Mew's Journey - Three Weeks After the Thanos EncounterSpace is vast.
Mew tumbled through the cosmic void, spinning lazily as stars streaked past like distant fireflies. The small pink creature giggled—a sound that echoed through the mental frequencies but made no noise in the vacuum—and looped around a passing asteroid just for fun.
Three weeks of exploring! Three weeks of somersaults through nebulae and games of tag with comets!
But...
Mew slowed, hovering in place as a distant galaxy swirled in shades of purple and blue. Its tail curled thoughtfully.
Three weeks and only one person to talk to.
The big purple one. Thanos. He'd been interesting—all that power, all those stones, all that determination to do something terrible. Mew had stopped him, of course. Left him with that message carved into his armor. Every life matters.
Mew hoped he was thinking about it.
But since then? Nothing. No one. Just empty space and beautiful, lonely stars.
This dimension is so quiet, Mew thought, doing a backflip for no particular reason. Where is everyone? Don't they want to play?
Back home—back in the dimension Mew had come from—there were always others. Celebi flitting through time. Jirachi waking up to grant wishes. Ho-Oh painting rainbows across the sky. Even Giratina lurking in the distortion world, grumpy but present.
Here? Mew hadn't sensed anyone like itself. Plenty of minds—billions of them, scattered across thousands of worlds—but none that felt... similar. None that understood what it meant to be more than physical. To be idea and emotion and pure creative force wrapped in a small, adorable package.
Maybe I should visit one of those planets, Mew considered, eyeing a nearby solar system. The blue-green one looks nice. Lots of life there. Lots of—
Mew's thoughts cut off.
Something was coming.
Fast.
Mew's eyes widened as a metal object—a ship? Yes, definitely a ship—came barreling through space at FTL speeds, heading straight for it.
Ooh! A ship! With people! Finally!
Mew waved enthusiastically at the approaching vessel.
The ship didn't slow down.
Oh. Oh, they can't see me. And they're going VERY fast.
Mew tilted its head, calculating trajectories with the same ancient intelligence that had shaped DNA itself. If the ship didn't change course in the next 2.3 seconds, it would hit Mew. Or rather, it would try to hit Mew, which wouldn't work because Mew could just teleport away, but that seemed rude when the ship was probably full of interesting people who might want to be friends.
Better to help!
Mew reached out with its mind—not to the ship, but to the space around it—and gave a gentle psychic push.
The ship veered sharply to the left, its FTL envelope destabilizing, engines screaming as they were forcibly dropped back into normal space.
Oops. Maybe too hard.
Mew watched as the ship tumbled end over end before stabilizing, its thrusters firing wildly to correct course. Inside, Mew could sense confusion, alarm, and—
Oh! One of them is yelling! That's fun!
Mew reached out with its telepathy, forming a connection to the minds aboard the ship. There were five of them. No, six. Wait—was that a tree? A living tree? How wonderful!
You need to watch where you're going! Mew projected, trying to sound stern but unable to keep the excitement out of its mental voice. It came across as fake anger mixed with childlike enthusiasm. You almost flew right through me!
One Hour Earlier - The MilanoLocation: Somewhere Between the Andromeda Galaxy and Knowhere
"I swear on all the credits we didn't earn from that last job," Rocket growled, brandishing a wrench like a weapon, "if that thing scratches Groot one more time, I'm spacing it."
The "thing" in question—a sleek, purple-gray feline creature with a distinctive curled tail and an expression of supreme indifference—lounged on the Milano's dashboard, one paw draped elegantly over the edge. It yawned, showing sharp teeth, and proceeded to ignore Rocket completely.
"Rocket, we can't just space it," Gamora said, though her hand rested on her sword hilt in a way that suggested she was considering alternatives. "It came out of the artifact. The artifact we were hired to retrieve."
"Yeah, and then it broke the artifact!" Rocket jabbed the wrench toward the shattered remains of what had been an ornate crystalline sphere. "That was worth seventy-five thousand units! SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND! And this—this cat—"
"Glameow," the creature said, its voice a purring trill.
"—just popped out, shattered the whole thing, and decided our ship is now its personal luxury resort!"
Peter Quill—Star-Lord, thank you very much—was trying very hard not to laugh. He was failing. "Come on, it's kind of cute."
"Cute?" Rocket's voice went up an octave. "CUTE? It's been using Groot as a scratching post for the last twenty minutes!"
"I am Groot," Groot said mildly, examining the fresh scratches on his bark with what might have been curiosity.
"See? Groot doesn't mind," Peter said.
"I am Groot."
"Okay, so he minds a little, but—"
"It is clearly a feline species," Drax interjected, studying Glameow with the intensity of someone analyzing a potential threat. "Though its coloration and tail structure are unusual. And its eyes... they hold cunning. Deceptive cunning."
Glameow stretched, arching its back in a way that was definitely deliberate, and sauntered across the console toward Rocket. Its long, coiled tail swayed behind it like a hypnotist's pendulum.
"Oh no," Rocket muttered, backing up. "No, no, no—"
Glameow's tail brushed along the side of Rocket's face, soft and deliberate, before curling around to tap his nose.
"STOP DOING THAT!" Rocket swatted at the tail, but Glameow was already moving, leaping gracefully to Groot's shoulder. The cat-like Pokemon nuzzled against Groot's face, purring loudly.
"I am Groot?" Groot sounded confused.
"It's trying to seduce you," Gamora said flatly. "Both of you."
"I AM NOT BEING SEDUCED BY A CAT!" Rocket yelled.
Glameow's tail swished across Rocket's face again—the fourth time in ten minutes.
"That's it!" Rocket threw down his wrench and lunged for the creature.
Glameow, with the liquid grace of its species, simply stepped aside. Rocket sailed past and crashed into the navigation console.
Warning lights flared across the dashboard.
"Uh, guys?" Peter called from the pilot seat. "We've got a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Gamora asked.
"The 'something big just appeared directly in our flight path' kind of problem. I'm reading a massive energy signature and—"
The ship lurched violently. Alarms shrieked. The FTL envelope collapsed like a popped balloon, and the Milano was thrown out of faster-than-light travel with all the grace of a brick hurled from a catapult.
Everyone not strapped in went flying. Rocket slammed into the ceiling. Drax crashed into a wall. Groot's branches tangled with loose cargo netting. Gamora managed to grab a support beam and stay upright, because of course she did.
Glameow, somehow, landed perfectly on all four paws on the dashboard, completely unruffled.
"What the HELL was that?!" Peter shouted, wrestling with the controls as the ship spun.
"Something pushed us!" Gamora was already at the sensors. "Something with—Peter, these readings don't make sense. It's biological but the energy output—"
And then the voice appeared in all their heads.
You need to watch where you're going!
It was young. Playful. Powerful enough that even thinking near it felt like standing next to a star. And it was trying very hard to sound angry while clearly being excited instead.
Five sets of eyes (plus Glameow's slitted ones) turned to the viewscreen.
Floating in space, backlit by a distant nebula, was a small pink creature. It looked like someone had taken a cat, a mouse, and a fetus, mixed them together with pure cosmic energy, and decided to make the result adorable.
It waved at them.
You almost flew right through me! the voice said in their heads. That would have been rude! Also, physics is weird here, so you probably would have exploded, and that would have been messy.
Rocket, still plastered against the ceiling, stared. "What in the name of—"
Ooh! You have a talking tree! I love trees! And a green lady! And three others that look kind of similar but different! And— There was a pause. Wait, is that a Glameow? Where did you find a Glameow? They're not native to this dimension!
Glameow, for the first time since appearing, looked interested. The feline Pokemon hopped up to the viewscreen and meowed.
The pink creature outside the ship practically vibrated with excitement.
YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME! Oh, this is wonderful! I've been so bored! The purple guy was interesting but he was kind of depressing, and I haven't met anyone else who—
"Okay, timeout!" Peter finally found his voice. "Who—WHAT—are you? And why are you in the middle of space? And how are you talking in our heads? And—"
Oh! Right! Introductions! The creature did a little flip in space. I'm Mew! I'm from... well, somewhere else. Another dimension? The barriers got thin and I slipped through because it seemed fun! And I'm talking in your heads because that's how I talk! Telepathy! It's very convenient!
"Mew," Gamora repeated slowly. "You're from another dimension."
Yes! Just like Glameow! Well, probably. I'm assuming that's where Glameow came from. When did you find her?
"About an hour ago," Peter said, still trying to process. "She came out of an artifact we were transporting and immediately destroyed it."
That sounds about right, Mew said, and they could sense amusement in the telepathic voice. Glameow are very good at breaking things. Usually on purpose. It's part of their charm!
Glameow preened, looking smug.
"I'm going to regret asking this," Rocket muttered, finally peeling himself off the ceiling, "but are there more of you? Coming through these 'thin barriers' or whatever?"
Mew's mental presence turned thoughtful.
Maybe? Probably? The barriers are definitely breaking down. I felt others crossing over, but they went to that pretty blue-green planet over there. Mew gestured vaguely toward where Earth would be, several light-years away. I haven't checked on them yet because I've been busy exploring! Space is beautiful! But also lonely. You're the first people I've met since the purple guy!
"Purple guy?" Drax leaned forward. "Describe this purple guy."
Oh, he was big! Really big! And very strong! He had these pretty stones that made reality do weird things! He wanted to kill half of everyone, which seemed mean, so I stopped him and gave him a timeout to think about his choices.
The Guardians exchanged glances.
"Thanos," Gamora breathed. "You encountered Thanos."
Is that his name? He didn't introduce himself. Very rude. But yes! The angry purple man with the sad eyes! I knocked him out and left him a message! Do you know him?
"Know him?" Gamora's voice was tight. "He's one of the most dangerous beings in the universe. He's been collecting Infinity Stones. And you just... stopped him?"
Well, yeah. Mew sounded confused by the question. He was going to hurt people. That's not okay. So I made him take a nap and think about why that was wrong.
Rocket started laughing. It started as a chuckle and built into full-blown, wheezing laughter. "This little pink thing—this ADORABLE little pink thing—knocked out THANOS. I love it. I absolutely love it."
"I am Groot!"
"Yeah, buddy, I agree. This is the best day ever."
Peter was still trying to wrap his head around everything. "Okay, so. Mew. You're from another dimension. You can read minds. You knocked out Thanos. And you've been flying around space for... how long?"
Three weeks! It's been very pretty but very quiet. That's why I'm so excited to meet you! You're interesting! You have a SHIP! With buttons and screens and—oh, can I come inside? Please? I promise I won't break anything! Much!
The Guardians looked at each other.
"We're not seriously considering this," Gamora said.
"I mean..." Peter gestured at Glameow, who was now grooming herself on the dashboard. "We already have one interdimensional creature on board. What's one more?"
"It did knock out Thanos," Drax pointed out. "That demonstrates considerable power. Such a being could be a valuable ally."
"Or a massive liability," Gamora countered. "We know nothing about it. Its motives. Its capabilities. Its—"
I can hear you, you know, Mew interjected cheerfully. The whole telepathy thing works both ways. And I promise I'm friendly! I just want to see your ship and maybe play some games and possibly learn about this dimension because it's all new and fascinating and—
"Okay, okay!" Peter held up his hands. "You can come aboard. But—and this is important—you don't touch anything without asking first. Agreed?"
AGREED! Mew practically shouted mentally, and then suddenly it was inside the ship.
No airlocks. No doors opening. Just... there. Floating in the middle of the cockpit, spinning in a happy circle, examining everything with wide, curious eyes.
"How did—" Gamora started.
Teleportation! Mew said brightly. Also very convenient! Oh, your ship is wonderful! What's this button do?
"DON'T—" Rocket lunged, but Mew had already tapped it.
Every light in the ship turned off.
Then back on.
Then started flashing in rainbow colors.
"—TOUCH THAT," Rocket finished, frantically resetting the controls. "That's the emergency beacon slash disco mode! Why do we even HAVE disco mode?!"
"You installed it," Peter pointed out.
"I was DRUNK!"
Mew giggled—an actual audible sound this time, like bells made of starlight—and floated over to Groot.
You're so interesting! You're wood but you're alive but you're also moving and thinking and—can I touch you?
"I am Groot," Groot said, sounding bemused but not hostile.
Thank you! Mew gently placed a tiny paw on Groot's bark, and suddenly Groot's entire body glowed with a soft pink light. New flowers bloomed across his shoulders. Small fruits appeared on his branches.
"I am Groot!" Groot sounded delighted.
Mew beamed. I'm good with plants! It's kind of my thing! Well, one of my things. I'm good with lots of things! I'm very talented!
Glameow, watching from the dashboard, made a sound that was distinctly unimpressed. The feline Pokemon sauntered over, tail held high, and stared at Mew.
Mew stared back.
Oh! You want to know if I have any food! Mew said brightly.
"Glameow," the cat said, which somehow sounded like "obviously."
I don't! But maybe these nice people do! They seem nice! Well, the small angry one seems stressed, but I think he's nice under all that stress!
"I am NOT stressed!" Rocket yelled. "I am APPROPRIATELY CONCERNED about having TWO reality-warping creatures on my ship!"
Reality-warping is such a dramatic way to put it, Mew said, floating upside down now for no apparent reason. I just encourage things to be their best selves! And sometimes I move them around! And occasionally I change what they're made of, but only if they're okay with it!
"That's literally reality-warping," Gamora said.
Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. New rule. Nobody warps reality without permission. Everyone agreed?"
Agreed! Mew chirped.
"Glameow," Glameow said, which definitely meant "no promises."
"I am Groot."
"What do you mean you think this is going to be fun?" Rocket demanded. "Groot, we just picked up the cosmic equivalent of an overpowered toddler and a cat with attitude problems! How is this FUN?"
"I am Groot."
"Because watching me suffer is entertaining? GROOT."
Mew had discovered the ship's sound system and was currently making all the speakers play different songs simultaneously while giggling.
Glameow had claimed Rocket's engineering station as a bed and was refusing to move.
Peter shared a look with Gamora that clearly communicated: What have we gotten ourselves into?
The universe had just gotten a lot more interesting.
And a lot more chaotic.