Chapter 35

Tony's body melts into the chair, his loud sigh of relief echoing in the room. "Just out of curiosity, what was the other one's typing?"

'Dragon/Steel.'

"Yeah, no. I've heard so many stories about prideful dragons… I don't know about your world, but I would think a primordial Dragon god would be hard to control."

'I haven't had any trouble so far.'

"So far."

She glares at him in response to his quip, but then her face breaks into a smile as she declares, 'Alright, I'll try transforming into a Celebi and travel to the future to bring back news.'

"Are you sure about this?" Tony sounds uncharacteristically nervous as he says. "I mean, this is a legendary. Are you sure you'll be able to do it?"

Frowning, she crosses her arms. "Are you doubting me?"

"Not really. I'm just worried. Besides, how do we know you will know how to use this Celebi's abilities when you try it? You'll probably have to practice a lot and—"

'Then I'll practice a lot. It doesn't matter, as it's worth it. No pain, no gain, I said. Remember?' She then looks around before getting up from the chair. One moment, she's a beautiful woman with blue hair, the next she's a Mew. 'Okay, ready!'

Tony straightens his posture and whispers harshly, "Wait, what? Now?"

'Yeah, no time like the present, right?'

He looks at his tablet and says, "We're flying on top of Austria. Are you sure nothing will go wrong and you won't fall to your death?"

She looks at him dryly. 'Don't jinx it. Also, I'm transforming inside your plane and in case I appear outside of it, Celebi can fly, too.'

Tony breathes in. "Can't I convince you to wait for at least until I'm in the latest stage of poisoning before trying this?"

'We don't know if I'll be able to control the form perfectly immediately. Better to use it now in case I need to practice, right?'

"Right," he mutters. He glances downward, his face thoughtful, before raising his gaze to meet hers. "I've a bad feeling in my gut, but I'm not one to believe in metaphysical sensations, so yeah, go on. Try it."

She smiles widely. 'You will not regret this.'

Tony swallows nervously, but still manages to nod. With that last assurance, she focuses on the picture of Celebi she has in her mind and tries to put it out like the other times she has transformed. As usual, when doing a Psychic Pokemon, instead of the all-consuming pain, she feels a repeated tingle all over her body. However, unlike those times, there's a heavy feeling accompanying the sensation.

For some reason, she remembers the Nietzsche saying of 'If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.' Because that's what she's feeling now. She doesn't feel her body. It's like that dream she's had before appearing in the Desert. Everything feels fuzzy, but she's more awake than before. She's never had a lucid dream, but she thinks this would be one.

And there's someone with her.

She's again in some place, but this time she recognizes it's a dark space. She should be afraid as she's never been comfortable in too-dark spaces, but it's soothing instead.

"Who are you?" a sweet, bell-like voice says.

She feels her eyelids droop until the sound snaps her eyes open, filling her with alertness. Her response is as automatic as it's cautious. "I'm Eva."

"Are you?"

"I am now. What about you?"

There's the sound of chiming bells. It's a gentle, tinkling sound, like a soft chuckle. "I think you know who I am."

"Celebi," she says, feeling a bit apprehensive as she feels some mental prod moving towards her. It stops, and she thinks she might have offended them somehow, but—

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know. You're a Mew, after all."

She feels unsure now, but she still approaches the mental prod with one of her own in the form of a hand. She's always felt more human than Mew, even if her Pokémon form is more comfortable than her human one. "Am I?"

"You're now," they say, cooing as her mental hand touches his own prod. It feels warm and friendly. She sighs as she leans into the feeling, soaking in its warmth.

"So does this mean I can't transform into a Legendary?"

"Not one inside the supervision of Arceus, no." Celebi hums, the sound like a gentle wind, whispering and calming. "I can help you, though."

"Can you?"

"Sure!" they say in an bubbly, positive tone.

"But… this world doesn't form part of the ones Arceus controls, am I right?"

"Uhm. Yes, you are right." They seems to be thinking while leaning more into her hand, as if asking for pats. She obliges. "You form a part of that world now, though. But you're a pokemon and that means you fall into our Jurisdiction, too. So…"

She tilts her imaginary head, not understanding what Celebi is trying to say.

Celebi giggles. "I could give you an aspect of my power. It depends on what you need."

She's ready to mention Tony, but then she stops. She acknowledges that Tony is her friend, and she's willing to support him, but she also has plans that don't involve him. So better to think in the bigger picture when asking for something from someone who she won't be able to meet again.

Unsure of where to start, she decides it's wise to focus on her larger goal and then adjust her expectations if it can't be met. "… I want to change the destiny of this universe. I want to change the plot for the better."

"Change the 'plot'?" they said, nuzzling into her mental palm.

"The story of this Universe," she says, pushing glimpses of memories she remembers onto the link, especially focusing on the Snap. "It follows guidelines that will cause a lot of suffering. I wish to change it."

"Suffering builds character," they say, looking through all she has shown.

She feels herself frowning. "Other safer things build character, too."

She hears the sweet, lilting hum again. "Okay, I think I know how to help."

"Really?"

"Yes," they say, the sound of mirth in their voices. "You want to change the plot, right? I'll take you there."

"Take me… there?"

They don't seem to be hearing her. They start babbling happily. "And you're so close to a plot point, too! I can leave you near where you can cause bigger changes. Oh, but you need something to help you not to be erased by the Time stream itself. It doesn't like changes unless you form part of it."

"Eh. What?"

"I know! I'll give you this!"

And then something is pushing into her being. It's not painful, not really, but unlike her transformations that feel her own, this feels unnatural. She can't help but let out a cry, sounding cute in her Mew form. There's someone—Celebi—soothing her and it helps. It doesn't longer feel like glue sticking into her soul, but more like a warm bath. She sighs when she feels it over.

She wants to touch Celebi's mental prod once again, but she feels them pulling back. "Oops. Better go, or I'll be found out. Dialga is already going to lecture me when I return, but it was worth it. Good luck, Eva, and remember to not transform into Legendaries who are PART of Arceus' jurisdiction."

She can feel them winking and then Celebi is gone.

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