The moment Chi-Yu fell, countless thoughts raced through its mind.
Back when it was first born, it rampaged freely, until that fateful day when some damn mushroom led a mob to gang up on it.
And now, again, it found itself surrounded and beaten down by a group of Pokémon brought in by a human.
Chi-Yu seemed to finally realize—maybe it really wasn't cut out for fighting outnumbered.
In the end, all those chaotic thoughts condensed into one simple sentence:
'That brat riding the donkey—damn you!'
Honestly, getting defeated by Ting-Lu wasn't that humiliating. Sure, it stung, but not unbearably so.
After all, they were both Treasures of Ruin—disasters incarnate. Their strength was fairly equal, and it made sense that it hadn't fully recovered after just being unsealed.
Even being seriously wounded by that Persian and Gallade combo was still within reason.
One fought head-on, the other struck from the shadows. Pretty solid teamwork, honestly.
That Persian was absurd—Chi-Yu's flames didn't even seem to faze it.
As for that Gallade, well… teleporting all over the place like a damn mosquito. Couldn't hit it, couldn't catch it. Annoying, but not enough to break its spirit.
But! That idiot kid riding a donkey—what the hell was his deal?!
Everyone else was fighting seriously.
This lunatic, on the other hand, was charging at it yelling things like:
'Just a passing Kamen Rider—remember it well!'
'Let's tally up your sins!'
'Time for you to witness the power of our bond!'
Chi-Yu couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying.
Then he just charged in, waving some spiky thorned club, aiming it right at Chi-Yu's rear.
'Where did this nutjob even come from?!'
'Aren't lunatics like this supposed to be locked up in the human world?!'
Up in the sky, Corviknight nodded in deep satisfaction.
'Not bad. This kid's showing a bit of my old flair.'
He decided he'd give the kid some pointers later—make sure he becomes the flashiest star on the battlefield.
Yep, Ogerpon was now, more or less, Corviknight's disciple.
At least when it came to trash talk and general absurdity.
You see, ever since Gallade picked up a student of his own, Corviknight had been burning with envy.
'How come that lazy fish Gallade gets to have an apprentice?!'
'What does he have that I don't?!'
'No way—I'm getting one too!'
Corviknight conveniently ignored his old underling, the Shiny Pidgeot.
That one was currently enjoying the blissful life of leading its flock—incidentally, the only male in the group.
Its status… was exactly what you'd expect.
Couple that with this guy's top-tier looks.
Corviknight could only hope that the next time he saw his little bro, it wouldn't be as a shriveled corpse.
After skipping over his dear little brother, Corviknight searched high and low, but couldn't find a suitable disciple.
'Damn it. That bastard Persian refusing to be my apprentice is one thing—but hitting me too?'
'No way. I'll have to teach him a lesson later!'
With his cunning plan foiled, Corviknight eventually stumbled upon Ogerpon, who was currently deep in his chuunibyou phase, binging anime.
The moment their eyes met, both sides instantly knew—this was fate.
And so, the deal was struck.
'You call me Master, I call you Bro.'
'Let's keep our roles separate.'
And just like that, we arrived at the scene now unfolding before everyone's eyes.
Having barely graduated from his so-called training, Ogerpon found his perfect partner.
And then, riding atop his partner, he joined the fray.
Following the sacred principle of "a good attack should deal both physical and psychological damage," Ogerpon's battle style was… unorthodox.
It was either aimed straight at the enemy's face—or their butt.
By the later stages of the fight, Chi-Yu had completely cracked.
Lying sprawled on the ground, Chi-Yu glared at Ogerpon with blazing eyes.
An invisible force began to seep out.
If it were any other Pokémon, they'd have already lost themselves in the raging fires of jealousy.
Too bad—it didn't seem to be working.
Under Chi-Yu's influence, a faint purple glow began to rise in the eyes of both Ogerpon and the shiny Furret.
But the very next moment, Natsume placed a hand on each of their heads.
He gave both Pokémon a good, firm rub. A flash of verdant green light shimmered between his fingers.
The next second, both Ogerpon and shiny Furret's eyes turned crystal clear—maybe even a little… dim-witted.
Like college students who just finished a big meal.
Totally spaced out. Brain wiped clean.
Chi-Yu's little trick? Total fail.
Sensing Chi-Yu's sneaky maneuver, Ting-Lu lowered his massive head.
Those crimson eyes locked onto Chi-Yu.
'What's up, little bro?'
'Feeling rowdy, are we?'
Ting-Lu's gaze held a hint of disdain for the restless, defeated Chi-Yu.
'Can't read the room, huh, little bro?'
Completely forgetting that, once upon a time, he had the exact same reaction as Chi-Yu.
In fact, if Ting-Lu hadn't been beaten down and knocked out cold back then, he probably wouldn't have handled it any better than Chi-Yu.
Not that this stopped him from mocking Chi-Yu now.
After all, Chi-Yu hadn't seen his humiliating defeat with his own eyes.
Even if he'd heard about it later, he could only toss in a couple of sarcastic remarks.
But Ting-Lu had witnessed Chi-Yu's defeat firsthand.
He even played a part in it.
Sure, it was a group beatdown.
Sure, Chi-Yu had just woken up and wasn't in great shape.
Sure, he'd been dodging Ting-Lu like a pro at the start.
But! Who cares!
Ting-Lu was going to ride this victory for years, using it to endlessly roast Chi-Yu.
The truth didn't matter anymore.
Mocking the fish was the whole point.
That about summed up the relationships among the Treasures of Ruin.
Though humans lumped them all together under one name, with similar origins and signature moves…
They never really got along.
You throw a bunch of surly weirdos together—does that suddenly make them friends?
The only reason they hadn't torn each other apart was because they knew if they went too far, they'd all go down together.
They tolerated each other. Barely.
Ting-Lu thought the others were too scrawny, their resentment too watered-down.
Chi-Yu thought none of them were normal.
Some were dumb, some looked downright freaky.
Each had their own reason to dislike the rest.
"So what do we do with this guy now?"
Natsume landed from Corviknight's back and looked at Chi-Yu, currently pinned under Persian's bulk, with a mild headache coming on.
Clearly, this one wasn't the obedient type—exactly like Ting-Lu before him.
If they just hauled him back like this, he'd probably torch everything along the way.
"Rrr?"
How about knocking him out?
Ting-Lu suggested helpfully from the side.
Wouldn't that make him easier to transport?
He was easy to knock out anyway, and once he was, he'd be in the same boat Ting-Lu had been.
And if they shared that particular black mark on their records, Chi-Yu would lose any right to laugh at him for it.
"Mah!"
I think that's a great idea!
Ogerpon raised a paw in support.
The way that fish was looking at him gave him the creeps.
Might as well knock him out and drag him back.
That was right up his alley.
Wielding his thorny club, Ogerpon looked eager to get started.
"!"
Chi-Yu flinched under Persian's weight.
'What the hell?! I already lost, and now you wanna finish me off?'
'You ruthless bastards! One day, I'll burn you all!'
"…Honestly, that's not a bad idea."
Natsume rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
When you looked at it that way, it didn't seem unreasonable.
Chi-Yu was still in that "I lost but I refuse to admit it" stage.
No need to coddle him.
As the saying goes: "The loud one gets the attention. The stubborn one gets the discipline."
"The gentle one gets the love. The strong one gets the burden."
And Chi-Yu was definitely the stubborn, suffering kind.
Faced with Natsume and Persian's "threat," Chi-Yu shut his eyes tight and turned his head away.
A clear "Do what you want, I give up" pose.
Watching him lie there in full surrender mode, Natsume patted his pocket.
"Stop hiding. Get out here and help."
"Mew~"
Heehee. Busted.
A tiny Floette crawled out of Natsume's pocket with a completely unapologetic grin.
Some people get upset when they mess up because they realize they were wrong. Others because they know they're screwed.
But Mew? Mew never thought it did anything wrong in the first place.
Even if it accidentally broke something, it was lightning-fast with the blame game.
That vase was already cracked,
Manaphy did it,
Corviknight was distracting me,
—all equally valid excuses in Mew's book.
'C'mon, I'm just a cute little kitten. You think I could possibly be responsible?
This clearly isn't my fault.'
"Wrong and strong."
Natsume sometimes found Mew's shamelessness a little exasperating.
Thankfully, Mew wasn't completely incorrigible.
Through all its time on the farm, it had started to slowly change.
It'd become a better eater (crossed out).
"Do we still have any of those special Poké Balls left?"
Natsume reached out and poked the now-revealed Mew.
When it came to Legendaries, regular Poké Balls might as well be wildflowers by the roadside.
At least flowers had a chance to catch their attention.
Normal Poké Balls? The second a Legendary wanted out, snap—they'd burst open like wet paper.
That includes so-called Great Balls and Ultra Balls.
Mass-produced goods might someday hit new heights of quality.
But the best products of every generation?
Still made by hand.
At least for now.
"Mew?"
What Poké Balls?
Scratching its head, Mew's little face was full of confusion.
'Was there really such a thing?'
Mew dug through its memory as hard as it could.
Yesterday's breakfast?
Nope.
The Pokéblocks from last night?
Still no.
The snacks it swiped from Manaphy the day before?
Wrong again.
Tapping its own little forehead, Mew realized its brain seemed to be filled with nothing but things it had eaten—or hadn't eaten yet.
"Mana!"
The thing you used to catch me last time!
At some point, Manaphy had appeared behind Mew and gave it a firm kick in the butt, shouting in frustration.
It hadn't really thought much of it at first, but once it remembered it had been stuffed into a Poké Ball pulled out from that place... it couldn't stay calm.
Manaphy was mad.
Don't ask why—it just was.
"Mew!"
The kick must've jogged its memory, because Mew finally remembered the Poké Ball it brought from its "hometown."
But remembering was one thing—Mew had more important matters to deal with right now.
Executing a dazzling 260° aerial spin followed by a backflip, Mew dove at Manaphy like a mad dog, grabbing the tendrils on Manaphy's head in a ridiculously twisted and difficult pose.
Like a game of tug-of-war, it yanked with all its might.
"Mew!"
How dare you kick me!
"Mana!"
Natsume, help!
Watching the two tiny legends wrestle and shout, Natsume stepped forward with a resigned sigh to separate them.
They just couldn't sit still for even a minute.
Where did these little troublemakers even come from?
While Natsume worked as the reluctant peacemaker, the ancient fish Pokémon, Chi-Yu, lay pinned beneath the others, silent.
Being a fellow legend, it had at least some knowledge of these other mythical Pokémon.
Even if it didn't know exactly what they looked like, any legendary who stood at the top had an aura you couldn't ignore—and these two? Off the charts.
There was an old human saying, wasn't there?
The pinker the hair, the harder the punch.
This thing was all pink.
Chi-Yu didn't know who these two were exactly, but it could tell either one of them could easily mop the floor with it.
Didn't you see how that Ting-Lu guy changed the moment Mew showed up?
When facing Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu was like: "Hey, kid, show some respect to your elders."
But facing Mew, Ting-Lu was like: "Ma'am, is this lunch to your liking? If not, I'll throw in dinner too."
All about knowing your place.
Ting-Lu would argue it wasn't "beating the weak and fearing the strong"—no, no.
This was "adapting your tone depending on your conversation partner."
Right, little brother Chi-Yu?
"Mew."
After their scuffle, Mew explained to Natsume that it did have one of those Poké Balls, just not on hand at the moment.
And with that, it vanished in a blink.
Before Natsume could react, Mew reappeared—this time holding a Poké Ball that looked quite old-fashioned.
It casually shoved the ball into Natsume's arms, then immediately turned back to resume wrestling with Manaphy.
'You punch me in the face, I bite you on the butt.'
'Come on!'
'Let's hurt each other!'
'See who fights dirtier!'
The outcome was clear.
Like a five-year rebel can't beat a decades-old troublemaker, Manaphy was ultimately defeated by Mew.
Its eyes blank, it collapsed to the ground.
No, don't get the wrong idea—this isn't that kind of furry fanservice.
Mew had just taken advantage of Manaphy's moment of relaxation to unleash a point-blank burst of blinding Flash and a powerful Supersonic.
Wiping imaginary sweat from its forehead, Mew looked quite pleased with itself.
That was close—it nearly got bit.
Good thing its skills were just that much better.
To Mew, all these little tricks of Manaphy's were old news.
As it turned around, Mew caught sight of Natsume capturing Chi-Yu.
"Thunk!"
The Poké Ball landed square on Chi-Yu's head, cracking open with a loud pop.
A beam of white light shot out, enveloping Chi-Yu and pulling it inside.
The Poké Ball hit the ground and shook gently—
Then settled into stillness.
"Huh? That was it?"
Natsume was visibly surprised as he looked at the motionless Poké Ball.
Chi-Yu had just been all "I'd rather die than surrender," and now it had gone quietly?
Couldn't it have at least pretended to resist a little?
"Grr."
Exactly!
Ting-Lu grunted in disdain from the side.
And they say this thing's on the same level as me? What a joke.
Ting-Lu had conveniently forgotten how it acted when it was captured and took the chance to internally roast Chi-Yu.
Maybe it was the sight of an old friend getting wrecked, but Ting-Lu seemed unusually lively today.
Inside the Poké Ball, Chi-Yu silently rolled its eyes.
'If I don't cooperate now, when would be a good time?'
'Should I wait until I struggle, break free, and get the stuffing beaten out of me before finally giving in?'
'You think I'm dumb?'
"Well, that settles the Chi-Yu issue."
"Next is…"
Picking up the Poké Ball from the ground, Natsume looked around.
The entire area was a mess.
Lava was still cooling, the ground was cracked and scorched, and pieces of something charred and unidentifiable littered the field.
Wisps of black smoke slowly rose into the sky.
You could tell at a glance—this place was not healthy to live in.
No doubt about it.
Even Fire-type Pokémon wouldn't be thrilled about making this place their home.
Surrounding areas were plains and forests—this scorched land was the only spot remotely appealing to Fire-types.
Even if some Fire Pokémon were brought in, the environment created by battle wouldn't last long.
At least not the kind caused by a legendary like Chi-Yu—the aftershocks of its fight weren't going to sustain a suitable climate.
In short, this place would eventually become uninhabitable for Fire-types again.
Maybe, in a few decades, a new ecosystem would emerge, with new Pokémon tribes settling here.
But that was a long time away.
So Natsume began considering whether he should take action.
"Mana!"
As agreed beforehand, Manaphy soared into the sky the moment Chi-Yu was captured.
Waving its tiny arms, it summoned a mass of clouds, darkened from the lingering smoke and ash, which quickly transformed into heavy rainclouds.
The scale of the transformation was massive—it covered not just this area but stretched far beyond the forest's edge.
A single cool raindrop fell from the high sky, hitting the cracked ground with a sharp splat, disappearing immediately into the thirsty earth.
This land had long yearned for rain.
As the first drop hit, then came the second, then the third…
Soon, a steady downpour blanketed the area.
A full-blown storm had arrived.
The sweltering air was instantly replaced by the damp breath of rain.
The first raindrops vanished the moment they touched the parched earth, absorbed in the blink of an eye.
But as the rain continued to fall, the cracked ground slowly grew moist.
A long-dried riverbed began to trickle with water once more.
The torrential downpour went on for quite some time.
For an ordinary Pokémon, this kind of rain would be enough to drain their stamina dozens of times over—but for Manaphy, this was barely a post-meal workout.
In the rain, Gardevoir held up a barrier with its psychic power, shielding Natsume from the downpour.
Inside the barrier, Natsume sat quietly on the ground, gazing at the rain that was purifying the land.
Beside him, Persian lay silently.
Persian loved rainy days.
Because on rainy days, it could lie quietly by the bedside and watch the rainfall outside.
Gallade stood calmly behind Natsume.
At that moment, it looked just like a composed bodyguard.
Silently watching over him.
Meanwhile, the temporary duo of Hisuian Zoroark and the shiny Furret had already dashed out of the barrier, gleefully playing in the rain.
They'd definitely need a bath afterward.
Watching the shiny Furret roll in the mud, completely ruining its soft pink fur, Natsume's eye twitched involuntarily.
'Tch.' His fists were getting itchy.
Really felt like punching something.
Forget it. Let them enjoy themselves for now.
Once it seemed like enough, Manaphy waved its hand, dispersing the rainclouds.
The sun broke through the clouds once more.
A rainbow seemed to arc across the sky.
Following behind Manaphy, Mew finally moved.
Chin resting in its paw, it floated up into the air with a contemplative expression.
Hmm, Natsume had tasked it with reforestation, hadn't he?
So who should it transform into?
Even though Mew possessed every move there was—
—It could use them even without transforming.
But it was obvious that using the matching moves after transforming was far more intuitive.
"Mew!"
Got it!
With a smack of its tiny paw into the other, Mew lit up.
Its body spun midair, and a soft white glow surrounded it.
When the light faded, a different Pokémon appeared.
Its form was unusual.
A massive, muscular body composed only of arms—its form bore distinct traits of a bull.
A nose ring, hooves, and large horns—all unmistakably bovine.
Atop its head rested a red wooden object, resembling a crown or helmet.
Tapu Bulu, guardian deity of the islands.
A Legendary Pokémon of Grass and Fairy types.
It possessed the power to command plant life, nurturing growth.
Now transformed into Tapu Bulu, Mew closed its eyes and focused on the energy within its body.
Emerald green lights slowly shimmered into being and sank into the surrounding soil.
Soon after, tender green grass began sprouting from the moist earth.
In any ordinary world, such a sight would be nothing short of a miracle.
Not to mention—
After the scorching hellscape this place had endured, there shouldn't have been a single seed left capable of sprouting!
But that's just Pokémon for you.
Normal science simply didn't apply.
With the first blade of grass, greenery began spreading rapidly across the land.
Each stalk looked full of vitality.
Once the meadow took shape, Mew transformed once again.
This time into a small green hedgehog.
Well, hedgehog in silhouette only.
Its 'quills' were made of soft plant matter, totally lacking in menace.
The whole creature looked squishy and adorably round.
Shaymin, Land Forme.
Said to possess the power to purify toxins and cover barren land in blooming flowers.
With eyes tightly shut, 'Shaymin' looked like it was concentrating on something.
Soon, something in the air seemed to stir.
Centered on Shaymin, an invisible breath began to converge, drawing in the unseen miasma from the air and transforming it into clean oxygen.
Then, amidst the sea of green, other colors began to bloom.
Bright, vibrant flowers quietly emerged between the blades of grass.
Before long, those nascent blooms unfurled boldly in the sunlight.
A gentle breeze swept through, scattering petals into the sky.
Small four-legged beasts—sharing a resemblance with Shaymin—danced through the air, eyes sparkling with joy at the returning bounty of nature.
Perhaps Mew, after transforming, instinctively took on the feelings of those forms.
At that moment, Mew felt nothing but pure elation.
Finally, it descended to the ground.
Now for the last part.
A glow of white enveloped Mew, and its silhouette grew larger.
When the light faded, a majestic presence took its place.
Its body was small, but its head was enormous.
Almost like an ornate crown.
There's a saying—some are born to be kings, and when they stand tall, people simply feel it in their bones.
That's exactly what this Pokémon evoked.
Calyrex—the Pokémon of benevolence and bounty, known also as the King of Harvests.
In ancient times, it once ruled over the Galar region.
Now transformed into Calyrex, Mew slowly raised its left hand.
In an instant, a miracle occurred.
Vegetation surged from the earth in uncountable masses.
Juicy berries burst forth from leafy branches; tiny fruits peeked out from shrubs, quietly waiting for Pokémon to find them.
In moments, the entire area was transformed into a lush, habitable paradise for Pokémon.
No trace of the previous disaster remained.
No—under the combined power of these three forms, this place was more than healed.
It had become a veritable Pokémon paradise.
"Hm?"
Somewhere in a distant snow-covered mountain, the real Calyrex turned its gaze curiously.
Then gave a knowing smile.
'Ah, so it was them.'
Chuckling softly, Calyrex continued its solitary walk through the snowy peaks, its tiny figure soon disappearing into the blizzard.
"Mew~"
I'm wiped out…
Returning to its true form, Mew plopped down on the ground.
Wiping nonexistent sweat from its forehead with a tiny paw, it began grumbling loudly.
Peeking between its arms to sneak a look at Natsume's reaction.
When it saw that he didn't respond, it complained even louder.
Putting on the perfect performance of a poor, mistreated child.
"Alright, alright. I get it."
"I'll give you an extra treat tonight."
"Mana!"
Me too, me too!
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