The first thing that greeted Ethan as he awoke was the soreness he felt in his everything. Groaning, he tried to sit up but was stopped by a warm, soft weight on his chest. He opened his eyes to discover a bundle of brown and cream-colored fur, taking in slow, even breaths.
It took a moment for him to make the connection between the sleeping fox on his chest and the previous day's events.
Right…. I wound up in another dimension, incurred the unprovoked wrath of three super-powered Minecraft golems, and saved an eevee that the Detective Pikachu movie didn't do justice, he recalled, then sighed. I'm probably – no, definitely going to need therapy.
Ethan focused on the Evolution Pokémon again, the corner of his lip curving upward. It didn't matter what universe he was in; if an animal is sleeping on you, you do not move from your spot and are stuck until they move off you. I guess I need to add Pokémon to that unwritten rule, he mused.
It wasn't long before the sun climbed over the mountains to the east, its light shining on Eevee's dozing form. Eevee yawned cutely, her small, white, pointed canines catching the light. She licked a paw and began grooming the messy fur on her head.
"Hey, Eevee? I know I make a great bed, but I really need to pee," Ethan quipped. "Did you sleep well?"
Eevee's eyes shot open, and she pounced, assaulting the human's face and ears with aggressive licks and excited yips.
Ethan laughed and winced, fruitlessly trying to protect his face from the onslaught of cuteness. "Stop that, Eevee, please," he begged. He slowly struggled into a sitting position, causing Eevee to fall into his lap. He brought up a hand to pet Eevee between her ears. After a moment, Eevee leaned into his touch, purring contentedly.
"You're pretty friendly. Thanks for keeping me warm. Now, where am I?" Ethan asked.
"Eev-vee eevee!" Eevee replied, puffing out her chest.
"…I hate to burst your bubble, but humans don't understand Pokémon speech," Ethan told the proud eevee.
Eevee blinked and tilted her head, a broad smile still on her face.
Ethan chuckled. "I'm a human, Eevee. I can't understand Pokémon speech," he clarified.
If Ethan had a camera…. He grabbed the pack at his side, took out his phone, and opened the camera app to capture Eevee's expression. Her green eyes had somehow gotten wider, her ears straightened, and he was sure her jaw would have hit the floor and continued through if it could. That's my new lock screen photo for sure, Ethan decided.
Eevee was in awe. Her new friend was a hooman! Eevee thanked Jirachi for making her wish come true.
Ethan booped Eevee's wet nose to get her attention. She came out of her trance and sneezed, rapidly shaking her head from side to side. Ethan chuckled and put on the most genuine smile that had graced his lips in a long time. I still can't believe I'm with an actual eevee! A Pokémon! he thought.
"Eevee, do you know where Mew is?" Ethan asked. "I need to talk with them." He figured if he were going to make any progress getting out of here and back home, Mew would be a great place to start. He had questions that needed answers.
"Eevee!" Eevee nodded, rolled off his lap, and ran to a nearby tunnel. She stopped and looked back at him expectantly. "Eev? Eevee!" She called, prancing in place.
"Okay, I'm coming. Just… give me a moment. I wasn't kidding about needing to pee," Ethan replied. He slowly stood up, grimacing as he did so. He shouldered his pack, adjusted his glasses, and, after finding a place to relieve himself, followed the impatient eevee.
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Eevee stopped at a spring to drink, and Ethan took the opportunity to quench his thirst, refill his canteen, and wash the dirt, blood, and sweat off his face and hands. The scabs on his feet reopened, and Ethan took the opportunity to clean and wrap them with antiseptic gauze from his first-aid kit, which thankfully didn't soak through. With his immediate needs fulfilled, his mind was free to wander while he followed Eevee, who was humming an unfamiliar, upbeat tune.
He didn't want to think about the legendary Pokémon that had been hunting him down. That was in the past, and he'd rather it stay there, thank you very much. Though he couldn't help but occasionally glance around nervously.
The first question on his mind concerned where he was. Now that he wasn't in survival mode and could think more clearly, he had a pretty good idea of his location. Mew and the Regi trio were here, there were glowing blue crystals everywhere he looked, and he had spotted some lileep, anorith, and a few other curious Pokémon among the local population before they hid from view. He would confirm his suspicions with Mew later.
He thought back to the vision he'd had before Mew rescued him. That was another thing that made him sure of where he was. The man he had seen had to be Sir Aaron from the Lucario and the Mystery of Mew movie. The man didn't have the auratic gloves, but he supposed that made sense. Aaron did take them off before he died. If this is the anime world, then he had an idea of how he might be able to get a general window of when he was.
The final question on his mind, one he still couldn't answer, was why. Why was he here? He knew now he wasn't here by accident. The voices back in the lava tubes said he "would do", and Aaron told him that he would help change the fates of many in this world.
Well, Ethan figured if he was supposed to do something specific, then whatever forces brought him here would shepherd him where they wanted him.
As Ethan and Eevee entered another tunnel, Ethan's thoughts turned to home. If coming here had to happen to him, he was grateful he had never married or had any children to leave behind. He wasn't very close to his siblings, though he would miss his young nieces and nephews.
Back home, the pandemic made finding a job as a fresh coding Bootcamp graduate challenging. Everyone seemed to want three to five years of industry experience for an entry-level position or six years of experience in a technology that was only four or five years old. Ethan was forced to move back in with his aging parents when money became tight. They welcomed him with open arms and offered support with whatever he needed.
Gotta stay optimistic. Nothing good comes from being a pessimist…. Most of the time, Ethan thought to himself, rubbing his temples. He had a headache, which had only grown since he woke up earlier. This wasn't anything too unusual for him. He was used to dealing with migraines.
"Hey, Eevee? I just realized I never told you my name," Ethan told his companion. Eevee stopped her humming and looked up at him, head tilted to one side.
"Eev? Eevee vee eev?" Eevee asked.
Ethan took a guess at what she said. "My name's Ethan. It's what my friends and family call me. A name is a word someone gives you to distinguish you from everyone else."
Eevee considered this and nodded. "Vee, Eeveev," she said.
Is my name in eevee-speak Eeveev? It's kind of endearing, Ethan smiled. "You're pretty smart. Do you have a name, or are you just called Eevee?" Ethan asked.
"Eevee," Eevee replied.
"Wait, which one?"
"Eevee!"
Ethan sighed. "Nevermind. I'll just call you Eevee for now." Eevee giggled and nodded her assent. "I've got another question for you. You've been a wild Pokémon all your life, right?" Ethan asked.
A nod was her response.
"You've never seen a human before you met me?"
Another nod.
"Then how do you understand what I'm saying?"
Eevee paused, face scrunched up in thought, a frown on her muzzle.
After a moment, she shrugged and resumed walking.
"I guess it's just one of the many mysteries of Pokémon," Ethan quietly noted, adjusting his pack and pushing his glasses back into position.
After another ten minutes of walking, Eevee came to a halt at the exit of the tunnel she had led Ethan through. Ethan had been intrigued as he watched the rocky, grainy wall of the tunnel gradually transition into crystal that was smooth to the touch.
"Eeveev."
Ethan turned to face Eevee, who sat down and pointed a paw at Ethan before moving it to point at the exit. "Is this the place?" Ethan asked.
Eevee nodded and repeated the last gesture, pointing at him and then back to the tunnel exit.
"I have to go in alone?"
Another nod.
"Eevee eev eev." Eevee looked down and patted the ground with her front paws, then looked back at Ethan expectantly.
"And... you'll wait for me here. Is that right?"
She nodded again, pleased that she was so good at charades.
Ethan unshouldered his pack and set it down next to the beaming eevee. He rolled his shoulders to work out some of the built-up tension. "Watch my bag for me while I'm gone, please. Thanks!" Ethan requested before turning and leaving the tunnel.
Eevee sniffed the pack and cautiously swatted one of the straps, quickly bringing her paw back as it moved. She smiled, subconsciously wagging her tail before hitting it again. This was fun!
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Ethan found himself admiring the room he was walking in at a leisurely pace. This area was different from everywhere else he had been thus far. The same crystal he had admired near the end of the tunnel covered every surface, lighting up the area.
A series of erratically placed crystal columns on the floor and walls rose and converged to a central point on the ceiling. Every surface seemed to emit a heat that warmed Ethan to his core, but not uncomfortably so. An opening high up on the wall exposed dark clouds. He could smell ozone and idly noted that it would rain soon.
Ethan shifted his studying gaze to the center of the room. A massive conduit of pale-green energy flowed from the converged crystal on the ceiling, down through a gigantic, rose-like crystalline structure on the floor and out of sight.
A glint from the base of a nearby column caught his attention, and he moved to investigate. The formation at the bottom of this column appeared to be a little more jagged than the others.
Ethan knelt and looked at the object that had caught his interest. These are Sir Aaron's gloves! he realized, swiftly moving his gaze to the crystal formation in front of him.
Ethan squinted, searching through the semi-transparent formation until he saw what he was looking for. The man in his vision was there, perfectly preserved and frozen behind layers of crystal. His eyes were closed, and a smile donned his face. If Ethan didn't know better, he would have thought the man was sleeping.
Sir Aaron. So this is the Tree of Beginning! That narrows down my 'when' to a 2000-year gap - assuming Bulbapedia is correct, Ethan concluded.
'Do you like my room? I helped make it,' a voice in Ethan's head giggled.
He stood up and looked around, trying to find Mew. All he heard was more giggling. That was Mew's telepathic voice, though it sounded feminine. Did Mew have a gender? They were always genderless in the games, though that could be because it was a mythical Pokémon, and no one could study or observe something that never appeared to them.
'Genderless?!' Ethan's field of vision suddenly turned pink, and displaced air ruffled his hair. 'I'm a girl! See?'
Ethan turned away, covering his face as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Okay! Okay! I believe you! I never said you weren't," he hastily said.
Mew snickered and patted his head. 'You're so easy to work up. You never answered my question! Do you like my room?'
Ethan uncovered his face, pointedly looking away from her. "It's definitely unique. I, uh, love the crystal aesthetic you have going. What's that energy coming from the ceiling?" he asked.
Mew looked to see what Ethan was referring to. 'Some humans in Unova call that the Dragon Force. It's the lifeblood of the Tree of Beginning and the entire planet. This chamber is the heart that keeps that blood flowing throughout the world,' she explained.
Ethan nodded, amazed. He remembered the Dragon Force was a key plot point in the Pokémon Black and White Victini movies. He had never made the connection that the Tree of Beginning and the Dragon Force might be related. As cool as that little tidbit was, Ethan came here to ask a few questions.
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"Mew, I've been wondering. Why did you save my life the other night?" he asked.
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Two nights ago
"Lady Mew, where are you? It's an emergency!" Eevee shouted, panting from the speed of her run. She had just entered Mew's resting grounds, head moving side to side as she searched for the New Species Pokémon.
"Hiya, Eevee! Do you want to play a game? I've been in the mood for some dodgeball~," Mew sang, floating upside down to Eevee's level.
Eevee paled. Mew's idea of a game usually involved near-death experiences dangerous for anyone who wasn't Mew.
"Uh, not right now," Eevee stuttered. "Mew, I need your help! The guardians are hunting and trying to hurt my new friend. It said they were trying to kill it for no reason! Please, stop them from hurting my new friend," she begged, putting on the best puppy eyes she knew how to make.
Mew gained a stern look and laid her paws on the nearest crystal, eyes closed in concentration. She expanded her psychic senses using the tree's crystal network, searching for her guardians and the new friend Eevee had made. There! Mew's attention was directed to an alien presence touching a crystal elsewhere in the tree.
Mew could feel the stress, terror, exhaustion, and resignation in the now-identified human's mind. Mew checked Eevee's memory and saw the image of the human. Messy short blond hair, striking blue eyes, and a face covered in dirt and blood. Yep, this was the same person. The guardians weren't too far from his location.
"I found your friend, Eevee. They seem nice, but why should I save them?" Mew asked the anxious eevee.
"Because they're my new friend, and I don't want my friend to die. I owe them my life, and now I want to save theirs," Eevee replied, sniffling.
Mew nodded, smiling. With her paw still on the crystal, she sent waves of calm and assurance to the human. Having done so, she let go and disappeared.
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Present time
Wow, Ethan thought, humbled. I haven't known Eevee for long, and she's already a more genuine friend than any other that I've had. We saved each other's lives.
Ethan sat down, removed his glasses, and wiped his eyes, taking a moment to appreciate what Eevee and Mew had done for him.
He moved to put his glasses back on but found they were missing from his grasp.
'Woah, everything looks so weird.'
Ethan looked up to see Mew peering through one of the lenses.
'How do you see with this thing on your face?'
"Things at a distance are a blur if I don't have them on," Ethan chuckled. "Please don't break those. I need them," he quickly added, taking his glasses back and putting them on.
"I have a few more questions, Mew. I'm from a world where Pokémon only exist in stories and games. Do you know how I got here and if I can return to my world?" Ethan asked, not getting his hopes up. If fan fictions were a reliable source, he wouldn't be going home anytime soon.
'You're from another world?! Oooh, can I read your mind? Please, please, please?' Mew asked excitedly, getting in Ethan's face.
Two slender, green arms wedged themselves between Ethan's and Mew's faces and pried them apart.
"Bi, lebi!" a stern voice said, shaking its head and wagging a finger before flying up and through a small vortex of light, which shortly after disappeared with a bell-like chime.
"Uhh, was that Celebi? I guess that's a no-go on the mind-reading then," Ethan remarked.
'Fine,' Mew pouted, crossing her arms.
'I don't know how you got here or why you're here. I'd need to know that to figure out a way back that wouldn't collapse the barriers between dimensions,' Mew explained.
Ethan sighed, removing his jacket. The heat from the surrounding crystals started to feel uncomfortably warm. "Figures that there wouldn't be an easy solution," he lamented. Lightning flashed from the opening in the wall, and the dark clouds began to release their contents.
"Is it getting hot in here?" Ethan asked, removing his boots in the hope of trying to cool down. Mew didn't seem bothered by the heat, and she tilted her head, studying the human. Ethan's breath hitched, the heat seeming to stifle his attempts to suck in precious air. His heart beat rapidly, and sweat began to bead on his face.
"Wh-what's happening to me?" Ethan spasmed, now on his back, sparks racking his entire frame. The heat that had been uncomfortable a moment ago now felt like it was burning him from the inside. Mew came into view and laid her paws on his head, one on each of his temples, and began to gather power. Ethan's vision blurred and darkened, and the last thing he heard was Eevee's rushed steps and concerned cries before losing consciousness.
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Ethan yawned. That was the best sleep he'd had in a long time. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his chin, then froze. His goatee was missing, replaced with smooth, flat skin.
That wasn't the only thing that felt off. Ethan opened his eyes and looked around. It was dark, but he could see the outlines of two bundles of fur on either side of him illuminated by the nearby, dimly glowing crystals. One belonged to Eevee, and the other to Mew, who was hovering a few inches off the ground in her sleep and had her tail wrapped around his left arm. Memories of what happened before came to the forefront of his mind.
What exactly happened? He remembered talking with Mew, feeling uncomfortably warm, then nothing but pain. He had been moved, seeing that he was lying on a bed of leaves and grass surrounded by trees. His jacket covered him, and his pack was pushed under his head.
At least my headache's gone. My body doesn't ache anymore, either. I'm feeling great, actually, Ethan thought. His stomach chose that moment to growl at him, demanding sustenance.
Ethan groaned and put his free hand on his belly. How long was I out? It feels like I haven't eaten in days… which is probably true. I haven't eaten anything more than that energy bar since I wound up here. Why didn't TJ and I split the rations? He cried internally.
Ethan let his arm fall to his side, brushing against Eevee. Eevee shuffled and sleepily grabbed his wrist with her front paws, pulling his hand under her with surprising strength before settling down again.
Ethan chuckled. It looked like he would be trapped here for a while now that both arms were bound. He decided to try to get some more sleep.
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"Eeveev?"
Ethan awoke to the feeling of something nudging his shoulder. His eyes opened to the sight of vibrant green eyes and tall, brown ears.
"Eeveev!" Eevee exclaimed, delighted.
"Morning Eev-" Ethan frowned. "…Why does my voice sound like it's an octave higher?"
Eevee tilted her head. She didn't know what an octave was, but she knew that his voice sounded lighter than it did the last time he spoke.
'You're awake. About time!' An aipom approached, carrying several apples, Oran, Pecha, and Cheri berries in its arms and hand-like tail. It dropped them in a pile, and the aipom's form morphed and changed into Mew, who picked out a Pecha berry. 'I got this for all of us. Go ahead and eat!'
Ethan, voice issues set aside for the moment, sat up and picked out an apple and several berries, wondering how each would taste. The Oran berries looked similar to blueberries but about four times larger. Ethan popped one in his mouth and chewed. It tasted comparable to a blueberry, just a bit more juicy and a little more tart. Overall not bad, but not very filling.
The Cheri berries, Ethan was more cautious about. He knew the games categorized them as spicy berries, and Ethan had long lost his tolerance to spicy foods. Hopefully, it wasn't too much for him. He used to eat cayennes with only mild discomfort. Now, he couldn't even eat jalapeños.
Ethan took a bite and chewed. It had the texture of a cherry, but the spiciness he expected was tolerable. He bit the rest of the berry off the stem and spat out the pit.
Ethan took a bite out of the Pecha berry and was surprised by how sweet it tasted. He decided this was his new favorite fruit. He idly wondered if he could get dried Pecha berries somewhere.
Ethan helped himself to more while he watched Eevee. She seemed to like the Cheri and Pecha berries the most. Spicy and sweet, huh? She might be naturally inclined to power and speed if I remember natures from the games correctly, he mused.
Having had enough to satisfy him without making him sick, Ethan turned to the pink feline and asked, "Mew, what happened to me?"
'Hm? Oh, apparently, you're capable of using aura. Being near so much concentrated life energy reacted with your aura, causing it to build up to the point that it nearly killed you,' Mew explained, casually tossing another Oran berry in her mouth. 'If I didn't do anything, you probably would have exploded.'
Ethan blanched at that revelation. "S-so, what exactly did you do?" he asked, becoming conscious of his higher-pitched voice again.
Mew giggled and pointed to a nearby pond. 'Take a look for yourself.'
Ethan, confused, stood and took a step, catching his cargo jeans as they fell.
What the…. Oh. Oh no, Ethan thought as he pulled up his jeans and tightened his belt. He also rolled up the hems until they were above his ankles. Satisfied, he unsteadily stepped towards the pond, his socks absorbing the morning dew from the blades of grass under his feet. Eevee decided to accompany him.
Ethan had an inkling suspicion of what he would find as he got on his hands and knees to look at himself in the still water of the pond. Besides his voice, everything around him seemed slightly bigger, and his eye-hand coordination was a little off while eating.
Ethan looked at the flat surface of the water, ignoring other nearby Pokémon, and saw a familiar, transparent reflection that he hadn't seen in over a decade. He rolled his eyes, now knowing what Mew did. This is so cliché, he thought. Looking back at him was a younger version of himself, pre-puberty if he had to guess by the sound of his voice. Judging by his appearance and build, he estimated that he was around twelve, maybe thirteen years old.
Ethan groaned. This meant he would go through puberty again, though it probably wouldn't be all bad. If he played his cards right, he could grow to be taller than he had the first time around. He had been slightly below average in height as an adult. Maybe he could at least become as tall as his dad, who was a head taller than he had been.
Eevee mewled and rubbed her head on his arm.
Ethan inhaled and exhaled slowly through his hands, then scratched the fur behind Eevee's ears, much to her delight. "I'm okay, Eevee. This is just a lot to take in," he assured.
After a few moments, he returned to his original spot, a new question on his tongue. Eevee decided that his lap was the perfect place to sit. Maybe she would get more attention that way.
Ethan smiled and obliged her, rubbing her under her chin, drawing a pleased rumble from her throat. "So, it looks like I'm young again. How did turning me into a pre-teen save me from dying?" Ethan asked.
'That's easy. Humans capable of controlling aura typically show signs of their powers when they're young and spend years learning how to control it,' Mew explained. 'These powers don't exist in your world, right?'
Ethan shook his head. "No, not that I know of. Before you rescued me, Sir Aaron came to me in a vision and said he unlocked my 'potential.' Is that why I have aura now?"
Mew shrugged. 'Maybe. But with how much energy you were giving off, I wouldn't be surprised if you already had the capability, and the Dragon Force just acted as a catalyst.'
Ethan gave that some thought.
'Anyway,' Mew continued, 'making you younger was the only way to save you on short notice. It gives you a chance to learn how to control your powers so they don't overload on you again.'
Ethan nodded. What Mew said kind of made sense if you looked at it from an anime logic or science fiction point of view.
"So," Ethan began, "what now? I don't know how to get back home, and as cool as this place is, I can't stay here."
'You're right. If you stick around for too long, you might overload again,' Mew informed him. 'Why don't you be a Pokémon trainer? You'd find something better to do than hang around with little old me all the time.'
Eevee's ears perked up, her tail wagging, and she jumped to the ground, barking excitedly. "Eeveev, eev veev vee eev," she said, looking at Ethan with sparkling green eyes.
Ethan met her gaze and considered what Mew said. Once upon a time, he had fantasized about what it would be like to be a Pokémon trainer.
'It looks like Eevee wants to go with you,' Mew translated.
That put a smile on Ethan's face and a warm feeling in his chest. "There's no one else I'd rather have as my first Pokémon partner than you, Eevee. We haven't known each other long, but we've already been through a lot."
Ethan hesitated, then pulled Eevee back into his arms. "Eevee, I may have mentioned this, but I'm not from this world, and I'm looking for a way back to mine. Do you still want to leave your home and join me on a journey as my Pokémon?" he asked. "We probably won't be coming back here for a while, but I'd love to have you with me. I'll need strong Pokémon like you by my side."
Eevee nodded without hesitation and gently butted her head against Ethan's chest as if to say they were in this together.
"Thanks, Eevee. This would have been so much harder without you," Ethan sighed in relief, pulling Eevee into a hug. Eevee decided this was nice and leaned into his chest.
'Here, take these. I think you can put these to better use than their previous owner,' Mew said. Mew focused her power. The next second, Ethan's hands and forearms were covered in navy blue gloves with simple gold trimming and a large, clear crystal embedded into the back of each hand.
'These are Sir Aaron's gloves,' Mew explained. 'They assist aura adepts in focusing and regulating the power in their bodies.'
"Isn't this graverobbing?" Ethan asked, unsure if he should keep Mew's gift.
Mew shrugged. 'It was in my room. So, in a way, it was mine. If Aaron did appear to you, I'm sure he'd want you to have it. Besides, he's not really using them.'
Ethan nodded and shifted Eevee to his left arm. He flexed the fingers on his right hand, testing the fit of the gloves. He could have sworn that they were bigger when he saw them before, but they seemed to fit perfectly. Maybe they have some magical property that conforms them to fit the wearer, Ethan mused.
Ethan set Eevee down, retrieved his things, put on a fresh pair of socks, and placed his steel-toed hiking boots over them. Surprisingly, his feet didn't shrink much, and the boots fit comfortably. He slipped on his torn, dirty jacket and reached to pick up his pack, getting a whiff of his scent. "I need a shower," Ethan muttered to himself.
One of the straps looked like it had been chewed through. Ethan shot a deadpanned look at Eevee, who had the decency to look sheepish. Ethan sighed and took out his knife to cut off the ruined strap and place it in his pack. He then unclipped the other unchewed strap and clipped it into the opposite buckle so the strap spanned from his left shoulder to his right hip.
"Okay, now I'm ready. If I remember right, the nearest settlement is Cameran Palace and its village," Ethan said as Eevee made herself comfortable on his right shoulder. "Mew, do you know how I can get there? I think that would be a great place to start."
Mew considered his question, a mischievous glint in her eyes and an evil grin forming on her muzzle.
Ethan took a step back, suddenly feeling uneasy.
'I can do something way better than that,' she said before disappearing and reappearing behind Ethan, grabbing him and Eevee, then disappearing again with her two passengers.
Everything passed by in a blur. It felt like every part of his body was in the wrong place, and he could feel his breakfast rising to his throat. The sickening sensation ceased after a few moments, and Ethan and Eevee collapsed onto a marble floor, feebly clutching their stomachs.
Mew laughed gleefully above them, twirling in place. 'I hope you liked Teleport! It gets easier after the first time.'
Still holding his stomach, Ethan could only say, "Never again." Eevee mewled in agreement.
'Visit again sometime!' Mew giggled, waving a paw and teleporting away.
Fortunately, Ethan and Eevee were able to keep their food down, and Ethan pushed himself up, only to find himself surrounded by men in suits of armor pointing spears at him.
"Who are you, and what business have you teleporting into the presence of Her Royal Majesty, the Queen?" One of the men demanded.
Ethan blinked at the stout man, took in his surroundings, and groaned.
Mew had dropped him right into the middle of Cameran Palace's throne room.