Losing sucked!

  But Mawile had a good time in the contest.

  She’d gotten to perform in front of all those people, and some of them cheered for her!

  But she hadn’t exactly gotten a chance to be cute, had she? That had sort of been her goal, but that stupid Shadow guy had her going for the scary look. Which, sure, she pulled it off because she was awesome, but still!

  At the end of the day, she was glad that she had forced the humans to let her take a shot at it, but she didn’t think she’d be trying to make it a regular thing.

  …especially if she had to deal with this every time.

  The weird Shadow guys had taken her away from the lake and down the next route they planned to travel. Right now, they were sitting on the shore, the three of them and their Ghost hiding in the trees while Mawile played in the sand.

  But they were boring.

  They couldn’t talk to her, not like N could, so there wasn’t really any hope of a conversation. Their Ghost was super lame too, telling her that he “had to focus” and “didn’t have time for games”.

  Who didn’t have time for games?!

  So that left her on her own, building a little structure out of the sand. She’d seen a small human doing it, and when she tried to join in he had run away.

  Coward.

  It was strange, looking out into the ocean and knowing that it was on the other side of the region than the one she’d spent her whole life surrounded by. All these Pokemon around her, so many of them looking different from what she was used to.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the Shadows. They were boring, sure, but the transformation into “contest star” had been at least a little bit intriguing, and now they were doing the reverse.

  They gathered his blue hair up as tightly as they could before stuffing it beneath the black headband and white hair, which the other two had been keeping for him.

  She didn’t understand why they all needed white hair. Or to hide their faces behind the masks. Or really why they did anything they did…. Weirdos.

  She couldn’t wait to get back to N and the others. They were at least fun to be around! Plus they still hadn’t gotten a chance to praise her for being so amazing in the contest! That was definitely on the to do list. A star like her needed proper praise!

  She looked back towards the Lake, hoping to see them walking her way, and sighing as her hopes were dashed for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes.

  The Shadows were probably right about having to sleep out here again… uggghhh….

  As she was lamenting that, though, something caught her eye.

  Up in the air, letting loose a few sparks and wandering around in loose circles was some sort of… Ghost, maybe? It was kind of see-through? Only a little bit though.

  It kind of reminded her of Rotom! Just, bigger, and pointier, and less annoying!

  Hmmm. Maybe they were friends? She’d have to ask when they finally saved her from the boring clutches of the Shadows.

  Rotom didn’t pay any attention to where Rotom was going. The destination didn’t really matter, just that Rotom was away from Mimikyu while Rotom figured things out.

  Mimikyu knew nothing.

  He couldn’t possibly know.

  And yet, Rotom couldn’t shake off the feeling that somehow, someway, Mimikyu did know.

  That unsettled Rotom.

  Mimikyu had made a good point when he pointed out how difficult it would be to be working for an organization while travelling with N. Perhaps if it were any other human, information could have been relayed with N none-the-wiser, but N’s understanding of Pokemon made that impossible to slip past him.

  Unless N also worked with that organization? The boy clearly had ties to someone, even if Rotom wasn’t entirely sure who. Then again, if Rotom couldn’t pin down those ties, and N was clearly Unovan, it was probably some sort of foreign organization that would be too disconnected from Sinnoh to know anything.

  Rotom’s next train of thought was that Mimikyu might have previously worked for an organization in Sinnoh. Deep enough to learn about things like the Red Chain, yet having left for one reason or another.

  The more Rotom thought about that, however, the less sense it made. The League clearly wasn’t happy with Mimikyu, being that he was a Fairy type, and those documents Rotom stole made it clear that they’d been consistent in their internal policy on the type until their hand had been forced.

  Galactic… No. That just didn’t make sense. Sure, the leadership had no problem keeping things from the grunts, but when would it have happened? Who would he have been connected with? Rotom had made sure to keep up on Galactic, and while Rotom couldn’t be absolutely certain that none of them had teammates that Rotom wasn’t aware of, Mimikyu was very… well, Rotom got the sense that hiding Mimikyu’s presence would have been a bit of an ordeal, and not something that Galactic would put up with.

  Besides, there had been that whole incident with the King of Distortion. The King had clearly been familiar with Mimikyu to a confusing degree, and Mimikyu had tried requesting some sort of way to go home? But the King mentioned a “role granted unto thee by thine Creator”, whatever that meant.

  There was no way that the League or Galactic would allow Mimikyu out of their sight if they knew about something like that. No organization would, really…

  What did that leave? Maybe the source that Galactic had gotten their information from? What little Rotom had seen in their files hadn’t been very complete, so they’d clearly heard it second hand. But that could have been from some old book they’d dug up, or maybe they’d visited Celestic, or…

  But that had to be it, didn’t it? How else could he know? It’s the only possibility that made any sense, as far fetched as it sounded.

  And yet…

  ‘I think I do, actually. I know a lot of things.’

  The accusation that Rotom was projecting, the confidence in his words…

  Perhaps he should start keeping a closer eye on the fae.

  Perhaps… Mimikyu could be a key figure in solving his problem…

  “Why do I feel more confused than when this started?”

  “‘Cuz secrets beget secrets ‘n’ all that jazz….” Mimikyu muttered. “This is why I don’ like explainin’ stuff. Ya start talkin’ ‘bout one thing ‘n’ suddenly ya gotta explain something ta understand that explanation and then again ‘n’ again, jus’ infinite recursion ‘cuz nobody knows ‘ow ta mind their own business…”

  Lucas stood up off the bed, grabbing N’s phone off the floor from where Rotom had abandoned it, giving the rest of them confused looks.

  “I thought friends didn’t keep secrets from each other?” Marowak asked.

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  N could feel Mimikyu’s eyeroll. “Secrets only stay secret if ya keep ‘em to yerself. Soon as ya tell one person yer openin’ yerself up to ev’ryone knowin’, even if ya trust ‘em with yer life.”

  N wouldn’t go quite that far with it, but he could understand Mimikyu’s thinking to a degree. The Sages had told him over and over about how important it was to be conservative about just who he went and told about their goals. You never knew who could be listening, or who was lying to gain information. Still, though…

  “There comes a time, Mimikyu, that secrets can’t really be kept any longer. We’ve travelled together over what, at least half this region? Maybe more? And yet it feels like you’re still as cagey about things as you were at the start of all this.”

  Mimikyu sighed. “I s’pose I ‘ave gotten ya wrapped up in this ‘nough that ya really need some answers ‘ere…. But I’m workin’ on it, ain’ I? I was tryin’ ta tell ya stuff before Rotom flipped out, ya can’t fault me for that!”

  “Would you know why Rotom freaked out about this ‘Red Chain’, whatever it is?”

  The false Mime Jr. head shook back and forth. “Nah, that’s gettin’ into Rotom’s personal secrets ‘n’ if I went ‘n’ spilled the beans on that, I think it’d just make the drama queen angrier, ‘specially when it’s… I dunno, like forty percent speculation on my part? Let’s just get back ta what I was tryna tell ya before.”

  That… was fair. “Fine,” N replied as he leaned against the wall behind him. “You were saying something about Azelf revealing itself to me rather than Ash being a big deal?”

  “Yes. Like, a huge deal. You ‘n’ Lucas ‘ave probably noticed by now, but there’s a lot of shady stuff goin’ on in Sinnoh at the moment.” He paused for a moment. “Gimme the writin’ stuff, might as well make this easier on ya.”

  N pulled out the notebook and pen, handing it off to Mimikyu and watching as he repeated what he’d just said in writing so Lucas could keep up. When he noticed that Lucas had finished reading, they shared a look, and the boy thought it over for a moment before nodding. He took the pen from Mimikyu so he could respond.

  “ギンガ団” was all he wrote.

  “‘Xactly,” Mimikyu nodded along. “How many times ‘ave they caused trouble for ya now?”

  ”三”

  “That’s– huh. Did something…? Ah, whatever….” Whatever thoughts plagued Mimikyu in that moment, he didn’t deem it necessary to share. N didn’t push, lest Mimikyu’s openness suddenly dry up. “Anyway, Team Galactic ‘ave been gettin’ up ta no good all over Sinnoh, ‘n’ I think it highly unlikely that they stop any time soon.”

  “Especially when they have someone like Lucian covering for them…” N added on.

  “That part I’m still tryna figure out,” Mimikyu admitted. “But regardless of that, I think it’s obvious that they’re gonna keep escalatin’ ‘n’ escalatin’. They wouldn’ be the first ta do somethin’ so stupid.”

  “What do you mean?” N prompted.

  “Well…. Hm. Maybe I should’ve asked Ash ta stick around for a bit ta verify this…” He started writing again. “The League seems to ‘ave wiped this stuff off the internet, but there’s a history of organizations like Galactic usin’ power they can’t handle. Team Rocket in Kanto. Magma ‘n’ Aqua in Hoenn. They all decided that they wanted ta use the power of a Legend ta reshape the world as they saw fit, ‘n’ Galactic is likely the same.”

  Secretive groups using the power of Legends to reshape the world? That was… a familiar plan…

  “But they lost, right? So these Galactic people will lose too? They must be kind of crazy, trying to use a Legend….” Marowak remarked.

  “I s’pose ya could put it that way,” Mimikyu nodded his false head. “These people tend ta overestimate their abilities ‘n’ lose control jus’ when they think they’re untouchable.”

  N took a deep breath. That wouldn’t be him. He knew he wasn’t untouchable. And even beyond that, Mimikyu had specifically said they lose control. N wasn’t looking to control. The stories passed down said that the Dragons chose their heroes. That they willingly fought alongside them. There was no need for control.

  He would be different. He wasn’t evil like these people.

  “In Galactic’s case, they ‘ave a bit more reason ta think they’ll succeed. Usin’ the Red Chain thing that Rotom was freakin’ out over, ya can quite literally chain the Sinnoh Legends ta yer will.”

  Marowak and Lucas chewed on that idea for a moment, but N felt a bit of dread as he realized just what that meant. “So, wait a moment. You mean Palkia, like back in Alamos…?” He wasn’t even sure how to finish that thought.

  “Yes.” Mimikyu replied. “With control over Palkia ya could easily rip entire cities off the map, sendin’ ‘em ta other dimensions an’ slowly atomizin’ ‘em. With Dialga ya could hop aroun’ the timeline, changin’ the past ‘n’ alterin’ whatever details ya want until ya get the future ya desire. And if ya control time and space? Well, obviously that ain’ gonna be pretty for anyone who ain’ Galactic.”

  That kind of power… N could make it so that no Pokemon ever suffered again with ease. He could make it so no Pokemon had ever suffered.

  It was such a tempting prospect.

  But it would require making the Legends suffer.

  N didn’t need that sort of power. He would do what he was already planning to do.

  “So where does Azelf ‘choosing’ me fit into all of this? Based on what you’re saying, Galactic definitely can’t be allowed to achieve their goal, but… when Rotom brought up the possibility of stopping the creation of the chain thing, you were vague with your answer.”

  Mimikyu let out an awkward laugh, scratching the side of his disguise with the end of the pen, twirling it between his shadowy “fingers” before he started writing again. “I’m not entirely sure of the mechanics. I just know that the three Lake Guardians choose three humans, and that the Lake Guardians have to be protected to stop the Red Chain from being forged…”

  Lucas snatched the pen. “わかりませんか？？？！”

  “What do you want from me?!” Mimikyu hastily scribbled out. “I’m not omniscient ya know! Knowin’ more than you guys doesn’ mean I know everything!”

  N’s eyes narrowed. “But how do you know what you know? You mention other organizations doing things like this while in the same breath telling us that the information was scrubbed from the internet. You know all sorts of odd details about different Legends, despite the fact that the vast majority of both people and Pokemon go their whole life without seeing a single one. You not only knew that Ash is a magnet for Legends before we even met him, you knew where to find him while only being off by a single town. You give a dissertation on Fairy types shortly after we meet, and yet you only recently learned how to use your own moves. We stumble into Giratina’s home, and a Legend talks like it knows all about you.” N sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I just don’t get it, Mimikyu. You know so much, and it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

  “That’s… difficult to answer,” Mimikyu slowly scrawled on the page.

  “Try.”

  “I’ve thought ‘bout this conversation hundreds of times ‘n’ I never manage ta make much progress even in my head. There’s the example in Alola, but is that still secret…? Can’t even remember what they called ‘em, it was somethin’ stupid though… Outlanders? Outrealm… no, that was…” Mimikyu muttered to himself for a bit as he scribbled various nonsense words onto the page, crossing them out and trying again when he apparently didn’t think they were right. It went on for long enough that Lucas gave N an exasperated look, but just when N was about to say something about it, Mimikyu shouted.

  “Fallers! It was Fallers!” フォール was the last word on the page not to be crossed out. “Either of ya recognize that term at all?”

  “...am I meant to?” Sure, he knew what falling was, and he could gather that “Faller” referred to someone who fell, but… with the effort Mimikyu had put into it, he had the feeling that there was some extra meaning to it that he simply wasn’t aware of.

  Lucas shrugged as well.

  Mimikyu’s disguise slumped. “Well if you don’ know that then it won’t make any sense… what else could I… oh! I… well… hmm… how do ya actually explain that one…” He started doodling on the page, something that vaguely resembled a Turtwig on a beach with a… some sort of Fire type? There was a flame on the tail at the very least. “‘Ave either of ya ever heard a story about a land where there are no humans? Where Pokemon go on adventures together, exploring dungeons, saving other Pokemon…?”

  Lucas shook his head no.

  “I can’t say that I have, but I would love to hear it!” N answered. A world where Pokemon could be free from humans…. That sounded like a lovely story.

  Mimikyu sagged further. “Right, so no Fallers, no Mystery Dungeons… I guess there was that thing with the witch? ‘Ave either of ya ever run into any witches?”

  “Those aren’t real, Mimikyu,” N deadpanned, starting to wonder if this whole thing was Mimikyu just trying to avoid answers again.

  “Ya jus’ accept all the crazy stuff around ya, but witches are where ya draw the line?” Mimikyu grumbled as he scribbled more ideas down, steadily filling up the page with nonsense. “I guess there’s Bill…? Ah, but he would definitely try ta cover that up…”

  “I don’t really get what you’re trying to tell us…” Marowak lamented.

  Mimikyu sighed, stopping his pen strokes to pause and look at them. “Lucas never tells anyone anythin’, so I s’pose I don’ really ‘ave ta worry ‘bout him, but…” He stared at Marowak for a moment, and then at N, searching for something in their eyes. “If I tell ya somethin’, can ya promise ta me that you’ll take it to yer graves?”

  Marowak awkwardly dragged his bone across the carpet. “Well, I’m a Ghost type now, right? So in a way, I’m already dead, aren’t I?”

  “If you can’t take it seriously then leave,” Mimikyu demanded, forcing Marowak to stand up straighter, taking a nervous step back.

  “R-right! Serious! Okay!”

  N stared down at the little fae.

  Take it to their graves? That was quite the request. And yet, it finally felt like Mimikyu was taking his request for answers seriously. Like he was finally going to open up a bit.

  N nodded. “I promise.”

  Mimikyu stared up at him more intently. “I’m serious about that. Nobody. Not Ash, not the Shadow Triad, not your father, absolutely no one.”

  His father? N blinked, a bit confused by that one being on the list. Did Mimikyu….?

  He shook that thought from his head. This was a big moment, or at least was shaking up to be one. “I understand, Mimikyu.”

  Mimikyu continued staring for a moment. Eventually, though, he turned back to that notepad, not looking at any of their faces as he made his declaration.

  Pen strokes crossed the page in small, shaky handwriting, and Mimikyu took a deep breath.

  僕はかつて人間だった

  “I used to be human.”

  So! There it is! Mimikyu finally reveals something about himself! I'm sure most of you knew this was coming at some point, but it feels so strange to finally hit this after having it sit in my notes for years. Obviously there's going to be a much larger conversation that comes from this, and while this is a very big thing Mimikyu isn't about to reveal EVERYTHING about himself. He's not that kind of Pokemon, we all know this.

  Translations:

  ギンガ団 = Team Galactic The literal translation for Team Galactic is “Galaxy Gang” which honestly I think sounds better, though I suppose it has a more juvenile ring to it which may not fit the whole “look at me, I’m serious, I want to destroy the world and rid it of emotion.” Has more of a Team Skull vibe…

  三 = 3

  わかりませんか? = (you) don’t know? There is no written indication of who the subject is because Japanese likes to rely heavily on context. わかりません would mean (I) don’t understand/know and か makes it a question

  僕はかつて人間だった = I was once human.

  As always, feedback is appreciated. (If you’re actually looking for a response, discord is the place to be)