"Bang!"
A flash of red light lit up the private room, and a small pink Pokémon appeared. Its body was tiny, no bigger than a handkerchief. Its eyes were just two small dots, like a Poliwag's, and its soft pink skin made it look almost cute.
A Ditto?
The surprise on Jacob's face showed for only a moment before it vanished.
Ditto was a fairly rare Pokémon, but it was nowhere near valuable enough to be called a priceless treasure, the way Wynne had described it. This particular Ditto had to be hiding something special.
Jacob turned his eyes toward Wynne and waited quietly for an explanation.
Feeling Jacob's gaze on him, Wynne gave the Ditto a quick command. "Ditto, use Transform!"
The Ditto's soft pink body glowed with a gentle white light. It stretched and twisted like wet clay, reshaping itself piece by piece. When the light faded, a small pink, cat-like Pokémon stood in its place, a long tail drifting behind it.
Mew?!
This Ditto could turn itself into Mew?
Only then did Jacob understand why Wynne dared to call this Ditto priceless.
For a Ditto to Transform into another person, object, or Pokémon, it first had to see that thing with its own eyes. There was no way around that rule.
So if this Ditto could become Mew, that meant only one thing—it had truly seen Mew in person before!
That also meant this Ditto might hold real clues to finding Mew.
And Mew's genes were the very key needed to create Mewtwo.
Jacob felt his pulse quicken. No Pokémon trainer alive could stay calm at the thought of Mewtwo.
Once the excitement passed, Jacob steadied himself and looked from the Ditto back to Wynne.
If finding Mew were really this simple, Wynne and Som would have already caught it themselves. So why hand this Ditto over to him as a gift?
Jacob's eyes sharpened as he looked up. "I'm curious," he said slowly. "Haven't you two already looked into this Ditto's secrets?"
"Boss Giovanni." Wynne and Som traded a glance, both wearing the same bitter smile.
Of course they had looked into it. They just hadn't found anything useful—otherwise, they never would have given the Ditto away.
"We've spent years searching, but we've never found Mew," Wynne admitted. "At this rate, we might never find it in our lifetimes. Someone as strong as you, though, might actually have a chance, using this Ditto as a guide." His tone carried a note of quiet flattery.
Wynne paused, then stood and began explaining where the Ditto had come from. "We took this Ditto off a trainer from Redwood Country a few years back, after a clash with a band of pirates at sea."
"Its trainer died in that fight, so we never learned exactly where the Ditto was originally from—only that it came from somewhere outside Redwood Country."
"You never brought it into Redwood Country to check?" Jacob asked.
"We did," Wynne and Som said together. "We even had a Psychic-type Pokémon speak with it directly. All the Ditto remembers is seeing Mew inside a thick forest, beneath a huge, ancient tree, surrounded by a faint green glow—back when it was newly born. It doesn't remember the exact place."
Jacob rubbed his chin as he took this in. That did complicate things.
"We crossed the ocean into Redwood Country three separate times to search," Wynne continued, "but came back with nothing. Worse, during our third trip we ran into some of Redwood Country's own experts, and that drew the attention of their local Pokémon Association. Going back again won't be easy."
Jacob nodded slowly, taking it all in. No wonder they were finally willing to part with this Ditto.
"Still, we didn't come away completely empty-handed," Wynne added. "We never found Mew itself, but we did gather some useful leads. We've more or less narrowed down where that ancient tree might be."
"It's either somewhere in the Planet's Lung Wilderness Area..."
"...or inside the World Forest Secret Realm."
"The trouble is, both places are guarded closely by Champions. The Wilderness Area alone stretches across eight countries, and each one keeps at least one local Champion stationed there to guard it. We've never found a way to slip inside."
"The World Forest Secret Realm is the largest known Grass-type secret realm in the world. Grass- and Water-type energy runs incredibly thick in there, and plenty of strong trainers guard it too—not just from Redwood Country, but from the United States as well. Last time we tried sneaking in, we were caught within minutes."
Jacob frowned as he listened. "Hearing all this," he said slowly, "makes me wonder—could Mew have already been captured by someone else?"
"That seems unlikely," Wynne said after a moment's thought. "We haven't heard a single rumor of anyone catching Mew. Legend says Mew is remarkably intelligent, and it only shows itself to someone with a truly pure heart and a genuine wish to see it. Under normal circumstances, laying eyes on Mew is close to impossible."
Wynne paused again. "Som and I think that if we can find where Mew lives and use this Ditto to lure it out, it might actually appear."
"After all, this Ditto has seen the real thing with its own eyes."
[Task Triggered]
[Mew / Mewtwo]: Legend holds that Mew carries the genes of every Pokémon and can learn any move—it is said to be the ancestor of all Pokémon. Travel to Redwood Country, locate the World Tree and any trace of Mew, and obtain its genetic material to unlock the next stage of this task.
The sudden task notice made Jacob pause for the briefest moment, but he covered it quickly. He turned back to Wynne, his voice calm. "This is a fine gift, but honestly, it's not much use to me right now. You've already told me how many strong trainers are stationed in the Planet's Lung Wilderness Area and the World Forest Secret Realm."
"Even I might not manage to get in. And even if I got in, I might not find Mew. And even if I found Mew, I might not be able to catch it."
"So this Ditto is a bit like a chicken bone—not much meat on it, but too good to throw away."
Wynne and Som's expressions turned a little awkward at that, though neither could argue. Everything Jacob said was true.
"That said, this was clearly a sincere gift, and you two put real effort into finding it. That counts for something. What reward are you after?" Jacob's voice turned serious. "Just don't ask me for a Gigantamax Pokémon—you two haven't earned that much yet."