"Ursaring" stuck out its tongue playfully before transforming back into a mischievous pink kitten.
It was Mew.
In fact, the first time Ash saw "Ursaring," he had already sensed something was wrong. Just as Cynthia pointed out — whose Ursaring says "Mew"?
A Pokémon that could transform freely and meow like a kitten? Ash had already guessed this Ursaring was actually Mew in disguise.
The reason he didn't expose it immediately was simple — he wanted to see what Mew was up to. Now it seemed, this little troublemaker was just bored and looking for fun.
Picking up the fainted Pichu, Ash turned to leave.
[Goh: Hey, hey, hey! Does that guy even know what he's doing?! That's Mew! A once-in-a-lifetime chance! Isn't he going to try to catch it?!]
That was his dream Pokémon — Mew! What did Ash mean by just turning around and walking away like it was nothing? Was he playing hard to get?
[Giovanni: Did a door hit your head, kid? That's Mew! You think a six-year-old can handle something like that?]
Even Giovanni, usually calm and collected, sounded exasperated. Did this idiot think Mew was some kind of vegetable — easy to pick?
If Mew were really that easy to deal with, Team Rocket's years of research and experimentation to create Mewtwo would've been nothing but a clown show.
[Steven: Whose child is this? Can someone please drag him out of the chat?]
[Koga: Hmph. How does such a fool even get into a high-tier livestream chat? The system seriously needs to improve its filters.]
After being roasted by Giovanni, Steven, and Koga, poor Goh didn't dare talk back and completely shrank into silence.
Finally, with the nuisance out of the way, the chat returned to normal.
[Serena: How did Mew even find Ash?]
In truth, Serena didn't really care why Mew found him. What she cared about was whether the Ash from the Parallel World had joined Professor Oak's summer camp — and whether he'd met her there.
If not, then her other self was truly too pitiful.
[Bruno: Mew probably doesn't have a 996 work schedule, so it just got bored and decided to have fun.]
[Lance: Outrageous! We should catch Mew and let it experience the cruelty of society too!]
[Lorelei: Don't worry. Even if Mew joined the Pokémon League, it'd be pampered like a VIP — not overworked like you, Lance.]
[Bruno: Haha, too real. Lance's silence says it all.]
Back in the black-screen world—
Ash was about to leave, but Mew wasn't ready to let him go so easily. It had finally found someone interesting — no way it'd let the fun end now.
"Follow me."
The voice echoed directly in Ash's mind — Mew's telepathy.
Then, with a playful flick of its tail, Mew flew deeper into the forest.
Should he follow?
Ash hesitated for half a second before nodding. Of course he should. It was a Mythical Pokémon — that alone deserved respect.
—
Somewhere else in the forest, Serena lay on the ground with a twisted ankle, completely hopeless.
Trees. Trees. And more trees. Not a single person in sight.
She wanted to go home. Who would come to save her?
Then, a pink kitten floated out from behind the bushes.
Normally, seeing such a cute Pokémon, Serena would've squealed and rushed to hug it. But now? She was terrified.
This cat… it doesn't eat people, right?
Mew, unaware of her panic, smiled sweetly. The game had officially begun.
"What's going on?" Ash stopped dead in his tracks.
Two identical girls sat on the ground before him — both wearing the same hat, same expression, same pitiful look on their faces.
Ash blinked, immediately understanding what was happening.
The girl must be another kid from Professor Oak's summer camp — and she'd clearly gotten lost.
As for why there were two of them… that was obviously Mew's doing.
"Who is the real one, and who is the clone? You only get one chance." It was Mew's telepathic voice again.
Normally, Ash wasn't one for childish games. But who was the one playing it? Mew. And Mew deserved to be taken seriously.
Since he'd decided to play, he wouldn't slack off. Whatever he did — even a game — he had to win. That was Ash's principle.
He calmed himself, analyzing every detail, carefully observing the two girls before him.
—
Kalos Region, Vaniville Town
Serena's face was as red as a Cheri Berry.
"Oh my gosh! My Parallel World self gets to stare at Ash for so long!"
Watching her daughter giggling foolishly at the screen, Grace could only sigh.
Now she finally understood — her daughter was a complete love-struck fool.