Story Notes:
Pokemon, recognizable characters, and settings are copyright to their owners. The specific characters and story are copyright to the author. The author in no way is making a claim to Pokemon or any related properties. This is meant as a work of parody.
Legendary Games
A white, fluffy cloud drifted across the sun, disturbing the beam of light that had been filtering through the leaves and waking Mew from the nap she had been enjoying. The pink, distinctly feline pokémon blinked a few times, yawned, and levitated up from the crook of the tree branch she had been sleeping on. She had lived and traveled to many places, but trees were by far the nicest places she had ever been in, and the tall tree that sat at the highest point of Faraway Island was her favorite. When she was awake enough, Mew glared up at the treacherous cloud that had interrupted her sleep, but her irritation soon dissolved when she remembered what she had fallen asleep waiting for.
*Today's the day everyone's coming to visit!* she recalled happily. *We're going to have so much fun!* She rose higher into the air and started zipping through the trees, playing a little game with herself and seeing how close she could get to the branches without crashing into them. Mew found she could get quite close, but the danger came in being distracted by every little bug or leaf flying through the air. She came close to hitting her head twice before she decided it was a good time to stop playing. Settling down in her tree again, she amused herself by creating a trio of psychic energy balls and juggling them with her hind legs.
A sudden sensation made her look away from her game with an inquisitive meow. She thought she had heard something...or felt something. Being a psychic, it was kind of hard for her to tell sometimes. Mew looked around. For some reason, whatever she had felt had seemed a little familiar, but incredibly strange as well. She shook it off. Whatever it had been, she couldn't feel it anymore.
Just then, a much more familiar presence made her giggle with joy and shoot away from the tree, making for the lowlands of Faraway Island, where the beaches were located. When she arrived a short time after setting out, she found a person she had not seen in quite some time. A green pokémon with the appearance of a fairy was drifting along on his back, a few inches above the sand and gazing out at the sea.
*Brother!* she greeted the newcomer.
The other pokémon turned his head, his expression merry as he saw Mew speeding towards him. *Sister!* Celebi called, returning her greeting. The two legendary pokémon came together and embraced. *I got your message and came from Johto as fast as I could. What's this all about?*
*Uh-uh!* Mew scolded him, wagging one of her small arms at Celebi. *Not until everyone else is here!*
They didn't have long to wait before "everyone" arrived to join them on the beach. From far-off Sinnoh came the trio of the lakes: Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf. Soon after came Manaphy, sliding onto the sand from under the waves following a long swim from the Fiore region.
*Mew...what...did you call us...here for?* Uxie asked, his mind's voice deep and slow, betraying the near-perpetual state of sleepiness that his eyes-closed, head-hung expression suggested.
*Yes, dear. Your message was rather unclear about the purpose of our meeting.* This came from Mesprit, in the soft melodious voice that gave no hint to her true, playful personality.
*And it was a long, boring flight from Sinnoh,* Azelf put in, his words revealing a touch of annoyance.
"Really?" Manaphy asked, her tone cheerful and bouncy. The only non-Psychic type of the group, her speech was audible instead of through thought. "You should have swum! It was fun!"
A barrage of questions began from the assembled pokémon of legend. Mew tried to get a word of explanation in, but something distracted her and made her look back towards the trees. The presence that she felt before was back. She reached out with both her mind and her eyes, but whatever was out there skirted around her mental probe and vanished.
*MEW!* the lake trio shouted in unison.
Mew dragged her attention back to her friends. *What?*
"What are we here for?" Manaphy asked.
*Oh! Right.* Mew laughed at her own forgetfulness *I called you all here for a very specific reason.* She twirled in the air for a moment, her long tail whipping behind her. *Do you all know what day it is?* The gathered pokémon all looked at each other, their faces blank. Mew shook her head at their inability to remember. *This is the ten thousandth anniversary of the day that Arceus created the universe, including us. It's our birthday!*
Celebi slapped himself in the head. *I completely forgot!* he said. *But who would have thought that Mew would be the one out of all of us to remember an important date?*
Mew eyed him, a mock expression of anger on her face. *Just because I act scatterbrained doesn't mean I am, brother.* She looked back at the group as a whole. *To mark this auspicious occasion, I thought it would be a treat to gather my closest friends and hold a tournament, of sorts.*
*A...tournament?* Uxie repeated.
*Yes! The first-ever Legendary Games!* Mew conjured up an image in the air above her head. The pictures showed, in sequence, groups of humans running around a track, swimming in a pool, and shooting targets. *Humans have a custom of periodically holding sporting events in which they compete for speed and athletic ability. So today, we shall do the same!*
Mesprit shook her head. *Mew, dear, you've always been the playful type.*
*Look who's talking,* Mew shot back. Mesprit blushed. *So? What do you all say?*
Her friends glanced around amongst each other. *Why not?* Azelf said.
*Should be an enjoyable day,* Celebi agreed.
"Let's play!" Manaphy piped up, hopping into the air.
Mew gathered everyone at a small bay on the other side of Faraway Island. The bay was deep and clear, with lots of natural coral structures underneath the shimmering water in a riot of greens, pinks, and purples. The coral made arches, short tunnels, and wide loops. Fish and sea pokémon were swimming in and around the reefs, contributing to the natural beauty.
*Our first event,* Mew said. *Will be an underwater obstacle course!*
Manaphy looked delighted, but the lake trio seemed less excited. While just as capable of living underwater as the diminutive water legendary, they were not as speedy or maneuverable in the water. Celebi, likewise, was not accustomed to underwater environments, while Mew was an expert swimmer.
*The object will be to travel around and through the obstacles as quickly as possible while staying on the marked track,* Mew said. She closed her eyes and glowed with mental energy. Under the surface of the water, a ghostly red line appeared, twisting its way along around the reef. A glowing green ring marked the end of the line. *The first pokémon through the finishing ring is the winner.*
Everyone nodded. They dropped into the water and lined up at the beginning of the track. Mew looked around. The water was very clean, very clear, and untouched by any sort of pollution. She could see for hundreds of yards all around. They were all ready.
*Three, two, one...GO!*
At Mew's word, the pokémon all shot away from the starting point. Mew quickly took the lead, followed closely by Manaphy and Azelf. Mesprit was behind in the middle of the pack, with Uxie and Celebi taking up the rear. The first obstacle was a hoop-like coral structure. They had to pass right through it to stay on the path.
Mew was first to reach the hoop, but she clipped the side with one leg and lost ground to Manaphy, who went in front. Azelf gained on her, too, but she regained her speed and managed to pull away from her. Mew looked back, and was surprised to see that Celebi was moving past Mesprit and would soon be on her tail.
*No you don't!* Mesprit called. She put on an extra burst of speed, trying to prevent herself from being passed. The move backfired, however. As the race went through the second obstacle, a series of coral towers that had to be approached with a slalom pattern, Mesprit began to tire and she started to fall behind.
The group was coming up on the third and final obstacle, an unusual formation of coral that made a tunnel about thirty feet long. The tunnel was a tight fit, and to get through one had to carefully manage speed and maneuvering. Mew was neck and neck with Manaphy, but only one of them could fit through the tunnel at a time. The native of Fiore managed to get to it just a second before Mew, and she shot into the opening, forcing Mew to slow down to avoid a collision. She picked up the pace once she was in, though, and never lost sight of the little blue pokémon in front of her. At this point, the outcome of the race was pretty much decided, but there was still potential for an upset at the very end. As Manaphy and Mew exited the tunnel, they were faced with a long straightaway to the finish ring. One by one, they opened up and made a flat-out dash for the end. Mew was closing on Manaphy, and Azelf was not far behind.
Manaphy made it through the ring first. Mew and Azelf went back and forth for second place, but Mew pushed past the Sinnoh pokémon and took it by a hair. They both shot out of the sea, soaring thirty feet into the air above the winner's head. Next out of the water was Mesprit, followed a minute later by Uxie.
They waited for Celebi to surface. He didn't show. Puzzled, Manaphy dipped back under the water to look. She couldn't see the fairy pokémon anywhere.
*Where is he?* Mew asked, descending down the water level.
"I don't know," Manaphy responded, bringing her head back above the waves. "I can't see him."
Mew and Manaphy dove back into the water together. The trail that Mew had created was fading rapidly, but they were easily able to find the coral tunnel, the last place that Mew was sure Celebi had been. They went inside. There they found Celebi, pulling at his leg with both of his hands.
He saw Mew and Manaphy coming towards him. *I'm stuck!* he called frantically. *Something has my foot!*
Mew went and looked at his foot. *It doesn't look like it's stuck on anything.*
*Well, tell the foot that! I can't move it!*
Manaphy took his arms and started pulling while Mew pried at his foot. Celebi couldn't hold his breath forever, and they needed to get him out of the water before he drowned. Finally, his foot came free from whatever had been holding it, and they helped Celebi out of the coral structure. Seconds later, the three broke the surface of the water underneath the hovering lake trio. Celebi coughed several times, taking deep gulps of air.
The presence Mew had been feeling was back again, and this time she could feel a hint of malevolence associated with it. She looked in the direction she thought it was coming from. *Show yourself!* she called. *I know you're out there!*
*Who are you yelling at?* Azelf asked.
*Didn't you feel that?* Mew asked. *That presence, just then?*
Mesprit and Azelf both shook their heads, but Uxie nodded slowly. *I...felt...something...,* he said. *Just for...a second. But...now it's...gone.*
Mew turned her attention back to Celebi. *Are you okay?*
Celebi was breathing normally again. *I'm fine.*
*Are you sure? Maybe we should stop for today.*
*No!* Celebi insisted. *You were really excited about this earlier. We should keep going.*
Mew looked back down at the coral beneath them. She shook her head gently. Maybe she was just imagining things. But...Uxie had said he felt it, too...
*Alright,* Mew said. *Let's go on to the next event.*
The next game that Mew had planned was another race, of sorts, but this time it was geared to make sure that the pokémon who were at a disadvantage in the first game would have a better chance in this one. For the event, Mew showed the group to the bottom of the hill that led up to the forested high point of the island. The hill was moderately steep, and a pokémon that had to depend on running might have gotten tired out on it. Near the top of the hill the ground transitioned from rocky dirt to grass, about twenty feet from the tree line.
*I think I know what your plan is here, Mew,* Azelf said.
*Well, maybe you do and maybe you don't,* Mew said. *Do you all see the highest tree, right there at the top of the island?* Everyone looked to see the tree standing there, just as she said. *We're going to race to that tree.*
Celebi and the lake trio looked much more eager than they had about the last event, but Manaphy looked warily at the hill. She couldn't fly, and her legs weren't really optimized for running.
*Don't everyone look so happy,* Mew warned. *There's a catch. Until you hit the grass near the top of the hill, your feet can't leave the ground. And that means no flying.* The Psychic-types' faces fell, and Manaphy brightened a little bit. *So, are there any questions?* There were none, so they formed a line at the bottom of the hill. *Okay...ready...GO!*
The group began running up the hill. Mew, who had the longest legs of any of them, took the lead at first, and Celebi was right behind her. Azelf came next, followed by Mesprit and Uxie. Manaphy brought up the rear, struggling on her stubby legs.
Mew was a quarter of the way up the hill when Celebi began to pass her. *I'm gonna beat you, sis!* he taunted her. Mew saw that he was beating his fairy-like wings furiously, using the thrust to add speed to his run. At the same time, using the wings meant he was putting less strain on his legs. *See you at the top!* Mew looked on enviously as Celebi moved up the slope at a fair clip.
She chanced a look behind her and saw the last thing she had expected to see. Manaphy was shooting towards her, passing the lake trio, riding on a small wave. The seafaring legendary was generating a jet of water behind herself, using the force to push herself along at a much faster pace than she could have managed with her legs.
*Hey, no fair!* Azelf protested as Manaphy went past.
"I'm not off the ground!" Manaphy pointed out to him, laughing.
Mew, grinning, looked back up the hill. *Hey, look out!* she called, suddenly alarmed. A large rock had somehow come loose from the ground, and was starting to tumble down towards the racers. Celebi dodged it easily, and Mew also, but the rock went straight at Manaphy, and she at her speed she wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Luckily, the rolling rock hit a bump in the hill and bounced right over her head. It continued down, missing the lake trio by inches, and broke apart at the bottom of the hill.
Meanwhile, Celebi reached the grass boundary and gleefully rose into the air, starting to fly. Mew and Manaphy reached that point simultaneously, and Mew also started flying, easily pulling away from Manaphy. The Water-type didn't stay behind for long, though; she ramped up the power on her makeshift jet and matched Mew's speed. Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie got to the grass soon after. They were much faster fliers than Celebi and Mew, and quickly took the lead. The only question now was who would reach the tree first. They could all see it, looming in the distance.
Mesprit was the first to touch the tree, then Azelf and Uxie. Celebi made fourth place, followed by Mew. Manaphy made it last, although she had put in a valiant effort and would have passed Mew if the race had been just a few yards longer.
Mew was furious when the race was over. *Someone pushed that rock!* she asserted. *It couldn't have gone down by itself!* She looked around, reaching out with her mental senses.
*I feel something,* Mesprit said. *It's over there, in the trees that way!* She pointed in the direction she was indicating. Everyone could see a dark figure hovering amongst the leaves.
*We can see you!* Mew yelled. *You're not getting away this time!*
The shadowy figure started to dissolve away, but the Psychic-types combined their powers and reached out with a disabling blast of telekinetic energy, forcing the entity to rematerialize. Unable to make itself invisible, the creature turned and started to fly away. Leaving Manaphy behind, the rest of the legendaries took chase.
Mesprit and Azelf caught up to it first. They grabbed their target physically, slowing him down and letting the rest of the group join them. Using a paralyzing mental attack, they immobilized the figure. Finally, they hauled it around so they could see who it was.
*Darkrai!* Mew said. *I thought it was you when I sensed you before, but I wasn't sure.*
"Let me go!" Darkrai said, shaking his head from side to side and struggling against the combined efforts of his captors. "You can't keep me here like this!"
*You're not going anywhere,* Celebi said. *Not until we've gotten an explanation out of you.* They dragged Darkrai back to where they had left Manaphy and brought him down to ground level. Once on the ground, he stopped struggling and went quiet.
"You've been a meanie!" Manaphy accused him. "You could have hurt Celebi in the water earlier!"
"I...I wasn't trying to..."
*And pushing that rock down the hill was really dangerous!* Mew added. *You could have hurt all of us!*
"I wasn't trying to hurt anybody," Darkrai mumbled. "I just wanted to scare you, that's all."
*But...why...do you want to...scare us?* Uxie droned.
"Because you all are out here having fun," Darkrai said. "Mew, you invited friends over, but I don't have anyone to play with."
*But that's no reason to scare other people,* Mesprit said gently.
"I know. I'm sorry, it's just..." Darkrai sighed and looked down. "Nobody ever invites me anywhere."
Mew was surprised by Darkrai's words. *You mean, you were just feeling left out?*
"Yeah...kinda..."
Smiling a little, Mew huddled up with the rest of her friends. After a few minutes of whispering, she turned back to Darkrai. *Okay, then. If you promise to be good from now on, we'll let you play with us.*
Darkrai looked up. "You mean it?"
*Sure. I have a few more games we can play,* Mew said, giggling.
*But no more underwater tricks,* Azelf said.
"Or rocks," Manaphy added. "Okay?"
"Yeah, I promise," Darkrai said happily.
Mew looked around the group. *Great then!* she laughed. *Come on, everybody! There's tons more to do before the day is over!* She twirled up into the air and zipped away through the trees. Laughing at their friend's playful attitude, the rest of the pokémon went off after her. Darkrai, their new companion for the day, was close behind.
It looked like the second half of the day on Faraway Island would be even more fun than the first!Chapter End Notes:Oh, God, the sugary-ness of it all! I can't believe I wrote something so cutesy-wootsy.
And I can't believe I just said cutesy-wootsy.
Anyway, I just felt like I needed to write something light and fun for a change. I hope you all enjoyed it