Chapter 21: Mew

Don't forget to drop some power stones!

*****

Unlike the hotel he came from, there were still plenty of people out and about. He didn't spot any Team Rocket members on the main streets, which was good. That would be dumb if he did, as every single member is a wanted criminal. They wouldn't strut about places that were visible to others.

Traffic, on the other hand, was much lighter this late into the night. He made all the lights, making the ride smooth. Ricky kept his hands on the wheel, and enjoyed some time to himself. He even listened to some music along the way. Ricky was surprised to see music genres were mostly the same to his past life. Of course, all the music artists were, of course, completely different. It's not like anyone reincarnated here alongside Ricky. God made sure of that.

Ricky was a big Rock enjoyer, so once he turned on the tunes, it was as if everyone else began to slow down before him. The car sped along even more, making the car ride incredibly smooth. More than half an hour passed in a blink of an eye. He went from one edge of the large city toward the other side of it. A giant structure soon came into view. He didn't arrive with a Flying Taxi this time around, so he proceeded along other drivers, going through the main road. He didn't need to detour to the parking areas.

Considering there was a large flight coming in from Kalos's capital city, which was Lumiose City, seeing lots of other drivers head into the large and endless pick-up curb was a common sight. Ricky wasn't the only one to pick up their significant other or their loved ones.

Picking a good spot, Ricky pulled out his Pokedex, and sent Serena a message saying he arrived. Ricky planned to wait outside near his car so he was easy to spot. Unlike others, he did have an active tan on his body. A sharp-eyed, black and spiky-haired man dressed in popular branded clothes, and sporting a tan on top of all of that did make him pop out if placed in a crowd of people. Once he got out of the car, he did attract a wandering eye or two. Thankfully, no one approached Ricky.

Unless one was a night owl, most people here wore tired expressions in their gazes. Ricky checked the time again, and it now displayed midnight. His Pokedex flashed brightly in the dusky air, immediately drawing Ricky's gaze to it. He saw a single message show up. The Pokedexes worked very similarly to smartphones to his past life, it was scary how similar they behaved to each other. Serena said their flight had just landed, so it would only be a few more moments until she left the airport!

At this time, Ricky felt a fluctuation in the air, causing his gaze to wander around again. This time, it was in the sky above his parking spot. A cute and lovable Pokemon distorted space before his eyes. Ricky raised them seeing the Pokemon appear.

"Mew!", Mew happily exclaimed, popping into existence. Mew liked to do this a lot wherever it went.

"I was beginning to wonder where you wandered off to.", Ricky said, greeting Mew.

"Mew?", Mew questioned, only to spot the black-haired man before him, standing below. The man was looking right at Mew, compared to everyone else in the airport. Everyone else acted as if Mew didn't exist.

"Mew!", Mew said, quickly recognizing Ricky among the crowd of people waiting for the next flight to exit. Mew teleported directly beside Ricky, instead of floating down. Ricky wasn't bothered by the sudden action. Instead, Ricky reached his hand out, and Mew allowed him to do a pat.

Ricky didn't need to be careful about Mew being spotted by others. Unlike other mythical Pokemon, Mew, excluding the fact that it was known as the origin of all Pokemon, had a special ability that others didn't. Mew's ability either allowed humans to perceive its existence, or didn't. And that was based on a person's pure heart. If a person was evil, Mew would be nowhere near them.

That was why Ricky wasn't bothered by zero reactions from the other people around him. From their point of view, it was just as if Ricky was looking in a particular direction, gazing outward. Any wandering eyes were quick to vanish, becoming disinterested.

"I didn't see you back in Alola for a while, Mew. Did you have some fun?", Ricky decided to ask, seeing Mew now before him. He kept his voice low.

"Mew. Mew mew.", Mew suddenly began to talk, causing Ricky to pause in his tracks. He raised his eyebrows at mew's speaking. Ricky wasn't expecting Mew to say that. Ricky also acted as if he had understood Mew, to which he does. Mew became attached to him ever since he attended Professor Oak's Summer Camp a decade ago. Since then, Mew came to recognize Ricky as his friend.

Ricky initially had zero intention of wanting to capture Mew, considering Mew was a mythical Pokemon. But realizing he's going to be starting out on a new adventure, full of unknowns...

Ricky had another look at Mew. He could understand what mew had just said, which was what distracted him.

"Did I hear that right? You met up with Gladion after we left and Gladion is expressing interest in starting a journey here in Kanto?", Ricky asked, sucking in a cold breath of air. It was especially cool out, considering it was midnight. His eyes turned sharp with clarity.

"Mew.", Mew responded, bobbing its cute head up and down.

In the end, Ricky could only smile hearing that. Ricky had encountered Gladion on numerous occasions, but he never knew what to make of him. Gladion liked to accomplish tasks that he had his mind set to, in his own style. He also protected Lillie a lot from the shadows. He didn't really make public appearances, unlike Ricky. So in a way, by extension, Gladion was Ricky's shadow.

"So Gladion is finally entering the stage, huh...", Ricky mused after he heard Mew say that.

In a way, Ricky was glad that Gladion had reached such a decision, and by himself. He was likely observing Lillie for quite some time, and had reached this decision after seeing Lillie reach her own decision of setting off on a journey. Ricky assumed that was what propelled him to decide that.

"Mew?", Mew questioned, seeing Ricky enter his thoughts. Ricky was quick to snap out of them after hearing Mew's voice again. He laughed.

"Haha, oh it's nothing. Thank you for relaying this information to me, Mew.", Ricky responded with a laugh.

"Mew mew!", Mew happily said, and swerved around Ricky's body swiftly. Mew appeared happy after hearing Ricky say that.

"Still...", Ricky uttered, seeing Mew acting so carefree like this. After Ricky began to say that, Mew suddenly paused, and remained floating next to him.

Ricky was able to get a good look at the legendary Pokemon, whose existence knew no bounds. It was said that Mew was the origin of all Pokemon!

"If it is going to go in line with the anime instead of the games...", Ricky continued to utter to himself. He mulled over a thought that was striking against his mind. It wasn't the first time he had considered this thought. It had come across him multiple times in fact. It was just the whole world is open to him now. Ricky wasn't sure what was going to be sent his way, once he set off on his journey with Lillie and Serena.

Ricky only stared at Mew, who was observing him. Ricky recalled that even for legendary and mythical Pokemon, unless it was a Pokemon like Arceus who was literally God, there were multiple of the same mythical Pokemon. A resolute look appeared in Ricky's eyes as he thought that.

"Say Mew, how would you like to be my partner? You know, officially?", Ricky decided to ask Mew.

"Mew?", Mew questioned. All Mew saw Ricky do was him reaching into his Item Pouch. He pulled out a single red Pokeball.

In the end, the decision was still up to Mew. Ricky didn't want to force it. But if it does happen, Ricky wasn't sure how the story will progress from here. If he did this, he very well may get entwined with Giovanni on a much more personal level. After all, Mewtwo was created from Mew.

But Ricky felt he had developed a unique bond with Mew over the years. It was the same feeling he shares with Amber, who was his first partner. He wasn't sure if Amber would get jealous at Mew if Mew accepts this, but he would deal with that later. Ricky didn't know if such another opportunity would get sent his way, if he didn't act now.

Mew had a look at the red Pokeball in Ricky's hand. At first Mew was confused, but after that momentary confusion, Mew had another look at Ricky.

Time seemed to have slowed down during the short moment Mew's eyes were locked with Ricky's eyes.

"Mew!", Mew happily said to Ricky. Reaching its cute hand toward the red Pokeball, Mew suddenly tapped it open. Next, Mew's entire body was wrapped in the red glow.

Ricky smiled seeing Mew get captured into the Pokeball. He hadn't the faintest clue he would be able to catch one of the rarest Pokemon out there!

Ricky saw the Pokeball capture Mew into it, proceeding to wiggle three times. Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle.

Ding!

The capturing sound echoed in his ears, causing Ricky to smile.

"Welcome to the team, partner.", Ricky whispered to himself. He truly felt happy Mew saw things his way. Ricky was sure there were more Mew out there, so he didn't have to worry about this one playing a role in the unknown.