Chapter 205: The Pokémon Ancestor
"As expected, the belief that the Tree of Beginning is the origin of most Fossil Pokémon isn't just nonsense," Will said, glancing around after entering the Tree. He saw many ancient Pokémon that were supposed to be extinct: Armaldo, Cradily, Aerodactyl... these were all Pokémon that had lived tens of thousands of years ago, or even longer.
Outside, you could only find their fossils in museums. As for fossil revival technology, that probably wouldn't exist until the Devon Corporation was founded in Hoenn.
"The Pokémon of the past had some unique designs," Will remarked, walking through the primeval forest. He felt a sense of nostalgia; the Mt. Silver of a thousand years ago had a similar environment, just not as bright. The Tree of Beginning was a massive, light-absorbing life form, so its interior was naturally filled with light.
"Mew... I remember... it should be at the top," Will said, looking up. He saw a series of spiral rock layers ascending around the outer wall, which he could use to go up. But he had no idea which way to go from there. It had been over twenty years since he had seen the movie; he couldn't remember the path Ash had taken.
"I'll just head up first," he decided. He would find Mew eventually. If all else failed, he could just shout or ask the local Pokémon.
...
Two hours later, he arrived in a small, secluded valley. A crystal-clear river flowed through it. At the base of a hollow tree was a small mountain of toys. Will knew he had found the right place. This was where Mew lived. It was probably off at the palace, stealing more toys.
"I'll just wait here," Will said. He sat down by the pile of toys, picked up a miniature treasure chest, and wound the key on its side. The lid popped open, and a tiny Lapras sprang out, accompanied by an ancient-sounding melody.
"Heh, this thing must be old," Will grinned, watching the little Lapras bob back and forth.
Just then, he felt a giant shadow fall over him. He turned his head.
Standing over him was a large, black-and-red bird Pokémon with three wings: Yveltal, the God of Destruction.
Will raised an eyebrow. He knew this wasn't the real Yveltal; it was Mew, transformed. But to see it with his own eyes... it was impossible not to be shocked.
"Mew, I know it's you. Change back."
"Mew?!"
The Yveltal was stunned, and in a poof, it reverted to the small, cute, pink Pokémon. It flew around Will, its face full of confusion. No one had ever seen through its disguise before. Will was the first.
"Mew~" Mew suddenly landed on Will's head and hugged it. It could feel a vibrant energy inside him.
"What?" Will looked up, and in that instant, the Mew on his head had transformed... into a Celebi.
"Huh? You can even turn into Celebi?" Will was stunned. He knew Mew could turn into Legendary Pokémon, but he had never known if it could turn into Mythical ones. Mythical Pokémon weren't necessarily stronger, but their abilities and lore were often even more exaggerated.
But it seemed he had underestimated it. After all, Mew's genes "contain the information of all Pokémon, allowing it to use all moves." In that case, it made sense that it could also transform into a Mythical.
"Mew~"
Mew changed back to its original form and nuzzled him.
"Can I ask you for a favor?" Will said, gently lifting Mew from his head and holding it in his arms. Its fur was incredibly soft and fine.
"Mew?"
"I have two friends outside. I want to bring them in, but those three pillars won't let them. Can you help me?"
"Mew!"
Mew nodded without even thinking. Will couldn't help but smile. He didn't know if Mew was incredibly smart or incredibly simple. To have lived for who knows how long and still maintain such a pure and playful heart... Pokémon truly were magical creatures.
He, on the other hand, had only been in this world for a little over twenty years, and he felt he had already changed immensely. He couldn't imagine what he would be like in a thousand years. Would he be like those gods, with a short temper, or an emotionless being who would just watch as the world crumbled? Sometimes he was afraid of becoming something that wasn't human or Pokémon.
"Mew," Mew flew from Will's grasp and pounced on a large crystal nearby.
Voom~
The crystal pulsed with light, and a faint, verdant glow spread through the entire Tree of Beginning for a moment, as if in response.
"Mew~" Mew flew back, gave Will a kiss, and said it had told the Tree.
"Thank you. In that case, let's live together for a while, shall we? I think we'll be friends. And... I have something important to discuss with you and the Tree," Will said.
"Mew? Mew!" Mew's eyes lit up, and it nodded excitedly. Someone wanted to stay and play! As for the "important thing"... that could wait. It had plenty of time!
"Then you wait here. I'll go get them. Or... do you want to come with me?"
"Mew!"
Mew zipped over to its toy pile and began to rummage through it.
"Are you picking out a welcome gift for them?"
"Mew," it nodded, tossing aside a Gengar doll. It loved that one too much to give it away. It then picked up a small, antique carriage, weighed it in its hand, and tossed it aside too. Not good enough.
Will just squatted and watched, amused. It was like watching a baby pick out a toy. Time passed. Will was starting to nod off, and Mew was still deciding, either too reluctant to part with a toy or feeling it wasn't valuable enough.
"I don't think you need to give them a gift. You can just invite them over to play with all these toys. They'll be happy, and you won't lose anything."
"Mew!" Mew paused, then nodded. That makes sense!
"Mew!"
Let's go! Mew grabbed Will's wrist with its tail and pulled him, flying out of the Tree of Beginning. Will, feeling the cool air rush past him, felt a sense of nostalgia. The last time he had flown... he had been in a Pelipper's beak. He had really missed this feeling.
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