Mew gave Geo an innocent smile after landing in front of him. 'Do you still want to go and visit your mother?' Mew asked out of nowhere.

Geo's brows rose and he jerked away. He struggled to find a proper response. "Yeah! Of course, I do!" Geo nodded, then said, "I really miss her."

'Why don't we go see her now?' Mew pushed forward with a grin on her face.

"Wait, now?!" Geo shrank back and tilted his head. Although he wanted to go, he was lacking the confidence to go through with it.

'Yeah!' Mew tugged at his arm as she floated in midair. A wide smile was on her face. 'I can take you there!'

"I don't know…" Geo sighed and slipped his hand away.

'What's the problem? You don't want to see your mom anymore?" Mew grimaced.

"No! that's not it at all!" His eyes then trailed off. "It's just that… what if she freaks out when she sees me like this? Or even worse; what if she hates me?" Geo felt the pit of his stomach fall just trying to imagine his mother shunning him.

Mew descended in front of him, looking concerned. She placed her paw on her lip, somehow able to sympathize with him. She thought of what to say first and then spoke.

'It's okay Geo. I'm sure it doesn't matter whether you're a pokemon, a human or whatever. Your mother will definitely be happy to see you again. I just know it. You don't need to be afraid.' She hoped that would encourage him.

"Yeah. You're right." Geo nodded in agreement. He appeared calmer.

'That's the spirit!' Mew said, lightly tapping him on the chest. She seemed even more excited about this than he was. Her eyes glowed as she prepared to take them there right away.

"Hold on!" Geo said.

'What now?' asked Mew as her eyes began to dim. She let out an exasperated sigh and wore a despondent expression.

"If we go there like this, other people might see me. I mean, it won't be a problem for you since you already know how to make yourself invisible. I only know how to fly," Geo explained with slumped shoulders.

'It's no biggie, I can just do this!' Mew grinned and waved her hand then something began to form. A pink bubble materialized and enveloped them both.

Geo's eyes gleamed as he felt around the bubble with his palms. He pushed his hand against the surface and it stretched out a bit like a rubber ball. The bubble was just big enough to fit both of them in. "Whoa! Since when could you do this?!"

'It's a trick I picked up some years ago.' She giggled and looked down as her expression began to fade. 'I wish I'd learnt it sooner though. Things would've been different back then.'

"But how will this prevent others from seeing us? Wouldn't a big pink bubble just make us stand out more?" Geo asked.

'Actually, the bubble is sort of like an extension of my body.'

Geo scratched his cheek and blinked. "What does that mean?"

'I can make it invisible to people from the outside. We can see them from here but they can't see us!'

"Wow, that's so amazing, Mew!"

Mew flushed at his compliment. "Oh, you exaggerate!"

She then prepared to teleport them off to Johto once more so they could finally get on with it. Her eyes glowed blue and in a few seconds, they were gone.

'We're here!' Mew exclaimed. She'd brought them to a lush green forest.

A person could hear running water from the nearby river and cries of wildlife dominating the forest area. The trees stood strong and firm, towering above them. Some had mushrooms of all kinds, growing on their roots suspended upon their bark.

Geo immediately recognized the forest and he grew nostalgic. "I remember this place…" his lips parted slightly as he took it all in.

'Yeah, this is where we used to play a long time ago,' Mew said, relaxed by the scenery. "It sure brings back some nice memories, doesn't it?"

Geo's brows drew close and he clenched his fists. "It feels like I was here just yesterday. And yet, this place looks so different than I remember." They moved forward slowly.

Mew looked around and gave him a quizzical look. 'So, which way do we go again?'

She hadn't returned to the forest in such a long time that she'd quite forgotten where the town was. She began to wonder whether she deliberately avoided the forest the whole time. Or if it was a subconscious act.

"You don't know?"

'It's been a while, Geo,' she answered, a little embarrassed.

"This whole time, you never came back here? Not even once?"

'No.'

"I... I see." Geo nodded. "I think I might be able to remember the way back if we could just reach the nearby river." He pushed his face against the bubble and pointed in a direction. "I think the river's that way."

Mew nodded and began to navigate the bubble towards the place he pointed.

As they moved through the forest, they saw quite a number of pokemon moving about the grass littered grounds. There were sentrets gathering nuts from a tree, pidgeys chirping on the treetops, pachirisus running about in circles and climbing trees, and so on. Geo was surprised to see some pokemon he'd never seen before in the forest. He wondered how they got there. Had they always been there and he just never noticed?

"Hey, did you know that if you keep going ahead to the other side of this river, you'll end up in a completely different region?" he said, looking at the high mountain in the distance.

'Really?'

"Yeah, just on the other side of that mountain." Geo pointed at Mount Silver. "That's where Kanto is! It's so close to Johto that they share the same Pokémon league!"

'Kanto? That sounds familiar.' Mew groaned and then snapped her fingers 'Oh right! I've been there before." Mew recalled some events that happened a long time ago.

"You have? When?"

'It's a long story... Anyway, where should we go next?'

Geo turned his face towards the other side of the river. His smile showcased his anticipation. "This way. New Bark Town is just on the other side."

'Alright! Let's not waste any more time then!' She darted forward.

Geo felt himself getting pushed to the back of the bubble due to the speed of her movement. "Aren't we going a little too fast?"

Mew chuckled and didn't really mind him. Instead, she sped up even more. Her upbeat mood was infectious.

'We're here!' Mew gradually slowed down as they reached the town — she didn't want to end up making Geo smack his face by making an abrupt stop — and as they drew closer, she drifted up higher into the sky until they could see all the rooftops of the small town.

"Yay…we're here." Geo shrank back in the bubble.

'Look at all the green rooftops!' Mew said excitedly, giving him a nudge on the shoulder. She saw that Geo was shaking and tilted her head in confusion. 'What's the matter? You don't look very excited.'

"I'm… just a bit nervous."

'Aww. It's okay to be nervous sometimes.' Mew laughed. 'Now where was your house again?'

Geo narrowed his eyes as he observed the houses carefully. "I can't see it from up here, we should go down a bit." As Mew brought them down to about below roof level, Geo began to look about for any signs of his former domicile. "I'm not sure if I can tell which one it is right away, but I'm sure I'll know our house from the porch alone!"

Mew then nodded and they set off looking around in their hidden state. They flew past a number of buildings, some of which included a pokemon center, a pokemart, Professor Elm's lab, a bike rental store and even a gym.

Geo was very surprised to see a gym in their once obscure town. He could only wonder how much more has changed since he'd last been there. Would there be other surprises waiting for him?

Geo's eyes glinted when they came across a very familiar looking house.

"Hey, look! That's the one! That's our house over there!" He was able to recognize it due to the floral pattern on the porch.

Mew nodded and turned the bubble's trajectory towards the house. She glanced at him and her lips curved into a smile.

'So, are you ready?' she asked when they reached the front door.

"Yeah… I think…" Geo nodded nervously. He could feel his heart beating faster when he saw the front door before them.

Mew then dispelled the bubble and said, 'Go ahead, knock.' She looked at him with a smile so bright, it only added to his uneasiness with the situation.

"Okay…here goes nothing. Yeah… I can do this…" He lifted his hand slowly to knock on the door. His hand kept shaking and he paused halfway.

Mew put her paw on his shoulder and chuckled. 'Calm down, Geo, it's just a door.'

"Right," he said with a nervous chuckle. "It's just a door…" Geo muttered to himself as he made a second attempt to knock. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to collect himself. Geo decided to focus on one thought; about how much he really missed his mother.

I can do this now. There's nothing to be afraid of here.

A doorbell sound then came from behind the door. Geo gasped and saw Mew playing around with the doorbell. "You pushed the doorbell?!"

'That's what it was? I just wanted to know what this button did.' Mew kept giggling as she pushed the button over and over for the fun of it.

"Cut it out, Mew!"

'Why does it bother you so much? I just like the funny sound it makes.' Mew stuck her tongue out and laughed.

"Who is it?! For the last time, I'm not accepting any new challenges today! Can't I enjoy my day off in peace?!" said a woman's voice as the door opened inwards. At first glance, Geo thought it was his mother. But it wasn't. The woman did look like his mother, but she was too young to be her, despite the resemblance.

Her honey brown eyes met Geo's and she stared blankly at him. "What in the? O…kay…?" Her eye brows drew close and rested her hand atop her voluminous hair. She just stood there and stared at the two pokemon that paid her a visit.

I think I'm seeing things. I knew there was something off about that drink I took last night. She sighed and started closing the door in a slow and awkward fashion.

"Chloe, wait!" Geo quickly stopped the door from closing and entered the house after piecing together the identity of the familiar woman. "It's me!"

Chloe's eyes widened and she stepped backward. "You can talk! What kind of pokemon are you?!"

She pulled out a device from the pocket of her jeans as she pulled back even further. Chloe could've sworn that she'd heard that voice before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where.

"Stay back!" Chloe shouted.

"It's me, Geo!" Geo frowned when her expression showed that she wasn't convinced at all. He then thought of doing something else which he hoped would work. "Don't you remember me, Oldilocks?"

Chloe immediately recalled her hair disaster when she was younger. She'd accidentally used a hair bleaching compound she found in the attic after mistaking it for hair shampoo. Embarrassing memories of that incident returned to her, including the time Geo gave her that nickname because her white hair made her look like an old lady with locked hair.

"Geo?" Chloe's eyes widened and she gasped. Her legs felt weak as she held onto a counter by the television to retain her balance. Her day off seemed to be taking a very weird turn.

Geo floated to her with a relieved smile when she uttered his name. "You finally remember me?!"

Her lips parted slightly as she stared at him. "How are you…? What happened to you?!" Geo tried to speak but she gestured him to wait until she could sit on the couch. "Hold on a minute."

She got up and closed the door then looked back at him and flailed her arms around and let out a confused sigh. "Where have you been all these years?!"

"It's a long story." Geo sat on the other couch facing her and Mew stayed next to him. While Geo seemed calmer, she was the one who was beginning to act nervous.

Chloe fixed her eyes on Mew and pointed. "Who's this supposed to be?"

~I'm Mew,~ she said shyly.

Chloe wore a puzzled expression as her hand lowered. Did I just hear a voice in my head just now?

Geo pointed at her. "This is Mew. She's my friend."

"I… see. Nice to meet you then… Mew."

~Nice to meet you too.~

Chloe realized that it was Mew whom was talking in her head. She placed her hand on her yellow shirt and exhaled loudly. "So, Geo. Care to explain to me what's going on exactly? Why did you disappear all those years ago? And why in the world are you a pokemon now?!"

"Well… You see… Things happened and I… uh…" Geo scratched his head and tried to think of a way to explain.

~I can explain,~ Mew said, allowing both of them to hear her this time.

"Wait, did you do this to my brother?" Chloe's expression changed and grew hostile.

"It's not like that, Chloe!" Geo shook his head and flailed his hands when Chloe looked like she was about to get up.

~I can tell you what happened. Why Geo disappeared. I can tell you everything.~

Mew narrated to Chloe the events of that day, making sure she didn't leave any details out. She didn't have it in her to lie. Chloe deserved to know the truth as Geo's sister.

Chloe lowered her head and stayed silent. Geo tilted his head and noticed a tear roll down her face. He then refrained from doing anything.

"So, that's what happened. Thank you for telling me. And thanks for saving my brother… even though you changed him completely by doing that. I'm gonna have to get used to that now… I guess." Chloe rose her face and wiped her face with her wrist.

Geo the looked about and groaned. "Where's Mom? I actually came here looking for her."

Chloe's eyes widened when he asked that. She put her hands together over her laps and bit her lip. "I'm sorry Geo, but Mom's gone."

Geo gasped then clenched his fists. "What do you mean Mom's gone? Where did she go?!"

"Mom died four years ago. She was coming back from a trip to Goldenrod City when she had an accident. When they brought her to the hospital, she fell into a coma because she was hurt really bad. I visited her in the hospital every day. Three months later, she passed away. And just like that, I was alone in the world." Chloe put her hand on her face after she was done speaking. "And just when I thought that losing in the league finals was the worst thing to have ever happened to me, Mom had to go."

"No… Mom's… gone…" Tears began to streak down Geo's face as he said that.

'Geo…' Mew uttered a sad groan. She was beginning to regret bringing him there. If she knew he wouldn't have found his mother, she wouldn't have brought him back.

Chloe got up and carefully carried Geo to her arms. She gave him a hug and rubbed her hand on his head. "It's alright, Geo. You shouldn't feel too bad about it. She may be gone, but she can live on in our hearts, right?"

She then kept him back on the couch and sat next to him. "You know… it was Mom who told me that I should always stay in this house if she's ever gone for some reason. She believed that you'd come back home one day. And guess what? She was right!" She smiled and put her palm on top of his head. "Mom never forgot about you. She always talked about her brave little boy whenever she got the chance. In fact, Mom always cleaned your room for you in case you returned!"

"She did?" Geo sniffled and looked up at her.

"Yeah, she did. So, stop crying now."

"Wow. You've changed a lot. It's almost like not long ago when you used to be loud and annoying all the time." Geo wiped his tears and laughed.

Chloe rolled her eyes and laughed along with him. "It's called growing up, Geo. I'm like twenty-one now. I'm technically older than you now when you think about it. I'm no longer the younger sibling since you didn't change one bit." She grinned.

"What are so saying. I have changed. I'm a pokemon now! That has to count!"

"Nah! That doesn't count at all!"

"Oh, shut up you!" Geo began to punch her leg with his tiny hands. They began to laugh at one another, just like old times.

Mew watched them quietly from the sidelines. Her heart skittered as Geo and Chloe continued to talk about past memories. She bit her lip as she felt left out.

So, this is what a family looks like. I wish I had one.

"What are you going to do now, Geo?" Chloe asked once she was done laughing.

"Huh?"

"I mean… what now then? Will to stay here and live with me? I mean, even though I'm a gym leader now, I can take care of you as well."

"You're a gym leader now?!"

"Yeah. I use dark type pokemon. I like them because they're like the opposite of me. That's not weird, right?" Chloe put her finger on her lower lip. "So, what's it going to be? Are you going to stay with your sister? With me?"

Geo groaned as he began to think. He could imagine the benefits of staying with Chloe, and it'd be great for him to live with her. But, he couldn't do it.

Geo's mind simply couldn't settle with it. The more he looked at Chloe, the more he felt uncomfortable, and the more he could feel his chest hurting. It also didn't help that she was practically a living replica of his mother— she looked just like his mother, acted more like her, and even her dressing somewhat resembled what his mother used to wear.

Geo then smiled at Mew, to which she tilted her head."I think I'm going to stay with Mew."

Chloe nodded then smiled. "Oh… it's okay if you do that. You two seem really close, don't you? I'm sure you'll be fine."

'Are you sure about this, Geo?' Mew asked.

"Of course, it is! It's the least I could do since you're the reason why I was able to meet Chloe again. I don't want you to be all alone on the island."

Mew smiled and her eyes glistened with tears of joy. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, she just kept nodding.

Chloe got up and sat on her toes in order to face Mew at eye level. "Since Geo's going with you, I want you to promise me one thing. Please, keep him safe for me. I know he can get reckless sometimes, but just bear with him. He's all I have left."

~Yeah. I will!~

Chloe smiled when she heard that. She stood back up and folded her hands. "Okay then. You two better get going now before I change my mind."

"Goodbye then, Chloe. I promise I'll come visit you some time!" Geo said as Mew prepared to teleport them back. She held his hand as they exchanged smiles and waved at Chloe. And in a few seconds, they were gone.

Chloe stood there looking at the wall clock for a minute and sighed. "I should go lie down."