The hazy, pink-colored scroll suddenly erupted with dazzling light.
Ash instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but it was stuck—some mysterious force firmly anchored his palm to the contract.
He closed his eyes.
And when he opened them again…
The Divine Contract was gone.
In its place, two shimmering pink symbols had appeared on the back of his right hand.
The characters looked somewhat like Unown runes, but older—far more ancient and profound. Although Ash didn't recognize the language, he understood them instantly the moment he laid eyes on them.
"'Mew'...?" Ash muttered, reading the glyphs aloud.
The moment the word left his lips, the space around him twisted violently. Light and shadow spun in rapid succession as his consciousness was yanked from the dark realm… and slammed back into his body.
…
"Mii~ So that's the Divine Contract everyone says is so terrifying?" Mew floated mid-air, hands on its chin, looking curiously at the boy before it.
"I don't get why Ho-Oh and Lugia made it sound like one wrong move would leave your mind shattered or your soul trapped in eternal slumber."
It hovered slowly around Ash, studying the fresh law imprint now glowing on the back of his hand.
"Mii~ Hmm… maybe the contract really is difficult, but 380—since you're the reincarnation of my old pal, of course you nailed it."
Mew's eyes sparkled proudly.
"Mii~ Hehehe! After all these years, the world finally has another Divine-Blessed One. And best of all—he's mine!"
Mew's tone was smug as it beamed at Ash.
…
"Mmgh…"
Ash slowly opened his eyes.
Above him—blue sky, fluffy clouds.
Around him—grassy fields and quiet shrubs.
He rubbed his temples, feeling a little light-headed.
"Mii~ You're finally awake! As expected of someone chosen by Mew! You completed the Divine Contract in just over an hour! Not bad! Not bad at all!"
Mew floated in two happy loops around him, smacking its lips with satisfaction.
Ash stood up, feet finally touching solid ground. That feeling alone was oddly reassuring.
He ignored the smug, over-talkative Mew beside him—who might've been even more obnoxious than Gary Oak—and instead looked down at his right hand.
Were the strange runes still there?
As if answering his thoughts, the two pink characters reappeared on his skin, glowing softly.
Ash raised his hand. "Mew… this is your name, right?"
Mew waved its little paws.
"Mii~ Nope! 'Mew' is my name, but those symbols aren't my name. That's your Law Imprint."
"It's a manifestation of the Dream Law—a force born from both Mind and Soul, dancing between illusion and reality."
"It's a law that recognized your existence and etched its mark upon you."
Mew's voice dropped slightly, filled with pride.
"I won't go into all the details just yet… but the most basic benefit? With that Dream Law Imprint, your Aura training will now progress 5 to 10 times faster."
It crossed its tiny paws over its chest, clearly pleased with itself.
Ash blinked.
"Five to ten times faster? That's amazing!"
He knew better than anyone how important this was.
Between the Viridian Power and Aura, only one truly enhanced his own combat power.
The Viridian Blessing—especially [Will Empowerment]—was more about boosting his Pokémon.
But Aura? Aura could make him stronger.
Lately, because he'd used the Healing Grace repeatedly to treat injured Pokémon in the forest, the Viridian Power had grown even stronger than his Aura.
But now…
With this Dream Law enhancing his Aura development?
Ash couldn't help but feel thrilled.
"…But," he asked, his curiosity kicking in, "can this Law Imprint also help me train the Viridian Power?"
"Mii~ Oh! You people call the Natural Force the 'Viridian Power'? Cute."
Mew twirled once mid-air, then explained with a smirk:
"All supernatural powers, when pushed to their peak, eventually return to the laws that birthed them."
"Aura stems from the mind—those who master it touch the Law of Mind."
"But Dream Law is born from both the Mind and the Soul, so it naturally enhances Aura training."
"However, to train the Viridian Power effectively, you'd need laws tied to nature—like the Law of Forest, or Law of Life."
"Only then would you see a boost in Viridian Power development."
Ash nodded, not too disappointed. He already knew his path.
After all, his way of strengthening the Viridian Power was different—it grew through compassion, through healing others and sharing the [Source Cleansing] freely.
It wasn't about training harder, but giving more.
…
"Mii~ I've been out and about long enough. Time to return to the World Tree for a while."
"If you ever need me, just use your Law Imprint to call me."
"Oh! And since you're now officially my Divine-Blessed One and my friend, here—your welcome gift!"
Mew pointed a tiny paw at Froakie, who was quietly crouched beside Ash.
In a flash—ZING—a pink energy shot into Froakie's body.
"Wha—Mew, what did you do?!"
Ash jumped, grabbing Froakie and checking it over in a panic.
Mew rolled its eyes.
"Mii~ Geez, do you think I'd eat your Froakie or something?"
"Froakie's species carries a latent transformative trait—in your human terms, a Hidden Ability known as [Protean]."
"I simply used a bit of Dream Law energy to awaken it."
Mew gave a little humph, looking slightly offended that Ash didn't trust it.
Ash let out a sigh of relief.
"So that's what it was…"
…
[Pokémon: Froakie]
Level: 16 (32/460)
Type: Water
Nature: Serious
Abilities:
Torrent
Protean
(Ethereal-Gifted Ability: Bond Phenomenon)
Stats:
HP: 41
Attack: 56
Defense: 40
Sp. Atk: 62
Sp. Def: 44
Speed: 71
Total: 314
Potential: [Purple] (Supreme)
Marked by the fate of Kalos, destined to save the region from its future catastrophe!
Skills (Copyable):
[Mastered]:
Pound (200/1000)
Bubble (200/1000)
Aqua Ring (1/1000)
Quick Attack (1/1000)
[Skilled]:
Growl (23/500)
Water Pulse (347/500)
Lick (117/500)
Rain Dance (112/500)
--------------
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