The moment Mew finished chanting the incantation to activate the Divine Pact, the dark, empty space between it and Ash suddenly shimmered.
A glowing, pink scroll appeared in mid-air—crafted entirely from misty, ethereal light.
Ash squinted, trying to read what was written, but the text was indecipherable. Even the scroll itself was hazy and surreal, like a dream given form.
"Mii~ Ash, hurry! Put your hand on it!"
Mew's voice snapped Ash out of his awe. Startled, he instinctively lunged forward to do as instructed.
But the moment he took a step, he realized something strange.
The ground beneath him—if you could call it that—was made of flowing currents formed by Unown, the bizarre, ancient, rune-like beings. His foot pressed down, but there was no real support. He was suspended between substance and void.
Despite being just two or three meters away from the glowing scroll, Ash found himself struggling. It was like moving through quicksand—every step forward met with resistance, as if he were trapped in a mire of invisible force.
"Mii~ Relax your body and mind," Mew's voice echoed, though now it sounded far away—like it traveled across endless dimensions and layered time.
"Don't be afraid of being swept away by the currents or sinking into the depths. Just hold onto your desire to reach the contract. Let that guide you."
Strangely, although Ash could still see Mew just a few meters ahead, it now felt like what he saw was merely a projection. The real Mew? It was somewhere far, far beyond.
Ash was surprised for only a moment. Then he focused his mind.
He had a goal.
"Let's do this."
Just as Ash calmed himself and relaxed completely, a tremendous force surged around him like a tidal wave—dragging him backward, farther and farther from the contract.
In an instant, the scroll that had been just ahead was now a distant flicker on the horizon.
It looked like a single lonely star glowing at the edge of the universe—millions of light years away.
Even as he was swept away, Ash noticed something else: he could now move his legs again.
Yes, he was being pulled back. Yes, the distance was crushing. But he could walk forward again. That was all that mattered.
Even if it took him forever, he would walk.
No despair. No hesitation. No fear.
The oppressive loneliness of the void—the terrifying silence of a space where only the Unown flowed endlessly in every direction—would break most six-year-olds.
That's why Legendary Pokémon almost never made Divine Pacts with children.
But Ash?
Ash wasn't a normal six-year-old.
He was a reincarnator. A soul who had lived a full adult life in another world.
And Mew knew it. From the moment they met, it had sensed Ash's soul and recognized the traces of Sir Aaron—an old friend from centuries ago.
The appearance, the aura… the waves of that familiar presence…
Mew was nearly certain: Ash was Aaron reborn. Even his words earlier had been far too composed for a mere child.
So now, the test had begun.
In this endless realm of flowing Unown, a mighty force was pushing Ash away from the Divine Contract.
But Ash didn't panic.
Thanks to Mew's advice, his mind stayed calm.
His body was relaxed. His gaze locked on the contract.
No matter how far he was pulled… no matter how impossible the distance seemed… Ash kept walking.
One step… five meters.
One step… ten meters.
One step… a hundred.
One step… a thousand.
One step… ten thousand meters!
His steps, once heavy and sluggish, now carried him faster and faster.
The overwhelming current that had swept him away began to lose its grip.
Then, like magic, the force vanished altogether.
It was as if Ash had gone from a drowning man to a river god—now walking effortlessly over the roaring flood.
The current didn't vanish—it simply changed direction.
It began pushing him forward, like an escalator made of living language, sending him back toward the glowing contract.
From step by step to leaps across light-years… Ash returned to where it had all begun.
The Divine Contract shone brighter than ever.
Just as Ash reached out to touch it—
SPLASH.
The current beneath him turned to swampy mire in an instant.
He was sucked down.
Blackness.
Thick. Chaotic. Suffocating.
He wasn't sinking into mud—he was falling into the very abyss of fog and shadow.
But Ash didn't panic.
He remembered the previous trial.
He calmed himself again.
Focused on the Divine Contract above, still shining like a sun in the pitch black.
Like a man swimming from the depths of the Mariana Trench to the heart of the sun, he pushed forward.
The goal seemed impossible…
But once again, the moment his heart steadied—his body floated upward like a balloon filled with light gas.
Within a breath, Ash broke through the mire and shot back into the light.
There it was.
The Divine Pact, in all its radiant glory.
This time, Ash showed no eagerness. No rush.
He treated it as gently as he would a wounded wild Pokémon—calm, respectful, and with no selfish desire.
With a serene expression, Ash raised his hand…
…and placed it on the scroll.
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