Mirra, the Mimikyu

I don’t have much to give.

My costume is dirty and ragged. Human speech is difficult for me. I’m ugly. And I’m probably bad at fighting. If it were any different, my trainer wouldn’t be afraid.

I can feel it, the palpitations, sweaty skin, rapid breathing, trembling. It’s got the better of her and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I haven’t even thanked her yet – for the food, for the affection, for a place at her side, even if it was only for one day. Domino is good to me.

With one swipe, I keep the Bewear at a distance. My claws just bounce off it, but it’s enough to buy time. It’s not much, but I hope it’s worth trying.

It wasn’t enough for my last trainer.

My costume made him laugh. I think that was good.

Every day, I ate the small portions of food he gave me. I was always praised for it. And I think that was good too.

Then when he gave me this crystal, I just had to become strong to be loved. But I failed. The hidden power never worked between us.

I think that was because of me.

Because I’m weak.

I still remember how angry my trainer’s face was when I failed at an important task. We had lost. A pretty woman with dark skin reprimanded him, and our journey became rough. Later, he put me in a sack. I’ll never forget the stuffy air – days without food or water. Probably a fair punishment for my failure.

And then one day he threw me into the supermarket, trapped in this fabric prison. The other Pokémon freed me. But my trainer was gone.

I probably deserved that, too.

A quick glance at Domino reminds me of all these things; that my fear differs from hers and yet we both know this feeling. I am not alone with this emotion by her side. She is a light that keeps me warm. There is room in her heart for something like me. The curse of Gastly proved it – her words, her panic, her search for something. Like a long-forgotten Pokémon, she has roamed, just like most of the others. And maybe that makes us strong together. Maybe we can create something of our own, so we don’t have to be afraid.

Bewear stumbles back a few steps as I dare a quick retreat and appear at Domino’s side.

“Not fear,” I breathe to her in my distorted voice. As I do so, I carefully slide a hand out from under the costume and take hold of that of my trainer. Her fear flows like oil into my body. “Me can do.”

For a moment, she just looks at me. The trembling in her body doesn’t fade. Even when she opens her mouth to say something, nothing comes out. Instead, she tightens her grip on my hand, filling me with warmth and gratitude no one has ever given me before.

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“We can’t win...” Domino finally forces out. She doesn’t believe in herself. Not in me. Not in us.

I can understand that. My weakness is clear. But to protect Domino, to guard the warm light, I’ll do anything. Even if I fail... Maybe I can buy enough time to give her new possibilities.

“Mirra can! For love. You. Fair price.”

Her eyes widen and her panic settles deep inside me. It is the power I will use to be useful. So I press the Z-Crystal into her hand and gain distance.

The bow around the neck of my costume is another old memory. But this time I don’t feel like it’s just a pretty accessory for an ugly thing like me. The stone weighs heavy and every frightened fibre in me seems to want to break free.

Anxiety overwhelms my body, driving me forward so I ram the Bewear with all my might. It crashes to the ground and gives me time to become one with my trainer. Every spark of energy, every bad memory, everything that has ever frightened us – I gather it into a ball. Dark and repulsive and threatening, constantly growing. A shadow ball that isn’t one. Yet I throw it upwards as if it were.

The mass grows larger. Lightness settles over me. The all-consuming maelstrom seems to wash away all my mistakes.

I hope my trainer feels it too.

“Mirra!” Her voice reaches me from a distance – only a whisper. “Come back! We have to get out of here!”

My raised hands twitch. She wants to run away with me, away from this place and the people she sees as enemies. I am more important to her than victory.

That’s nice.

But she deserves more than defeat. If I can bring her victory, then I’m happy to stay here. With this power, I can make her proud.

She will praise me for it.

Because I was useful.

Still, I glance over at her. She doesn’t look happy. Ying, who used to be a Zorua, grabs and throws her half over her shoulder. Then she turns to me.

“Just come back!”

Warm. Trust settles over the fear in my body. Someone else wants me to do this and make everyone proud. This Zoroark is a nice creature. Like Domino.

Maybe that’s why they’re so close.

It almost makes me a little sad.

And the darkness above me begins to lose its shape. The power that was previously so secure in my hands is disappearing. It has reached its limit, and this is probably the point at which I have to change something.

“Press the hole together. Bring it back to its original shape.”

The dark voice reaching me is unfamiliar. It’s a Pokémon, that much I realise, but I can’t see it anywhere. The other humans have taken their partners and run away. My trainer and her many friends are no longer here either.

Only I am left.

And that voice.

Still, I try to follow the advice. My hands try to touch, against all the resistance trying to stop them. Meanwhile, the hole above me shrinks.

“What will happen if it’s another shadow ball?” Maybe I can talk to the unknown voice. Then it won’t feel so lonely.

“A black hole that closes brings aftershocks.”

“Aftershocks?”

“A dark column of pure, negative energy. Enough to wipe out a small village.” A snort escapes the voice. “If you do it faster, you could kill them all.”

“But then I’ll hurt my trainer.”

“She’ll throw you away one day, anyway. The humans hate you.”

“She doesn’t. She likes me.”

“And if you fail?”

My eyes feel watery. “Then I’ll deserve it if she abandons me.”

“You’re a stupid thing.”

I probably am. But part of me has this hope that I won’t have to be alone anymore because Domino is different. She’s not special, but she’s friendlier than anyone I know.

The certainty makes it easy to shrink the hole into a ball – so tiny you can barely see it. In the same instant, I realise how the power is slipping away. I can no longer control it. Neither the shockwave that sweeps over me as the ball bursts, nor the dark energy released, which hits me like an explosion.

It spreads so quickly I can’t even think about running away. I only have one question left.

Will Domino be proud of me?