That day had started perfectly, just like any other. Raiden slept in the same room as Emi—a sign of how much her parents trusted him—but, of course, he slept on the floor, in a futon. The two of them talked and laughed for hours, long after midnight. Eventually, Emi took a couple of pills to help her sleep. Within minutes, she was out cold, silent and still.
Seeing her asleep, Raiden decided to do the same. But the moment he drifted off, something changed.
It was strange—almost instantaneous. One moment he was lying on the futon, and the next, he felt like he had been pulled somewhere else entirely. When he opened his eyes, he was still in Emi's house… but everything was off. The room looked enormous, as if he had shrunk down to the size of an insect.
Frantically, he looked around. Toys were moving on their own. Where Emi's desk should have been, clouds drifted lazily through the air, and small trees sprouted from the floorboards.
"What a weird mix," Raiden muttered, glancing around in disbelief.
He didn't panic, though. After a few seconds, he pieced it together—he was inside a mind. Probably Emi's. But something was off. He hadn't decided to enter. Normally, he could only access another person's mind when he was transformed into Mewtwo. In this state—his human form—it should've been impossible.
"Everything feels different…" he whispered, frowning. It didn't feel like the usual mindscape he'd experienced before. This place felt even more unreal—fluid, dreamlike, unstable.
"Emi's dream? That's new," he said softly.
With no other clue about what was happening—and since the place seemed peaceful enough—Raiden started walking through the strange dream, looking for Emi.
Raiden quickly realized he was inside a dream. Now the question was whether he could still use his abilities here. Focusing, he tried activating his power—and to his relief, it worked. With a small pulse of psychic energy, he transformed and lifted himself from the floor and floated through the air. Using telekinesis, he maneuvered toward the bed, where he finally spotted her.
Emi was there, awkwardly walking across the enormous blanket, just as tiny as he was.
Mewtwo descended softly in front of her, speaking directly into her mind.
'Emi… do you know what's happening?'
The girl jumped in surprise, nearly tripping backward. "Raai?! Is that really you?"
'Yeah, it's me. We're inside your dream, aren't we?' he asked, scanning their strange surroundings.
"Yes," she said, brushing off her pajamas. "I've been having lucid dreams lately. The pills usually make them less frequent, but I guess tonight they didn't work."
'You never told me about this,' Mewtwo said, still glancing around in fascination. It was the first time he had ever found himself inside someone else's dream while conscious.
"I didn't tell you because I forgot," she admitted, letting herself drop onto the soft surface of the bed. She lay there, staring up at the dreamlike ceiling.
'You forgot? How?' Raiden asked, puzzled.
"Every time I dream, I forget everything when I wake up," she explained calmly. "So it doesn't really matter what happens here—I can't remember any of it once I'm awake. The problem is that what happens in the dream still affects me. If I run, or use my Quirk, or even get scared, my real body feels it. That's why I have those bags under my eyes. It's not insomnia—it's exhaustion. But I only realize that inside the dream, and I can't bring that information back to the waking world."
Mewtwo frowned. That was strange—far beyond what should be possible. He knew that forgetting dreams was normal; remembering one usually meant the sleep cycle hadn't gone deep enough. But this… this was something else entirely. These were two completely different phenomena that shouldn't overlap.
Something wasn't right.
'Did anything else happen?' he asked carefully.
"Yes," Emi replied. "All the dreams start the same. They're always lucid—I can control my Quirk—but I can't change the surroundings. No matter where they begin, I always end up in my room. And the longer they last, the more they turn into nightmares. Everything I'm afraid of starts appearing."
'Oh… that explains why we're this size,' Mewtwo said, glancing around, his face twisting with mild disgust.
Of course he knew what Emi feared most. He'd known her for years. Her phobia was simple—almost cliché—but very real: insects. Any kind, really. Even arachnids. He remembered how, years ago, she'd refused to go to school for weeks because one of her classmates—a mutant type—had spider legs growing from his back.
Now, understanding the situation more clearly, Mewtwo gave her a reassuring look.
'Don't worry. Just rest for now. I'll handle anything that shows up.'
"It will," Emi said grimly. "In about five minutes. It's always the same timing. But be careful—each time, the insects get bigger and stronger, and the nightmare escalates."
She sat cross-legged on the enormous bed, waiting.
And just as she'd warned, a large spider crawled up from the side of the mattress—massive, shiny black, and disturbingly detailed. It was a black widow, easily the size of a cat.
The moment Emi saw it, she went pale. Her breath hitched, and without hesitation, she activated her Quirk. Her body grew weightless, floating several inches above the bed.
Mewtwo caught her movement in the corner of his eye and allowed himself a small smile.
'Didn't I say to just relax?'
With that, he raised a hand and focused. Psychic energy gathered in his palm, condensing into a sharp wave of power. One precise Psycho Cut shot forward, slicing the creature cleanly in two. The spider dropped, lifeless, its body hanging motionless over the edge.
'See? Not that hard,' he said lightly.
"It's just starting," Emi muttered, her voice trembling. "I told you—it always gets worse."
And she was right. Almost immediately, more spiders began crawling up the bed—dozens of them, each from a different species. Furry ones, glossy ones, long-legged and venomous, their mandibles twitching in eerie unison.
Mewtwo glanced at Emi, then back at the swarm. He understood now exactly what she meant—and that even she had no idea how far the dream would go this time.
Focusing his energy, Mewtwo unleashed a burst of Confusion. The psychic shock rippled through the air, hitting the spiders with enough force to make them bleed from their eyes before collapsing lifelessly on the spot.
Realizing this wasn't a good place for a fight, he used telekinesis to lift both himself and Emi from the bed. They floated across the room, landing on her desk—wide, solid, and far better suited for defense than the unstable mattress.
The moment their feet touched the surface, the dream shifted again. Dozens of jumping spiders appeared out of nowhere, circling them from all sides. Still, Mewtwo stayed calm—almost unnervingly so.
In one swift motion, he extended his telekinetic hold, gripping each spider by a single leg and pinning it to the ground. Then, without hesitation, he followed with two precise Psycho Cuts, one from each hand. The energy blades sliced through the creatures cleanly, ending the swarm in seconds.
He let out a quiet sigh as he looked at the motionless bodies scattered across the desk. They weren't strong—not for him, at least. But if Emi had been alone, even these weak things could have pushed her to her limit.
This dream could break her, he thought grimly. I need to find a way to end it.
Mewtwo scanned the area, trying to piece together what was happening. This wasn't like any mental space he'd entered before. Normally, entering someone's mind was like standing within layers of thought—abstract and weightless. But this? This felt real.
He could use his powers freely, but the environment around him behaved like the real world—tangible, reactive. And no matter what he tried, he couldn't shatter the dream or wake himself up. It was as if they were trapped in a fully functional reality that simply wasn't theirs.
If he wanted answers, he'd need help from the only other person who knew this dream's rules.
'Emi, how did you wake up the last time?' he asked. 'I've tried breaking through the dream with my powers, but nothing works. Nothing I do even comes close.'
"It's like a game," Emi explained. "To wake up, I always have to beat the boss. When it's over, I wake up instantly. But this time… it feels different."
'Different how?' Mewtwo asked immediately.
"There are a lot more insects than before," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "When it was just me, the most I ever saw was maybe half of what's here now."
'That makes sense… but why only arachnids? If I were influencing this dream, shouldn't it show my fears too?' Mewtwo asked, glancing around warily.
"Up to now, the creatures have always appeared in order of strength," Emi replied. "The weakest ones come first, and once I cross the door—that's where the first boss appears. I told you, it's like a game."
Mewtwo tilted his head slightly. 'One more question—have you ever tried to… well, end the dream by hurting yourself? Sometimes that can force a person to wake up.'
Emi shook her head firmly. "I can't. This isn't a normal dream. Every wound I get here shows up on my real body when I wake up. Luckily, it's only ever been minor cuts or bruises—but I don't want to test what happens with something worse."
At that, Mewtwo's eyes widened. The pieces fell into place all at once, and a heavy realization struck him like a wave. He knew exactly what was happening—and what they were about to face.
"...Shit," the young hero muttered under his breath.
God hate me or something?, Thought the young hero