Chapter 3: Mew and the Only Pokémon
Just then, a pink figure flew gracefully past from under the tree.
When Rio saw this figure clearly, he even ignored the Berry he had just picked, his eyes widening in utter shock.
"M-Mew?!"
With large, watery eyes, a body like a small pink cat, and a long tail, it was indeed the legendary Mythical Pokémon from Rio's knowledge: Mew.
He had just made up his mind to get to know all sorts of legendary Pokémon, and unexpectedly, he encountered one in the blink of an eye, and it was even one of Rio's favorite Pokémon.
Is this fate? Rio's heart filled with joy.
As if hearing its name, Mew blinked its big eyes, its delicate body tracing a graceful arc in the air as it flew onto the fruit tree to look at Rio.
A Riolu and a Mew stared at each other blankly.
"Mew, hello there," a clear and ethereal voice sounded from Mew. Its cute eyes glanced at the large Berry in Rio's hand. "This Berry looks delicious, may I try it?"
"O-Of course, you can! Here!" Rio quickly handed over the Berry he had picked. This was the super popular Mythical Pokémon from the games and anime of his past life, now appearing right before him. Rio couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Without seeing Mew open its mouth to eat, with a "kacha kacha" sound, the large Berry vanished into thin air.
"Mew, it's delicious, thank you."
Mew squinted its eyes, looking intoxicated with delight.
"N-No problem, your enjoyment is what's most important." Rio immediately turned into a "sycophant."
Seemingly enjoying the deliciousness of the Berry, Mew floated happily in the air.
The two Pokémon started chatting intermittently.
"Mew, your aura feels very familiar too, as if I've known you for a long time... Can I have another Berry?"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes..."
"Mew, and your kind of Pokémon, it seems like they've become rarer and rarer since ancient times... Ah, I want that orange-skinned fruit."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes..."
"Mew, in recent years I've been playing all over the world, and you should be the only Pokémon like this left... Mmm, I'm full."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes... What??"
Rio, who was diligently handing over Berries, didn't react for a moment.
Mew opened its cute eyes wide, circled Rio a few times, and said in a very certain tone.
"Mew, really, you should be the only Pokémon of your kind in the world right now. What was this kind of Pokémon called again?"
"Riolu, or Lucario."
"Ah yes, such a familiar name, it feels like I've heard it somewhere before."
Mew supported its head with its small, short arms, trying hard to recall.
"Mew, forget it, I can't remember. I have to go now, see you next time."
Mew floated lightly in the air a few times, smiled and wagged its finger, then its form shifted, transforming into a large bird. With a flick of the vibrant feathers on its head, it spread its wings and flew towards the sky.
"This is the move Transform, turned into a Pidgeot. Truly worthy of the legend that it possesses the genes of all Pokémon and can transform into various forms."
"Ahhh, Mew is so adorable..."
Rio watched in a daze as the Pidgeot that Mew had transformed into flew further away, thinking with some envy.
He didn't notice that the blue gem inlaid at the end of the necklace hanging on his neck had been emitting a faint glow since Mew's arrival, and only returned to its original dim state after Mew departed.
After his moment of emotion, Rio still hadn't noticed the abnormality of his necklace.
Because at this moment, he was more shocked by what Mew had just said: that he was the only Riolu left in this world.
He vaguely remembered that in the games he had played and the anime he had watched in his previous life, although Riolu or Lucario were not very common Pokémon, they were by no means so rare as to be the only one left. But if Riolu or Lucario had never existed in this Pokémon world, and Rio's transmigration had brought this new Pokémon species to this world, such an inference was clearly not correct either. The nostalgic look on Mew's face when it mentioned these two Pokémon names was enough to prove that Riolu or Lucario had appeared in this world before. After all, Mew was a legendary Pokémon that had lived since super ancient times; its experience and knowledge were likely unmatched by any human or Pokémon.
"The world's only Riolu (Lucario)..."
The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Rio inadvertently shivered, a chill rising in his heart, as if some dark secret shrouded this reincarnated species.
"Strength, I still need to increase my strength, whether it's to see a wider world or to deal with unknown crises."
Rio ultimately stuck to his idea of improving his strength.
"Hic," letting out a burp, Rio rested for a moment, intending to start his journey of exploration again.
Standing on the tree, he looked in all directions. Since all he could see was forest, he decided to head west, to try his luck and see if he could get out of the forest and make contact with the world beyond.
However, he hadn't gone far before the sky began to darken.
Night in the Pokémon world was gradually descending.
The quiet and peaceful atmosphere of the forest during the day seemed somewhat gloomy and desolate at night. Those Caterpie that had been leisurely munching on grass and leaves also quickly wriggled their bodies and hid in the dense surrounding jungle as darkness fell.
The forest grew dark very quickly. Before Rio could react, he felt his surroundings dim abruptly.
"Let's find a place to rest."
Rio was a little scared. As far as he knew, various nocturnal Pokémon existed in the Pokémon world, and some Pokémon became particularly ferocious at night. Moving around at night without certain safety guarantees was really not a good idea.
For safety's sake, he decided to find a high place to rest. Fumbling in the darkness, he found a tree that was a considerable distance from the ground, climbed up using all fours, leaned against a few sturdy branches, secured himself, and then planned to rest.
Quietly admiring the forest nightscape for a while, Rio unknowingly fell asleep, his mind still wandering: "But then again, Riolu's fur is quite warm, looks like I won't need to buy a blanket in the future..."
…
On the other side of the forest, several figures cloaked in dark hoods gathered together.
"Have you caught the person?" a burly figure asked the others in a deep voice.
Another person dangled a small, unconscious figure they were holding: "Right here."
"Very good," the burly figure nodded, his eyes under the hood glinting with a touch of fanaticism. "Now we don't have to worry about those two disobeying. Our great 'God-Making' plan can proceed to the final step."
The other few people also showed fanatical expressions.
"Remember, everyone, everything is for... the glory!"
"Everything is for... the glory!"
After a round of oaths, the group turned and walked towards the depths of the forest. Under the faint moonlight, a large 'R' emblem flashed on their dark hooded attire.
…
A silent night passed.
The morning sun shone through the gaps in the leaves onto Rio's face, chasing away his sleepiness.
Rio rubbed his eyes, picked a few leaves, and wiped the cold sweat from his head.
He didn't know if it was because of what Mew had said or some other reason. In his sleep, he had dreamed of various strange and indescribable things, leaving him with palpitations even after waking up.
He hadn't slept well that night.
Putting aside the dreams he could no longer recall, just sleeping on a tree branch felt awkward in every way, and his arms and legs had been bitten quite badly by mosquitoes.
Besides Pokémon, various ordinary creatures also existed in this world. Rio had personally seen them: ordinary fish swimming freely in the pool, various insects crawling out from piles of fallen leaves and dead branches throughout the forest, and even a few plump rabbits had once swaggered past Rio. As for many other ordinary creatures, although Rio hadn't witnessed them personally, he could still imagine that ordinary creatures existed in this world.
This also indirectly answered one of Rio's questions about the food chain structure of the Pokémon world—the food sources for Pokémon and humans. Besides preying on each other (for example, Pidgey likes to eat Caterpie; Caterpie: T_T, why is it always me?), Pokémon also feed on ordinary creatures. As for humans, it went without saying; both ordinary creatures and Pokémon were part of their diet.
"Heave-ho."
Stretching with effort, he then landed lightly on the ground with a nimble jump. Rio moved his body around and continued his journey in the direction he had chosen.