Route 3, REN POV:
The next day, we left Pewter behind. The sun was warm but not harsh, the kind of weather that made the road ahead feel inviting. Skitty padded along beside me, tail flicking cheerfully, and Mew—still in her human disguise, walked a few steps ahead, humming to herself like this was a relaxing stroll and not the start of a potentially dangerous journey, not that it felt that way.
It hadn't been long since we started down the dirt path winding between the trees when a voice called out.
"Hey! Are you a trainer too?"
I turned to see a kid a bit younger than me, maybe twelve, standing by the edge of the path. He wore the classic bug catcher outfit: sunhat, shorts, and a net that looked a size too big. Two Pokéballs hung from his belt.
"Name's Foren," he said, jogging over. "Wanna battle? I just caught some cool bug-types!"
I looked at Skitty, who stretched and gave a confident chirp.
"Alright," I said, smiling a little. "Let's do it."
We cleared a patch of grass. Mew raised a hand like a referee and called out in an overly dramatic tone, "Battle start!"
Foren sent out a Wurmple first. The little bug wriggled forward, eyes narrowing as it stared at Skitty.
"Wurmple, String Shot!"
The bug launched a web of sticky threads. Skitty leapt to the side, avoiding most of it, but a few strands stuck to the ground around her. She stepped back cautiously, her paws nearly catching on one of the gooey lines.
"Careful," I muttered. "It's meant to slow you down."
"Wrap up!" Foren called out. Wurmple began spinning more of the string around its own body like a crude cocoon.
I frowned. That was odd, but I could see where he was going with it, he's using the stickiness for both offense and defense, Skitty's next tackle will slow her down.
"Alright, kick some dirt on it!" I called. "Mess up the thread!"
Skitty paused, then began using her hind legs to fling dust at Wurmple. The dirt clung to the sticky coating, dulling its effectiveness. Wurmple squirmed, its vision obscured by the cloud of grit.
"Now, go in!"
With the stickiness neutralized and Wurmple half-blinded, Skitty shot forward and slammed into it with a clean Tackle. Wurmple squeaked and tried to retaliate with a Poison Sting, but missed by inches.
One more hit did it, Wurmple collapsed. Foren returned it gently. "Nice try, buddy."
Next, he threw out a Caterpie, but the battle was quick. Skitty was too fast and too confident now, weaving around the slow bug-type before knocking it out with another quick tackle.
Mew threw both arms in the air. "Victory for Skitty!"
Skitty strutted back with a proud chirp, tail high, and brushed against my leg.
Foren walked over, grinning from ear to ear. "That was awesome!"
I scratched the back of my head. "Honestly? That was my first real battle."
"Same here," he laughed. "We're both newbies, huh?"
Skitty purred and curled around my legs.
There was a brief silence between us.
"I wanna be a silk farmer one day," Foren said suddenly. "Not just a battler. I'm training bug-types 'cause I wanna make the best silk in all of Kanto. Wurmple, Caterpie… maybe even Spinarak someday. Their silk's all different—I'm gonna find the perfect combo."
"That's actually pretty awesome," I said. "You've already got a dream."
He nodded. "Do you have one?"
I paused. "Sort of. Still figuring it out. Right now I just want to get stronger… and learn more about the world."
"Fair enough," he said, rummaging in his backpack before pulling out a scrap of paper and pen. "Here—my number. For when you get a PokéGear or phone."
I took it with a smile. "Thanks. I'll call when I can."
"Good luck out there, Ren!"
"You too, Foren. And good luck with the silk dream."
He waved and headed down the path, his Pokémon safely tucked away.
Skitty leapt into my arms, warm and purring, while Mew stretched lazily beside me with a knowing smirk.
"So," she said, "making friends already? Impressive. And here I thought you were socially awkward."
I rolled my eyes. "Let's just keep moving."
■■■SAVING■■■
We weren't in a hurry to reach our destination.
Getting to Cerulean City would take three days on foot if we took the path through Mt. Moon. All the other routes took longer.
That evening, we found a small clearing next to the road and decided to camp for the night.
As I set up the tent, Mew and Skitty went to look for berries and firewood.
Soon the camp was ready, and we had some spicy Tamato berry sauce and rice cooking on the fire. To be honest, I was a little scared of the berries. They were described as very spicy in the games. I just hoped it tasted okay.
The food was ready soon enough, and we ate our fill. Skitty didn't touch hers. It was too spicy for her. I gave her some apples and Bluk berries instead, and she seemed to like that, I'll keep it in mind.
As I wondered what to do with the leftovers, I noticed Mew staring into the bushes. I turned to look too—and saw something moving.
There, peeking out with wide grayish eyes and a tuft of curly hair on its head, was a small reddish brown fox.
"Vulpix?" I muttered.
At the sound of my voice, the little fox shrank back into the underbrush.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," I said in the friendliest tone I could manage—which, weirdly, was very friendly now that I focused on it. Probably part of this new body.
My voice seemed to work. The Pokémon crept closer, eyeing Skitty's leftovers.
I gently pushed the food toward it. The Vulpix appreciated the gesture and quickly began eating, but only the parts covered in sauce, I noticed. I gave it a little more.
Soon the fox was full.
It walked up to me, curled up on my lap, and, despite Mew's quiet giggles and Skitty's amused smile, fell asleep right there.
■■■SAVING■■■
Mew and I sat next to the campfire. Vulpix was still curled up on my lap and Skitty was asleep in the tent, which, like the bag, was also bigger on the inside—the wonders of technology.
I looked at Mew, still in her human form, as she idly poked the flames with a stick held in her psychic grip.
I wondered if she was reading my mind, maybe she already knew what I was about to say.
"Mew," I said, catching her attention.
"Yes?" she asked, dropping the stick and looking at me.
"Why are you following me?" I asked. This question had been bouncing around in my head ever since we reached Pewter. She could've left at any time—she even said fallers like me weren't rare. Even if she found me interesting, why go through all the effort of pretending to be a kid, even more, my sister? It was just so confusing.
Mew tilted her head, eyes reflecting the firelight. For a moment, I thought she wasn't going to answer.
Then she smiled, soft and a little sad.
"Do I need a reason?" she asked, almost teasing.
I didn't say anything. Just waited.
She sighed and looked up at the stars. "It gets... quiet, sometimes. When you've seen the world a hundred times over, it stops surprising you. People come and go. Pokémon change, humans change. But me? I don't, I'm eternal."
Her voice was soft, but there was something heavy behind it.
"Then I saw you," she continued. "Not just another faller. You were… different. Curious, but not desperate. You were lost, and I wanted to help. And you didn't look at me like some puzzle to solve or a prize to catch. You just... saw me."
She laughed quietly, twirling the stick in her psychic grip. "Besides, you're fun to watch. And everyone knows it's better to see things in person." She said with a smile.
I raised an eyebrow. "So I'm your entertainment now?"
"Among other things," she said with a wink. "Let's just say… I don't think I'm ready to drift away just yet."
She didn't give a real answer, not completely. But I felt like she had, in her own way.