The "Caterpie" finished the last of the Pokéblocks, licking its lips with suspiciously human satisfaction.
Chen Shi's face twitched.
No Caterpie eats like that.
No Caterpie looks that intelligent.
And certainly—NO Caterpie shows up this clean, round, and well-fed in Viridian Forest, where survival is a blood sport.
Still, Chen Shi forced a smile and held out more food.
"B-Big brother… is it tasty? I have more. A lot more."
He emptied every last generic Pokéblock into a neat pile.
Normally, he never carried many—his own partners all ate custom-made Pokéblocks from his grandmother.
Behind him, Dragapult opened one eye in confusion.
Why was his Trainer appeasing a Caterpie?
And why did Chen Shi look like he was negotiating with a crime boss?
Dragapult narrowed his eyes at the "Caterpie."
Still Caterpie.
Nothing unusual.
…But that somehow made it feel even stranger.
Meanwhile, the Caterpie scarfed down the entire pile like a tiny king, then turned its gleaming eyes toward Chen Shi again.
And then—a voice echoed directly in his mind.
[Your mind… holds immense power.]
Chen Shi nearly fell backwards.
He darted a glance around.
Good. Nobody noticed.
He swallowed.
"…Was… was that you speaking?"
Many Mythical Pokémon used telepathy.
But this wasn't telepathy.
It was like the voice bypassed all barriers and whispered straight to his soul.
The Caterpie blinked.
[Indeed, human. You recognize me.]
Chen Shi's smile twitched painfully.
"Hahaha… i-if I say no… would it help?"
"I can leave right now! I'll take all these kids and go!"
Self-preservation over dignity—easy choice.
The Caterpie tilted its head in thought.
Then—
With a flash of pink light, its body warped and shifted.
Caterpie → Pidgey.
Dragapult sat straight up.
What.
What.
Was that Caterpie a second ago?
Why is it now a Pidgey?!
He rubbed his eyes aggressively.
Still Pidgey.
He looked at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi looked back, deadpan.
Yes. He saw it too.
The tiny "Pidgey" floated to Chen Shi's shoulder—
—and spoke again.
[What you humans call Psychic power… that is not what you possess.]
Chen Shi froze.
Mew.
This was Mew.
Pokémon: Mew
Level: ???
Potential: ???
Everything: ???
The world's most infamous runaway trickster.
His heart thumped painfully.
"…What do you mean?"
Mew tapped its cheek with a paw.
[You possess something else. Something old. A power of the heart.]
A power… of the heart?
What kind of esoteric nonsense was that supposed to be?
Mew continued without a care in the world.
[I have only encountered one human with this same power. That was… more than a thousand years ago.]
Chen Shi's lungs stopped working for a moment.
So his little "superpower" wasn't psychic at all—
it was some ancient, forgotten ability.
Wonderful.
Mew floated closer.
[I sensed danger approaching. Not for myself—
but for the Tree of Beginning.]
That nearly made Chen Shi scream.
The Tree of Beginning—
one of the world's fundamental anchors.
If anything happened to it, the planet could destabilize… or collapse entirely.
He clenched his jaw.
"…What exactly do you want from me?"
Mew blinked innocently.
[I don't know~]
Chen Shi's soul left his body.
You—
Don't—
KNOW?!
Then WHY are you here?!
Mew conjured a small glowing crystal and pressed it into Chen Shi's hand.
[Crush this when the time comes. It will bring you to me instantly.]
Chen Shi stared at the crystal.
Part teleportation tool.
Part divine pager.
Part doom invitation.
"…Why should I help you? Any reward?"
Yes, he would help regardless.
But he was DONE helping ancient forces for free.
Mew's tail swayed.
[Of course. I always reward those who aid me.]
Good.
A Mythical favor held enormous value.
Professor Oak's distant voice drifted in the wind—
calling for the children to assemble.
Mew floated higher, transforming again into a Caterpie.
[Until the time comes, human.]
And then—
Poof.
It vanished.
Not teleported.
Not blurred.
Not flew away.
It simply vanished like a dream.
Chen Shi pressed a hand to his forehead, breathing out slowly.
Wonderful.
As if preparing for the World Championship wasn't enough…
now he had the Tree of Beginning on his to-do list.
Dragapult nudged him.
"Baruu?"
(Who was that? Why were you scared of a Caterpie?)
Chen Shi patted his head.
"…Dragapult, let's pretend we didn't see anything today."
Dragapult hesitated.
Then nodded.
Good choice.
Their peaceful summer camp day had just gotten a terrifying Mythical visitor.
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