Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

When John came downstairs after his shower, wearing comfortable pajamas, he saw three Pokemon sitting on the living room sofa, playing games together: Mew, Wobbuffet, and Togepi.

All three were completely absorbed in their gaming session, controllers in hand (or paw), their faces displaying intense concentration mixed with pure joy.

"Mew?" John's eyes widened, thinking that perhaps his exhaustion was causing hallucinations. He'd missed the legendary Pokemon so much during his month-long training.

But he rubbed his eyes and looked again.

There, nestled between Wobbuffet and Togepi, sat the unmistakable pink form of Mew.

This was no illusion!

But how had Mew appeared at his house? Could it be that he couldn't find Mew that final day because it had already left his Sanctuary? When the realm closed, had it followed him all the way to the ranch?

That seemed like the only logical explanation. Mew possessed invisibility abilities, so slipping out of the Avian Sanctuary unnoticed and following him back to Grassmere City wouldn't have been difficult.

"Mew~~" Mew raised one tiny paw and waved at John in greeting, though its eyes never left the television screen.

"Why did you decide to come with me?" John asked with a smile, casually tossing a Pokéblock toward the legendary Pokemon. "Doesn't the Tree of Beginnig need you to guard it?"

"Mew~" Mew caught the Pokéblock and devoured it in one gulp. Its petite form rose into the air, spinning playfully in mid-flight.

Suddenly, a shimmering portal appeared in the air.

John could see forest on the other side of the opening, and immediately felt the familiar surge of waveguide power flowing through the dimensional gap.

"Mew~" Mew gestured toward the portal, indicating that it could return to the Tree of Beginning whenever it wished.

"The Sanctuary?" John's eyes widened again as he stepped closer to examine the void. "You can create portals to the realm at will?"

The implications hit him immediately. If Mew could open gateways whenever it wanted, then John would have unlimited access to that incredible training ground!

"Can I visit there to practice regularly in the future?" John asked hopefully.

"Mew~" Mew nodded enthusiastically, then pointed to its mouth and extended a paw toward John expectantly.

John immediately produced another Pokéblock and handed it over, apparently, portal creation came with a snack tax.

"Wobbuffet! (╥﹏╥)" Wobbuffet wailed dramatically as it was defeated yet again by Togepi in their ongoing gaming marathon.

"Mew~~" Hearing the commotion, Mew quickly flew back, gently took the controller from Wobbuffet's trembling hands, and prepared to face Togepi in what promised to be an epic showdown.

John stood there watching the "battle" unfold, suddenly feeling like he'd stumbled into an impossibly fortunate situation. He'd thought he would have to wait an entire year to re-enter the Realm and see Mew again.

Who could have predicted that Mew would follow him home and be able to open the realm whenever he needed training access?

This wasn't just a surprise, this was a miracle!

If he'd known he could return to the realm at any time, he wouldn't have pushed himself to stay awake twenty-one hours a day during training. He'd nearly given himself premature gray hair from the stress.

Tomorrow morning, he'd bring Greninja and the others back for proper aura training sessions. Tonight, everyone deserved good rest.

Walking back from examining the portal, John watched it close automatically behind him.

"Hariyama!" His figthing Pokemon emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of beef with rice.

"Perfect timing, just set it on the table," John said, settling down for his late supper while observing Mew and Togepi's gaming duel.

Unlike poor Wobbuffet, Mew and Togepi seemed evenly matched, trading victories back and forth in an intense series of battles.

By the time John finished his meal, they'd completed ten matches with a final score of 6-4 in Togepi's favor, a narrow victory that left John utterly bewildered.

He'd expected the contest to end in a draw. Mew had never encountered video games before, so Togepi won several rounds at the beginning through pure experience. Later, as Mew mastered the controls, the two seemed perfectly balanced.

But what surprised John wasn't which Pokemon had better gaming skills, it was the implications of their even match.

Gaming involved both skill and luck. Wobbuffet's terrible losing streak could be attributed to consistently bad fortune; countless times the poor Pokemon had victory within reach, only to suffer some inexplicable mishap that ruined everything.

Yet Togepi and Mew appeared to have equally matched luck!

Togepi's extraordinary fortune was undeniable. John still suspected that Togepi's presence had led to his encounters with the shiny Ralts, the Totem Tyranitar, and other incredible opportunities.

But Mew was a legendary Pokemon, unique, the so-called "genetic ancestor" of all Pokemon species!

For Togepi to match a legendary Pokemon in pure luck seemed almost impossible.

Togepi was classified as a luck-based Pokemon, but wasn't this particular Togepi's fortune a bit too extraordinary? John began wondering if his little egg Pokemon might actually be something far more special than it appeared.

After supper, it was already 11 PM.

John announced to all the Pokemon that it was time to rest, they could continue their gaming tournament tomorrow morning, but tonight everyone needed proper sleep.

Mew might not require traditional rest, but Togepi and Wobbuffet certainly did.

Carrying Togepi back to his bedroom, John prepared small beds for his Pokemon companions, two originally, but now he needed to add a third for their unexpected legendary guest.

The three Pokemon immediately arranged themselves in a neat row, settling down together with contented expressions.

"Togepi~" chirped Togepi sleepily.

"Wobbuffet! " added Wobbuffet with a yawn.

"Mew~" concluded their legendary roommate softly.

"Good night, everyone," John replied, unable to suppress a smile as he looked at the unlikely trio.

Who would have thought they'd all get along so perfectly? Though thinking about it, there was nothing really surprising about their friendship, all three were adorable, gentle-natured Pokemon with playful personalities.

He technically hadn't caught Mew, yet somehow it felt like he had a new team member anyway!

John settled into bed, turned off the lights, and prepared for the deep sleep he'd been craving for weeks.

But suddenly his phone chimed, the screen's glow illuminating the entire room.

"Who's messaging me this late?" he wondered, sitting up to check the notification.

There was only one message, sent by his teacher.

(Mentor Badman: "Have you emerged from the Sanctuary yet? Come to Riverstone University. The one-year deadline is approaching, it's time for us to retrieve 'that' item.")