When Worlds Collide

Season 2 - Episode 2: A-mew-sing Story

No.
No, no, no no no no.
Char panicked. He heard the frantic footsteps of his captors -
It had been a week since he was taken away from his home in the jungle, and he was kept in a small cage to be studied and showed off ever since.
He ran away - he had no choice but to run, but it seemed as if the faster he ran, the slower he'd move.
It took no time at all.
The scientists caught up with him.
"You thought you could escape, huh?"
They threw a handful of stun spores on top of Char, paralyzing him so he'd be unable to move.
No, no no no!
Not again!
NO!
He tried desperately to move, to use a move, to do SOMETHING but he was hopelessly dragged away.
He closed his eyes and gave in.

"You're not leaving this place, Mew."

Char gasped, waking up straight with wide eyes.
That dream again...
Calm down, he thought to himself, They can't find me here.
Downstairs, he heard the cheers and laughter of his friends - his sweet, kindhearted friends who meant the world to him.
He sighed.

One day,
Six terrible months after he'd been captured,
Something happened.
A rift opened up directly behind him, startling his captors. They thought he'd used an entire new Pokémon move, but this wasn't his doing, and he wasn't about to let an opportunity go to waste either.
He flew through the rift and found himself atop a mountain on the other side. It had been so long since he'd been free like this...
He looked around and gasped - there was a stranger on the mountain too, but he didn't look like anybody Char had ever seen - actually, he kinda reminded him of a porygon - he was made entirely of blocks, after all.
Before he could run, this person started waking up.
He panicked - if people knew what he was, he'd be thrown in a cage to be studied all over again - he needed a change fast. Something common and unassuming that NOBODY would suspect to be someone like he really was -
- He used Transform and took the form of a Charmander.

He knew, he knew he had to tell his friends someday. But he was afraid.
Char was capable of using any Pokémon move he wanted - but he was so dedicated to this...this act. Any slip-up and someone could know, even in a universe like this - you never know who was from where after all.
But if they found out he could have been using a variety of powerful attacks this whole time...
They might get mad at him.

Besides...
Steve and Zelda were furious when Blue shared his secret. What if they didn't forgive Char? Unlike Blue, he wouldn't have lost his life for revealing himself...

He was fine with the act at first. But as he grew closer with these otherworldly people, the guilt of his secrecy began to eat him alive - they were his friends! They wouldn't capture him, they wouldn't treat him like an object! They just wouldn't do that!

"Hey, Char!" Bobby peered in the door.
"Char!" Char flinched with wide eyes. He hadn't expected him...
"Whoa. Are you okay?" Bobby asked, "You seem a bit jumpy..."
"Char char!" Char nodded with a smile, though his brain was screaming at himself to do otherwise.
"Well, we're all going to go to the park to get some ice cream! You wanna go?"
"Char!"

Ice cream! Ice cream makes everything better!
Char leapt from his bed and ran out the door alongside Bobby.

The park was huge.
There was a fountain in the center, bushes and small cherry trees forming pathways to walk down, and even a playground with an ice cream cart outside.

"What is that?" Zelda had asked.
Blue glanced. "What's what?"
"That structure over there!" she clarified, pointing to the playground.

"Even I can't answer that," Steve remarked. "We don't have any....whatever those are where I'm from."

"YOU TWO HAVE NEVER GONE ON A PLAYGROUND?! WERE YOUR CHILDHOODS OKAY??" Blue boomed. He grabbed their hands and ran towards the playground, throwing them both onto two swings - he took his own seat in the middle.
"Now the trick here is to..."

Char watched as his friends played on the swing set. They were laughing and smiling - they were always so happy.
Char treasured their friendship more than anything - and each day he hid his secret was another day he'd feel worse about it.
He knew he'd have to rip the bandaid off, and he knew he'd have to do it today.

He and Bobby got some ice cream and sat down on a bench. They watched Blue swing so high that the seat went upside down - he fell flat on his face.
Steve laughed.
Blue just groaned.

Char sighed.

"Are you sure you're okay Char?" Bobby asked. "You've been acting upset."

Yes!
Yes!
He HAS been acting!!
And it was time to tell EVERYONE!!

He ran up to the swing set, dragging Bobby with him, and caught everyone's attention.

"Charmander! Charmander!" Char frantically shouted.

"Something you need to tell us, Char?" Blue grinned.
Everyone looked at him - everyone looked at him expectantly, just waiting for his answer, the answer he'd promised he'd give, the answer to a secret he's been hiding all month. He knew he had to do it, but he couldn't do it, but he wanted to do it, but he just-

"Char!" Char smiled.
He jumped up onto the swing next to Steve, gestured for Bobby to join them, and then started swinging happily.
As he smiled to himself and laughed alongside his friends, he shoved his guilt back down.

He just couldn't.

"This has been such a good day!" Zelda remarked.
"Hasn't it?!" Blue grinned.
"Coming to the park was a good idea," Steve said, "Thanks, Bobby."
"Honestly, I just wanted ice cream," the bomb admitted. "But you're welcome!"

"What about you, Char?" Zelda asked. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Char!" He cheered.

"Aww, I'm glad to hear it!"

He and his friends had a perfect view of the sunset from the swings.
With the entire atmosphere of the park, it was one of the more beautiful ones he's seen here.
He looked at his friends.
They were all in such high spirits today.
It'd be a shame to ruin the mood.
Char sighed and kept swinging.

Maybe tomorrow.