Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Nina laid on the floor and stared at the projection on the domed ceiling in awe. “This is incredible isn’t it, Tini?” She said, referring to the sea of stars that the two were now gaping at.

“Tiin~” Tini was less impressed since starry night skies were a common sight out in the Safari Zone. But to see them zoomed in and in such high fidelity was still incredible nonetheless.

“I don’t recognise any of the constellations. Maybe we should find some documentaries on astronomy and give it a watch one day.”

“Tiin.”

In her past life, Miles did not dabble in astronomy too much. He was interested, but astral physicists and their obsession with advanced mathematical theories made the subject an extremely dry read. So he preferred to watch documentaries about space instead.

Nina looked intently at the starry projection, trying and failing to identify any of the known constellations of her past world, not that she knew many of them to begin with. “I wonder… Am I just in a different dimension entirely or is my old Earth still somewhere out there, waiting to be discovered in a few more eons.”

“That one kinda looks like a sword don’t you think?”

Tini tried to discern what his partner was pointing towards but ultimately gave up and simply moved in closer to nuzzle against Nina’s face, eliciting giggles from the girl.

The two were currently alone in the observatory. She had been unable to sleep because of Beverly’s snoring, something that Nina had not expected when she agreed to share a room with the girl. Even Tini had begged to sleep in his Ball for the night. So it was a good thing that Bill had explicitly permitted them free access to the observatory.

“Probably should have brought a blanket, but it’s really nice here huh, Tini?”

“Tiin~” Echoed the Dragon as he began singing a soothing lullaby. Tini’s singing skills have truly improved by leaps and bounds after being trained by Daisy.

Nina giggled softly. “Tini~ If you sing like that you’re going to make me fall asleep.” Her partner simply rubbed against her in lieu of a response and the hypnotic tone slowly lulled Nina into slumber…

***

Nina awoke to the feeling of something soft being draped across her. The little girl stirred and endeavored to look around, eyes still blurry from residual sleep.

“Tini?” Mumbled Nina as she rubbed at her eyes, feeling the blanket which had been draped across her at some point.

“Oh my… I’m so sorry dear, I didn’t mean to wake you,” said a feminine voice.

The presence of a stranger jolted Nina wide awake as she slowly sat up to look towards the source.

The woman could only be described as a goddess of light; her wavy platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and white nightgown was almost glowing even in the dimly lit observatory.

Nina would have almost mistaken the lady for a ghost were it not for the burgundy shawl she had draped over her shoulders to ground her presence as a human.

The woman giggled at the sleepy looking girl in front of her, her voice tinkling in Nina’s ears like little bell chimes. “Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Hikari, Bill’s wife. You must be Nina? My husband told me a lot about you.”

Nina sat up straighter after hearing the introduction and wiped some of the residual drool from her mouth. “Oh, hello ma’am. Sorry about this, I might have accidentally fallen asleep.”

The sounds of tinkling bell chimes rang out once more with Hikari’s giggle. “It’s quite alright, dear. I find this place to be soothing as well. I come everytime I have trouble sleeping. Sometimes, I too fall asleep, only to find myself back in my bedroom after my husband carried me back.”

Nina wracked her brain for any information she could remember about Bill’s wife. “I remember reading that her family was the primary investor in her husband’s ventures, but not much else is known about Hikari herself aside from the fact that she was a prolific socialite and avid philanthropist.” Not having much to work with, Nina decided to simply make conversation.

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“That’s nice. Bill must be a very loving husband.”

The woman chuckled. “Indeed, ours was an arranged marriage but he has devoted nothing but love and kindness to me over the years. Of that I am thankful.”

“Tiin…” At this point their conversation seemed to have aroused the sleeping Tini as well.

Nina laid Tini on her lap and gently caressed the Dragon back to sleep, whispering comforting words in his ears all the while.

“I can see that the bond between you and your Dratini is strong,” commented Hikari. “It’s no wonder that my husband and the Ancestor took an interest in you.”

It took a while for Nina to process Hikari’s words, her brain hasn’t fully woken up yet. “Yeah, I’m quite… Wait, what do you mean by Ancestor?”

Hikari flashed her a knowing smile. “Oh? You’ve met the Ancestor have you not? I can sense Mew’s presence on you.”

Nina had to hold herself back from reaching towards her necklace on instinct as she glared at Hikari warily. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

But instead of being offended, the woman simply gave her an approving nod. “Good, a girl with a pure heart and good intentions. It is no wonder Mew deigned to appear before you. You need not worry, dear. I myself have a special connection to the Ancestor as well.”

“You’ve met Mew?” Asked Nina, still refusing to explicitly confirm her association with the Mythical Pokemon.

Hikari looked up at the starry projection in reminiscence, her face was the very picture of nostalgia. “A long time ago, yes. I did not meet Mew per se, at least not in person. The Ancestor appeared in my mind during a very troublesome incident and provided me with solace. And even after everything had settled, the connection remained and I have been able to sense Mew’s presence ever since.”

“Why would Mew show up in your mind but not in person?” Asked the girl in return, since she knew for a fact that Mew was a deft teleporter. In her mind, Nina was also cursing Futaba who had previously assured her that the gemstone was not detectable.

Hikari gave a wry smile. “It was a complicated situation. To be frank, I don’t even know how it happened myself. The memories surrounding that incident are a little foggy.”

She then proceeded to tell an absurd story about how she had accidentally been turned into a Mew due to an experiment gone awry. It was so absurd that Nina actually believed her, because reality was like that sometimes. Even the best fiction writers are incapable of fully capturing the insanity of human nature.

“That… sounds like quite an experience,” said a flabbergasted Nina, eliciting laughs from Hikari.

“It does, doesn’t it? But like I said, I don’t remember much of what happened. Only that I met Mew in my mind. So to answer your question, I don’t really know why the Ancestor did not show up in person, perhaps the existence of two Mews at the same instance would constitute a paradox? Who knows, really.”

Nina nodded. It sounded as plausible an explanation as any. All things related to Legends and Myths tend to be that way. Especially in this wacky world not entirely governed by the laws of science.

“Do you think that other people would be able to sense this thing as well?” Asked Nina as she pulled out the little Mew Gem pendant she was wearing. “This is probably a mistake, but I might as well take a leap of faith here and try to gather a bit more information.”

Besides, Nina could feel that Hikari was telling the truth and that she meant no ill will. “Some sort of instinct or intuition? I have a feeling that this has something to do with the gemstone. It would make sense that I’d be able to read Hikari who is similarly touched by Mew.”

Hikari gasped at the sight of the gem and reached out with her long elegant fingers. “May I?” She asked before holding Mew’s Gem between her fingers.

“This is something left behind by the Ancestor alright.”

“Do you recognise it?” Nina asked, with a hopeful glance at the woman.

Hikari shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. But I can sense a strong connection to the Ancestor through the gem.”

“Do you know any way for me to find out what it is? Mew gifted it to me but disappeared soon after without elaborating.”

Hikari hummed. “Perhaps my husband might be able to analyze it with some of his equipment. But I would advise against it, I have a feeling that this gemstone is meant to be by your side.”

Nina nodded. The woman’s words that ran counter to her husband’s interest had cemented Nina’s feeling that she was indeed not a bad person. “I think so too. I feel antsy everytime I try to get away from it. Though I don’t know if this is necessarily a good thing or not.”

Hikari smiled and gently caressed Nina’s hair in assurance. “The Ancestor is not a malicious entity. So you can be assured that their intentions, whatever it may be, should be pure and benign.”

Nina sighed. “Sometimes even the best intentions can lead to terrible consequences. Do you think that others connected to Mew might be able to sense the gemstone as well?”

She was mainly thinking about Giovanni and all the other evil researchers that were complicit in the creation of Mewtwo. If all those touched by Mew gain a sensitivity to its presence then there was a chance that Nina might be in danger.

“Probably,” responded the ambiguous woman. Hikari herself was also unsure about Mew’s Gem and its workings. “If so, whatever encounters come your way, it should largely be beneficial. I mean it did lead my husband to you, no?”

Nina frowned. “Are you saying that Bill’s presence on the bus that day was no mere coincidence?”

Hikari shook her head. “On the contrary, what if it was a coincidence? One that conveniently led to the two of you getting to know each other. And another that led to our meeting tonight, under the stars, all because we coincidentally weren’t able to sleep at the same time.”

“So basically, it’s a plot device. One that leads to the meeting of pivotal characters?” Nina did not like the implications surrounding that. “All I want is to explore the world. And naturally there’ll be excitement surrounding that but I’m not sure if I want to become like a vanquisher of evil and savior of worlds or something.”

“Maybe I’m supposed to hand this to you? That would make sense. I’m just a courier meant to deliver this gemstone to the intended recipient,” said the apprehensive Nina, trying to push away the macguffin that now felt to her like carrying a volatile Electrode around.

Hikari simply laughed in response, either amused by Nina’s apprehension or thought the girl was joking. “Oh Nina, you’re such a cutie. No, I don't think that would be wise. Whatever it is, I’m certain that it was intended for you. Otherwise the attraction I feel towards it would be a different kind.”

Nina frowned, but she knew that Hikari was right somehow. “So what now? Do I track Mew down with the gem? Is it just another convoluted game of tag to it? Or perhaps me seeking it out is exactly what Mew wants and I should avoid playing into its hands. If it really is some sort of macguffin, then I suppose trouble will come finding me even if I actively try to avoid it.”

The girl sighed and temporarily resigned herself to her fate. She was tempted to just throw the gemstone into the ocean. The only problem was, she knew that Mew’s Gem would make its way back to her somehow. She did not know how, but she knew it would. So in effect, Nina was stuck with it.

Nina groaned and just laid back down on the floor to stare absentmindedly at the stars. “Why can’t life just be simple?” She thought. “I knew it was coming, but I suppose this is just reckoning for all the blessings I’ve received so far…”