The bright morning sun reflected off of the waves as Tia and Aidan stood at the railing of a small yacht. The warm, refreshing air blew through their hair as the yacht cut through the water.
Tia looked over at Aidan and smiled, then turned away from the railing. She walked over to a small table, with a tattered, yellowed parchment map spread open on it. The map depicted a small island, far away from any landmark Tia or Aidan were familiar with, in unfamiliar seas.
Carefully, Tia lifted the map and flipped it over, revealing a series of words, old and faded, written on the opposite side:
...ber, 6th day.
If any human… sets foot here…
again… et it be a kindhearted pers…
...ith that hope, I depar…
The old sea map had been mailed to the two of them, from an unknown sender with a postmark dating several weeks before. It wasn’t until Tia and Aidan returned from Navel Rock that they had discovered the map, and realized the location on the map matched Mira’s calculations as to where Mew’s likely location was.
Tia carefully flipped the map back to the front as an elderly man walked over to her. “How’s everything going so far, Mr. Briney?” she asked.
“It’s smooth sailing, from now until we reach Faraway Island,” Mr. Briney said, “The sun’s shining, the night will be clear, and the storms will hold back until we’re long gone!”
“That’s great to hear,” Aidan said, walking over to the table and examining the map.
Aidan and Mr. Briney had known each other since Aidan was a child. Mr. Briney was a close friend of Aidan’s grandfather, and would regularly visit and tell stories of his adventures as a captain of a shipping vessel. He spent more time on land now that he was retired, but agreed to take on the voyage to Faraway Island as a favor to Aidan.
A few hours later, the island was visible from the boat. Tia looked out across the sea at the sliver of land, dark green with a large forest of trees upon it.
They eventually made landfall on a lonely but beautiful beach, devoid of any human habitation. The only landmark was a large tropical forest, spread out as far as the eye could see.
Tia stepped off the boat and walked, her feet sinking into the warm sand, then leveling out as the sand transitioned to dirt. She looked out at the vast forest with anticipation.
“So this is Faraway Island…” she murmured.
“And Mew is supposed to be here?” Aidan asked. He looked around at the beach, then the forest. “It feels so empty.”
Tia laughed a little. “Empty? You could hide an entire city in that forest!” she said, nodding toward the trees.
“You two have fun,” Mr. Briney called out, standing on the yacht and securing it. “I’ll be right here with the boat!”
Tia and Aidan looked at each other and smiled. “‘Have fun,’ he says,” Aidan murmured, “As if we’re a couple of kids on a field trip!”
“Well…” Tia said, “We kind of are. Sort of.”
“If you say so.”
They entered the tree line and were immediately met with more trees. The immense foliage shielded the majority of the plants from sunlight and the forest floor grew dark.
After several minutes of this, Aidan sighed. “We’ll never get anywhere like this,” he said. “Everything looks the same no matter where you look!”
“Maybe we should split up?” Tia suggested.
“I don’t know about that,” Aidan answered. “There’s no signal out here, so our Pokegears would be useless if one of us got lost.” He looked around at the trees and darkness surrounding them. “Let’s just walk a little bit longer.”
After taking several steps, Tia quickly felt a small burst of energy. She gasped, and looked around wildly. She was suddenly in front of a large clearing, with nothing but tall grass everywhere she looked.
“Huh?” Tia looked around again, confused. What happened to the forest? Sunlight shined through the thin canopy of leaves, causing her to shield her eyes for a moment. “Aidan?” she called out. But there was no answer.
“Aidan!” she called out again, causing several birds to fly out of the trees around the clearing. Still, there was no answer.
When Tia’s eyes had adjusted to the bright light, there was a movement from the corner of her eye that made her suddenly turn.
It looked like… a furry, blue tail, sticking out of the tall grass!
Stepping carefully, Tia crept toward the tail, flicking in and out of the tall grass. When she got close enough to touch it, the tail disappeared into the grass and flitted to another spot. As if it were a game of hide-and-seek, Tia chased Mew (or more specifically, its tail) in and out of the tall grass, until she finally cornered it at the edge of the clearing.
“Mew!” the Pokemon called out happily, its blue fur shining in the sunlight.
Tia froze as Mew hovered up and down, twirling around her in delight. She looked back at it with some confusion. It didn’t appear as if it wanted to battle at all.
“Do you…” Tia whispered, “want to play?”
“Mew!” Mew stopped twirling around and looked back at her, head tilted. Then it opened its paws, conjuring a small round ball of pink light, and began bouncing it around with its head.
Tia raised an eyebrow. If she looked at it closely enough, the pink light looked a lot like a Poke Ball…
“You…” Tia said softly, “You want to come along with me?”
“Mew!” Mew did a somersault in midair and spread its tiny arms out. A small, blue ball of light emerged from its paws, hovered in the air for a few moments, then floated over to Tia, disappearing into her forehead.
Immediately, a myriads of sights, sounds and feelings streamed into Tia’s mind. Tia grimaced for a moment, holding her head, trying to make sense of them. Gradually, the sensations slowed down enough for Tia to experience them.
“These are…” she murmured, “your memories?”
Their first meeting at the abandoned truck in Vermilion Harbor. The encounter in the grassy maze of Route 120 in Hoenn. And other encounters Tia was unaware of. Tracking down the Legendary Birds in their cavernous lairs. Chasing the Legendary Beasts through the grasslands of Johto.
Each and every time she and Aidan had faced off against a Legendary Pokemon, Mew was aware of it, if not firsthand, then through the eyes of other Pokemon. And each and every time Mew grew more curious. Who were these humans, so determined to battle and prove their worth to the Legendary Pokemon? Over time, Mew saw that they bore no ill will, and wanted to forge bonds of friendship with the Pokemon they captured.
And now, Mew felt it was ready to experience the world with one of these kindhearted Trainers.
“You’re sure?” Tia asked in response to that last thought.
“Mew, mew!” Mew gave her a brilliant smile.
Tia stared at Mew for a moment, then slowly smiled. “Okay.” She pulled a Legend Ball from her pocket, expanded it, and tossed it lightly toward Mew. With a flash of red light and blue fur, Mew disappeared inside the Ball. The Ball landed in Tia’s hands, growing warm as it sealed itself shut, then quickly cooling off.
Tia then made her way back through the tall grass, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on her skin, until she entered the forest again and the thick canopy bathed the area in darkness.
Immediately, a shout rang out and echoed through the trees.
“Tia!”
Tia blinked. “A-aidan?” she stammered in surprise. It sounded as if he had been calling for her a while. “Aidan!” she called out again, louder.
The trees rustled, and Aidan appeared, looking frantic. “Tia!” he said, running up to her. “Where have you been?” he demanded, “I’ve been looking for you for half an hour. You just disappeared!”
“Sorry,” Tia answered, “But I think something strange happened. I all of a sudden stepped into a clearing with tall grass…”
It was here that she described her encounter with Mew. When she showed Aidan the Legend Ball, he was amazed.
“Just like that, huh?” Aidan asked, “No battle?”
Tia nodded. “It’s been watching us the whole time, and decided we were the right Trainers to experience the world with.”
Aidan was silent for a moment. “That’s a weighty expectation,” he said somberly. “I hope we can live up to it!”
Back aboard Mr. Briney’s yacht, on their way back to civilization, Tia plugged in Mew’s Legend Ball to record the capture data.
Mew
Level 80
Element Type: Psychic
Total Kinetic Energy: 3 MW
Capture Rate: 8.10
Mew’s capture data puzzled Tia for a moment. The numbers were exactly the same as Mewtwo’s, the exact amount of energy expended, and yet with Mew no battle had taken place. It eventually dawned on Tia how much more powerful Mew likely was, if its energy while at rest was equal to Mewtwo’s when angry.
Tia then remembered Aidan’s remark about expectations, and the feeling of responsibility she had felt after capturing Ho-Oh came back. She hoped she would be the right Trainer for Mew.
She closed her laptop and sighed. The night was warm, and the rippling of the waves against the boat seemed to calm her nerves. She looked up at the full moon sparkling against the sky, and with a slight smile, she reached for Mew’s Legend Ball and lightly tossed it into the air.
The Ball popped open with a flash of red light, and Mew emerged, its brilliant blue fur shining. It let out a cheerful squeak and floated around, doing somersaults in the warm night air.
Aidan emerged from the ship’s cabin and stopped dead as Mew zoomed past his face.
“Wha-?” His eyes widened. “Mew?”
Tia giggled. “It’s a wonderful night, and I thought Mew could enjoy it with us!”
Aidan, still staring at Mew in awe, lifted a hand to stroke it, then jumped back in surprise when Mew lurched forward and gave him a bump on the nose.
Tia pulled out a handful of Oran Berries and tossed them to Mew, who caught them in midair. It nibbled on them, then let out a satisfied mewl.
Tia and Aidan’s laughter and Mew’s squeaks echoed across the water as the ship continued to sail through the quiet, moonlit night.