"Leave me your contact information so we can fight again later."
As the trio of beta testers reluctantly transferred their money over, Elm turned to Ash Ketchum with an unwilling expression and made that request.
"Contact information?" Ash replied, still grinning as he kept a close eye on the group to make sure they weren't hiding anything. He'd expected someone would ask something like this and had already prepared an excuse. His tone became deliberately aloof, as if reciting some kind of mysterious rule.
"Only someone who defeats me is worthy of having my contact info," he said coolly. "Losers, like you, only need to remember one thing—I'm a member of the Temple of the Gods."
"The Temple of the Gods?" the three echoed in confusion, glancing at each other. They tried to recall if they'd ever heard that name before, but each of them shook their heads.
Ash noticed their bewildered expressions and went on with his bluff. "It's not surprising you don't know. After all, your level isn't high enough to interact with us yet. But don't worry. Now that the Pantheon has made its appearance, the world will soon witness its power."
The trio looked even more lost now.
"Is this some new in-game faction added by Tianshen Tech?" Elm muttered to his teammates.
"No clue," Steve replied, and Mark, his sister, shook her head in agreement.
Elm looked back at Ash and tried probing further. "Wait… are you a player?"
Ash tilted his head, wearing a puzzled expression, then blinked like he'd just understood the question. "Ah… yes. I'm a player… of life," he said dramatically. "Our mission in the Pantheon is to take control of the world and bring peace to it."
That did it. The trio looked at each other and came to a silent agreement—Ash wasn't a player, he had to be an NPC. Only villainous factions in games talked about saving the world while trying to conquer it at the same time.
With that mental shift, they suddenly felt a whole lot better.
Losing to an NPC? That was understandable. NPCs were often given OP stats or hidden skills. But losing to another player? That would've been shameful. No way they'd accept that. Clearly, Ash was a powerful NPC created by Tianshen Tech to balance the early-game experience—someone who could protect new players from being bullied by veterans like themselves.
They had simply stumbled into a scripted event and got smacked around.
"Senior, how did you train your Pidgey to be so strong?" The boy in glasses who had earlier pointed out the beta testers stepped forward, his tone full of admiration.
At those words, everyone's attention immediately sharpened. Players in online games knew that when a unique NPC showed up, it usually meant a special mission or hidden quest. And the person in front of them had just defeated the fully evolved starter Pokémon—Brock, Cilan, and Kiawe—with a Pidgey. That kind of power had to come with a story.
Ash was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected anyone to ask that. But it was a fair question. If a powerful "NPC" appeared out of nowhere, they had to be connected to some sort of questline. Luckily, Ash was a fast thinker.
He cleared his throat and responded with an air of mystique. "Training a Pokémon like mine is simple… but not easy. You have to bond with it completely. Eat with it, sleep with it, train with it."
He began waving his hands theatrically. "When it practices Hyper Beam, you need to drink a gallon of water and throw it all up, just to understand the pressure it goes through. When it practices Steel Wing, you smash into trees alongside it until your bones rattle. When it works on Substitute, you simulate schizophrenia so you can teach it how to split its focus!"
The crowd stared in horror and confusion. Was this guy serious? These didn't sound like training methods—they sounded like the ravings of a madman.
Still, they kept listening, hoping to catch something useful.
Then Ash said something that caught their attention.
"I caught this Pidgey during the night of the Miki Festival, on August 10th, in Ecruteak City."
That did it.
"Ecruteak City?" several people exclaimed at once. That place was known in lore for being connected to Ho-Oh, the legendary rainbow Pokémon.
It had to be a hint.
The crowd began making mental notes. August 10th. Ecruteak City. There was no way that detail was random. In all likelihood, a special Pidgey would spawn on that night—one with divine beast potential.
Ash watched their faces light up with eagerness and had to turn away for a second, pressing his lips together to stop from laughing out loud. These people were totally buying it.
After checking his app to confirm the money had been fully transferred, Ash took a deep breath and shouted, "Pidgey, use Fly!"
In front of the whole crowd, Ash grabbed Mew—currently disguised as a Pidgey—by its tiny legs, and the two of them lifted off into the sky, vanishing over the treetops.
"…Poor Pidgey," someone muttered with genuine sympathy.
Everyone nodded solemnly.
A bird that small carrying a human-sized guy? It was a miracle its wings hadn't fallen off.
Pidgey—really Mew in disguise—flew them deep into the forest, eventually landing in a quiet clearing.
"Alright, let me down," Ash said as soon as they were over solid ground. Once on his feet, he leaned against a tree, caught his breath, and finally let the illusion drop.
The 'Pidgey' shimmered and transformed back into Mew, its small pink body hovering in the air. Mew tilted its head curiously at Ash, who was still laughing.
"Master, where are we going next?" Mew asked telepathically, using Confusion to communicate.
Ash grinned, wiping away a tear from laughing too hard. "Mew, how'd you like a few friends to play with?"
"Yes, of course!" Mew's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Great! Then we're going back to see Professor Samuel Oak. We need a Pokédex and some supplies. Then we're heading out to catch you some legendary friends—Ho-Oh, Lugia, Mewtwo…"
Ash's voice trailed off dreamily.
Mew's cheerful expression dimmed a little. "They won't play with me."
"Huh?" Ash blinked.
"They're all really arrogant," Mew explained, crossing its tiny arms. "Whenever I show up, they treat me like I'm trespassing. They chase me off."
Ash waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. Your master is amazing. If I see any of them trying to act tough—"
He paused, then narrowed his eyes. "Wait… you've met other legendary Pokémon?"
"Yes," Mew said. "Once, I met a Pokémon created from my own genes. It was fighting with its friends. When it saw me, it attacked me immediately. So rude."
"Mewtwo!" Ash exclaimed. "That has to be Mewtwo!"
He was practically bouncing. But Mew puffed out its cheeks in annoyance.
Ash cleared his throat. "I mean… Mengdi. Compared to you, Mewtwo's just your little brother. A clone. A cheap copy."
Mew looked slightly appeased.
Ash leaned forward, hopeful. "Do you know where it went after that?"
"No. It left with its companions. I don't know where they went."
Ash sighed. So close, yet so far.
"What about the others? Who else have you seen?"
Mew closed its eyes for a moment, trying to recall. "There was one Pokémon with a shining body that left rainbows behind wherever it flew. The others called it Ho-Oh."
Ash's eyes sparkled. "Do you know where it is now?"
"No. I just saw it once while traveling."
Ash clicked his tongue in frustration. "That's not helpful…"
Mew kept thinking. "I saw a green one once—long snake-like body, flew through the sky. It lived in a place called the Sky Pillar in the Hoenn region. I tried saying hi. It ignored me."
Ash's jaw dropped. "Rayquaza! My brother Lie!"
Then he noticed Mew's jealous pout again.
"Right, right—how rude! Doesn't even respond to a friendly greeting. Mew, you're clearly superior. When I tame it, I'll make sure it calls you big brother."
Mew smiled proudly.
"Any others?"
Mew rattled off a few more names—some familiar, some vague—but couldn't pinpoint their current locations.
Eventually, Ash gave up.
He transformed back into his disguised form and made his way back to New Bark Town. After returning, he visited Professor Samuel Oak, received his Pokédex and a set of beginner equipment, and officially began his journey—with Mew hovering beside him, excitement twinkling in both their eyes.
Together, they would seek out the legends of the Pokémon world—and maybe cause a little chaos along the way.
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