, he said softly, "This is something I want to do, Hypno."
"But what if you get captured, or hurt? I know you're immortal, but there's no reason to torture yourself like this!" Hypno protested, eyes darting back and forth, looking for a way to stop his friend from making him do this to her. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to-"
"Please." There was something in her voice that made Hypno stop talking. There was a note of desperation in her voice, he realized, something that he had never heard before from the normally happy legendary. He searched Mew's figure for any trace of indecision, and hint of hesitation that would give him something to use to talk her out of this madness. He saw none.
The hypno sat down heavily and put his head in his hands for a minute, pendulum swinging eagerly from his fingers as if in anticipation. Finally, he gave her a reply. "Fine. Lie down, then."
The boy didn't move. "Have somebody fly me to him, okay? You'll know where it is from my memories."
Hypno grunted as he got up, "Yeah, yeah. Now hurry up and lie down before I change my mind about this."
Mew looked back up at him and broke out into a small smile. "Thank you," she said through the boy's mouth, the voice foreign to the hypno. She - he, Hypno corrected - gently lowered his new body onto the ground, staring into the cloudless sky with his new body's emerald eyes. Hypno took a few steps until he was standing beside the boy's head. He closed his eyes, and willed his pendulum to swing.
*****
-Two days later-
Brendan had been out looking for her again. He had already checked Petalburg Forest in case Mew had just wanted some time alone, and he'd checked around the city, too. By now it was almost sunset, and he was beginning to wonder if she'd abandoned him completely. A pokeball wouldn't be enough to stop her from doing that if she wanted to. He fingered her empty pokeball ruefully as he trudged through the empty apartment hallway.
The ex-trainer opened his apartment door. He tiredly stepped out of his shoes and shrugged off his coat, tossing it carelessly onto his bed. He was just about to go into the kitchen to make himself something to eat when he noticed the large form outside on his balcony.
He almost tripped over his feet in surprise when he took a closer look. There was a Pidgeot standing outside as if it were the most normal thing in the world, staring at him with an expression that said none too subtly "What are you standing around for, get out here". What was even more surprising was the fact that there seemed to be a child lying motionless at its feet.
Brendan couldn't get to the balcony fast enough.
He ran out to the sliding glass doors, nearly shattering them in his haste in opening them. As it was, they rattled dangerously as he passed. By the time he had gotten there, the Pidgeot had already hopped onto the railing of the balcony, no doubt preparing for takeoff. Brendan barely had time to hit the ground to avoid being blown back into the apartment as the gigantic bird's wings kicked up a sizable gust that ruffled his hair and clothes. The glass doors rattled again, protesting the amount of abuse they were receiving today. When Brendan looked up, the bird's silhouette was already disappearing into the light of the setting sun.
The older boy looked back down at the mysterious kid - it was a boy, Brendan could see that now - to examine him for injuries. Thankfully, it looked like he was fine though his blue shirt was a bit torn, undoubtedly caused by the huge talons of that Pidgeot. Panic subsiding, Brendan now noted with increasing suspicion that the kid looked uncannily like himself when he was younger.
Putting that thought aside for now, Brendan resolved to at least bring the kid inside; he was probably already freezing his butt off from being flown here in that kind of clothing. He reached out to pick the boy up and froze when he heard a familiar voice in his head.
"Hey mister, where do you think you're touching?" A mock angry voice chastised him. Brendan immediately recoiled and looked around wildly for the source of the "sound". His mouth gaped open in surprise, not knowing what to think.
"Just kidding!" The anger dissolved into Mew's usual bubbly tone, followed by a fit of giggling. At this, Brendan realized the voice was coming from the direction of the mysterious boy, though the kid still seemed to be unconscious. The voice continued, "But you know, I'll be like this for a while, so you'd better get used to it. I'll be counting on you to take good care of me. I've sealed away my memories and powers with the help of an old friend of mine, so don't go acting like I'm the Mew you know. From now on, I'd like it if I could be your son."
The voice paused for a moment, as if to allow Brendan to absorb all of this. As if he could! He forced his mouth closed, but he still couldn't comprehend his pokemon's words.
"By the way, this is a telepathic message I created before I did this." A sombre note crept into her next sentence. "This is probably the last time you'll hear me like this until the day you die. So... don't go trying to wake me up, okay?"
The voice brightened up again, and Brendan wondered not for the first time if her mood swings were because she was female - though she wasn't anymore, Brendan thought dazedly - or because she was a Mew. "Oh, and I chose a male body for a reason. Don't be tempted to grope me while I'm asleep. And don't expect me to call you Master anymore, Dad!" A faint blush crept into Brendan's cheeks. She always did enjoy teasing him.
The voice in his head finally fell silent. The older boy simply sat there for a time, pondering the surreal situation. Still, this was far too much for him to handle right now. It was all Brendan could do to pick up his new "son" and walk back inside, closing the battered balcony door behind him.Chapter End Notes:Thanks for reading! Remember to tell me what you think. I've got the general plot planned out, so the next chapter should be out soon
Regular talking is in double quotations, telepathy is italicized double quotations.
*****
Crack.
The unnatural sound broke through the strange silence that permeated the forest, causing a figure in the shadow of the tree canopy to freeze abruptly. Now watching his path more carefully, the figure sidled behind a tree and held back of sigh of frustration. Being sneaky was so difficult, especially with his usual way of breaking through obstacles with brute force. The figure poked his head out to check that his quarry was still in the meadow a few metres in front of him. Sunshine briefly illuminated his face through a hole in the tree cover, revealing the visage of a boy in his late teens. His head was adorned with a large green bandana that served as the rim for a spiky white ski cap that resembled the hair of so many cartoon characters. Black sideburns with just a hint of blue peeked out from under the edge of the bandana - an odd colour, but it ran in the family - framing a pair of emerald-coloured eyes.
Those same eyes now scanned the clearing for the tell-tale moving grass, a sure sign of his target today. What he saw a second later was a fuzzy pink face with baby blue eyes staring right back at him from less than an inch away. The boy gave a strangled yelp and stumbled backward, tripping over a protruding tree root and landing on his backside with a thump.
The rest of his body was revealed: he was dressed in a black and orange short sleeved shirt and black pants, the green strap of his pokemon trainer backpack drawing a line from his shoulder to his hip. Strapped to a belt on his waist were the pokeballs that further indicated his line of work.
Brendan swore under his breath before he was reminded of his audience by a cute fit of giggles coming from the pink thing hanging in midair. He looked up at the mew that was still giggling at him, its eyes twinkling in amusement. It flew up to him and waved it tail in his startled face a few times before turning its back, as if to fly away as it had done to scores of astonished travelers before him. The mew stopped, however, when the boy called out to it.
"Wait."
It turned back and peered at him curiously. The boy had gotten back onto his feet, one hand brushing the dirt off himself while the other lazily moved toward the belt of pokeballs at his hip. He fingered one before unclipping it. Expanding the capsule, he spoke again.
"How about a little friendly battle? We'll make a game of it."
At this, the mew's little pink ears perked. It loved games. It turned back to him and nodded cheerfully, flying a circle around him before resuming its position in front of him. The boy grinned and threw the pokeball into the air.
"Go, Sceptile!"
*****
-Three years later-
The first warning he had was the sensation of tugging on his bedsheets. A young man in his late early twenties groaned and held them tightly to his body before they were heartlessly yanked out of his grasp.
"Morning, Master!"
A tinkling, cheerful voice rang in his head as the cool air of the cheap Rustboro
apartment room assailed his suddenly coverless body. He groaned again and grudgingly opened his eyes before giving his companion a response.
"Do you have to wake me up so early, Mew? I'm retired now, you know."
Not only that, but it had only been a week since his long-time rival had been killed in the last battle against the warring legendaries of the region, Kyogre and Groudon. A stray jet of water from the former had knocked her off her wailmer and dragged her down into the murky depths of the ocean. By the time he had stopped looking for her, he had caught hypothermia and was barely conscious as his milotic frantically carried his body back to the shore, away from the same waters that had claimed May. Things were calmer now after Rayquaza had forcibly stopped its two brethren, but things would never be the same without her. Somehow, Brendan didn't feel like getting out of bed early like every other day when that sweet girl he had loved would never wake again.
The same voice broke him out of his reverie. "You can't go on like this, you know," Mew spoke, her tone becoming uncharacteristically solemn.
The morning sun was shining irritatingly into his face. Brendan shut his eyes tightly and rolled over onto his side away from the window, almost tumbling off the bed in the process. He managed to keep his composure, but didn't answer his pokemon again. For a while, the muffled chirping of taillow outside was the only sound that could be heard in the room. After a few minutes of relative silence, his pokemon spoke directly to him for the last time.
"I guess I'll have to do something about this, then."
Brendan braced himself for he kick that would knock him out of bed, but it never came. When he finally opened his eyes again and turned back to Mew, she was gone.
*****
Mew reappeared in a forest far away, not unlike the place she had first met her trainer years ago. Hovering slightly, she scanned the area with her psychic powers before finding the pokemon she was looking for.
"Hypno!"
The tapir pokemon turned around, surprised, before breaking out into a rare grin. His silvery pendulum hung from his fingers, swinging slightly at the motion. "Well, if it isn't Mew!" he exclaimed. "It's been far too long since you were taken away by that human. What brings you here today?"
Mew took a small breath before replying. Hypno winced; things couldn't be good news if even Mew was worried.
"I need you to make me think I'm a human."
With those words, Mew was enveloped in a blinding light. Hypno averted his eyes briefly until the whiteness disappeared. Where Mew used to be stood a young human boy who looked about five years old, dressed in a thin light blue shirt and white shorts. Hypno thought the boy looked familiar, and he realized with a shock that it was because the Mew's new form held a striking resemblance to her human master. They had the same colour hair and eyes.
Disregarding Hypno's lack of a response, the Mew-turned-boy clarified, "I want you to seal away my memories and powers using your hypnosis. I can't be killed so it shouldn't be a problem," Mew added upon seeing the incredulous look starting to form on Hypno's face, "but if it makes you feel better, have my powers be released in the case of an emergency."
"But... but why would you want this?" Hypno asked, still baffled by the strange request. "Surely it's not because of that human of yours?"
The boy looked down at his feet and didn't reply. Finally, he said softly, "This is something I want to do, Hypno."
"But what if you get captured, or hurt? I know you're immortal, but there's no reason to torture yourself like this!" Hypno protested, eyes darting back and forth, looking for a way to stop his friend from making him do this to her. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to-"
"Please." There was something in her voice that made Hypno stop talking. There was a note of desperation in her voice, he realized, something that he had never heard before from the normally happy legendary. He searched Mew's figure for any trace of indecision, and hint of hesitation that would give him something to use to talk her out of this madness. He saw none.
The hypno sat down heavily and put his head in his hands for a minute, pendulum swinging eagerly from his fingers as if in anticipation. Finally, he gave her a reply. "Fine. Lie down, then."
The boy didn't move. "Have somebody fly me to him, okay? You'll know where it is from my memories."
Hypno grunted as he got up, "Yeah, yeah. Now hurry up and lie down before I change my mind about this."
Mew looked back up at him and broke out into a small smile. "Thank you," she said through the boy's mouth, the voice foreign to the hypno. She - he, Hypno corrected - gently lowered his new body onto the ground, staring into the cloudless sky with his new body's emerald eyes. Hypno took a few steps until he was standing beside the boy's head. He closed his eyes, and willed his pendulum to swing.
*****
-Two days later-
Brendan had been out looking for her again. He had already checked Petalburg Forest in case Mew had just wanted some time alone, and he'd checked around the city, too. By now it was almost sunset, and he was beginning to wonder if she'd abandoned him completely. A pokeball wouldn't be enough to stop her from doing that if she wanted to. He fingered her empty pokeball ruefully as he trudged through the empty apartment hallway.
The ex-trainer opened his apartment door. He tiredly stepped out of his shoes and shrugged off his coat, tossing it carelessly onto his bed. He was just about to go into the kitchen to make himself something to eat when he noticed the large form outside on his balcony.
He almost tripped over his feet in surprise when he took a closer look. There was a Pidgeot standing outside as if it were the most normal thing in the world, staring at him with an expression that said none too subtly "What are you standing around for, get out here". What was even more surprising was the fact that there seemed to be a child lying motionless at its feet.
Brendan couldn't get to the balcony fast enough.
He ran out to the sliding glass doors, nearly shattering them in his haste in opening them. As it was, they rattled dangerously as he passed. By the time he had gotten there, the Pidgeot had already hopped onto the railing of the balcony, no doubt preparing for takeoff. Brendan barely had time to hit the ground to avoid being blown back into the apartment as the gigantic bird's wings kicked up a sizable gust that ruffled his hair and clothes. The glass doors rattled again, protesting the amount of abuse they were receiving today. When Brendan looked up, the bird's silhouette was already disappearing into the light of the setting sun.
The older boy looked back down at the mysterious kid - it was a boy, Brendan could see that now - to examine him for injuries. Thankfully, it looked like he was fine though his blue shirt was a bit torn, undoubtedly caused by the huge talons of that Pidgeot. Panic subsiding, Brendan now noted with increasing suspicion that the kid looked uncannily like himself when he was younger.
Putting that thought aside for now, Brendan resolved to at least bring the kid inside; he was probably already freezing his butt off from being flown here in that kind of clothing. He reached out to pick the boy up and froze when he heard a familiar voice in his head.
"Hey mister, where do you think you're touching?" A mock angry voice chastised him. Brendan immediately recoiled and looked around wildly for the source of the "sound". His mouth gaped open in surprise, not knowing what to think.
"Just kidding!" The anger dissolved into Mew's usual bubbly tone, followed by a fit of giggling. At this, Brendan realized the voice was coming from the direction of the mysterious boy, though the kid still seemed to be unconscious. The voice continued, "But you know, I'll be like this for a while, so you'd better get used to it. I'll be counting on you to take good care of me. I've sealed away my memories and powers with the help of an old friend of mine, so don't go acting like I'm the Mew you know. From now on, I'd like it if I could be your son."
The voice paused for a moment, as if to allow Brendan to absorb all of this. As if he could! He forced his mouth closed, but he still couldn't comprehend his pokemon's words.
"By the way, this is a telepathic message I created before I did this." A sombre note crept into her next sentence. "This is probably the last time you'll hear me like this until the day you die. So... don't go trying to wake me up, okay?"
The voice brightened up again, and Brendan wondered not for the first time if her mood swings were because she was female - though she wasn't anymore, Brendan thought dazedly - or because she was a Mew. "Oh, and I chose a male body for a reason. Don't be tempted to grope me while I'm asleep. And don't expect me to call you Master anymore, Dad!" A faint blush crept into Brendan's cheeks. She always did enjoy teasing him.
The voice in his head finally fell silent. The older boy simply sat there for a time, pondering the surreal situation. Still, this was far too much for him to handle right now. It was all Brendan could do to pick up his new "son" and walk back inside, closing the battered balcony door behind him.Chapter End Notes:Thanks for reading! Remember to tell me what you think. I've got the general plot planned out, so the next chapter should be out soon