Mew Like Me

Chapter 1

The Annual Gathering of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon Researchers was everything that Lane could've imagined and more. Saffron's convention center was packed to the brim with scientific teams from all over the world. Today there would be lectures and panels and corporate sponsors gathering all that was known about these incredible Pokémon.

He reached down, pulling his attendee badge out from the mew hoodie he wore, flashing it at the security guards as he approached. A thick crowd of other hopefuls waited behind a flimsy fence, able to do nothing more than take photos of the experts arriving from regions all over the world.

Coming here hadn't been Lane's idea, but then again it hadn't been Lane's money either. He lingered near the top of the oversized stone steps, waiting for his friends to catch up.

They all had the same wardrobe, a stylized hoodie shaped and colored like their favorite Pokémon. Online people mostly called them "pokémaniacs," though Lane wasn't particularly fond of the term. Everyone had their favorite Pokémon, and most of those people could probably get their hands on one sooner or later.

The three of them might go their whole lives without ever even seeing the Pokémon that interested them. What little they could do to show support came from grainy online videos and old legends. Most pokedex software revisions couldn't even identify a mythical Pokémon.

"You sure you picked the right convention?" the guard asked, handheld scanner still going green. His eyes lingered a moment on the little ears poking out of Lane's hood, even if he wasn't currently wearing it. "There are real scientists in there. Are you three... entertainers or something?"

Lane adjusted the jacket, glaring as best he could while wearing pink. "You could say we're the biggest supporters of a convention like this." But before he could go into his usual spiel, the guard just rolled his eyes and opened the door, holding it for them.

"Enjoy the convention. Meals provided, doors lock at six."

His friends were too meek to argue—but that wasn't new. As soon as they were through the doors, Lane wrapped one arm around Elisa's shoulder, though he had to reach up quite a way to do the same thing to Dominic. "You guys really gonna let people talk down to us like that?"

Elisa peeled him away, fluffing up the little fake sprout on the back of her celebi jacket. "Yes, Lane. Because if we argue, they might not let us in." She held up a thick brochure, covered with marker lines outlining their plans. "The convention is what matters, not getting people to agree."

Lane nearly argued with her, but trailed off as they crossed from the atrium into the convention proper. Scientists from all over the world packed into booths of varying sizes, each one proudly displaying their findings. As usual, the least interesting but most marketable were up front—in this case, a bookseller marketing a mythology encyclopedia including 'the latest research'.

But his eyes were drawn to a dozen different booths further on, some of which looked like they might have interesting stuff. "So, split up till lunch?" Lane asked, grinning wider. "You saw all the food trucks outside, we can meet back up there."

"That wasn't the plan," Elisa muttered, taking his arm and pulling Lane to the side so they were out of the central line of traffic. "We're here to enjoy the convention together. It's not just about learning more about our Pokémon. It's supposed to be fun."

"I don't mind splitting up," Dominic said flatly. "I don't mind staying together. Just so long as I don't miss any of the stuff from Unova, it's cool. You two decide."

"You're supposed to be the tiebreaking..." Lane trailed off, biting back his frustration. "Fine, we'll stick with the plan. I want to go there first." He pointed down the first aisle, where the crowd was thickest. If so many scientists and businesspeople thought there was something interesting over there, they'd probably agree.