In the footage—
After saying goodbye to Officer Jenny and Chloe, Ash returns to Vermilion City.
Dr. Cerise also learned that Ash had caught Suicune. But because Suicune is still helping to purify water sources on Officer Jenny's end, even though Dr. Cerise really wants to see Suicune, he has to wait for Suicune to return.
Ash originally wanted to head directly to the Sinnoh region the next day, but… something unexpected came up.
"…Project Mew??"
Inside the institute, Ash looked at the screen behind Dr. Cerise with a puzzled expression.
This morning, Dr. Cerise suddenly called Ash over and introduced him to something called Project Mew.
"That's right. The ultimate goal of this project is to find and catch the mythical Pokémon, Mew!"
"The founder is Professor Amaranth, who has recently been gathering many talented trainers for this project."
"Although the Elite Four members and Champions have plenty of strength, they are too busy to participate in this project, so candidates are chosen from trainers outside those ranks."
"I feel… with your strength, Ash, you should be able to join this project."
"Under the plan, Professor Amaranth will continuously test the participants. After passing various trials, Professor Amaranth will select the final few trainers, reveal Mew's location to them, and then move forward to capture Mew."
Under Dr. Cerise's explanation, Ash finally understood what Project Mew was really about.
"Why does Professor Amaranth want to catch Mew?"
"Hmm… It's likely to gain a deeper understanding of Mew. Researchers and professors are constantly pursuing unknown Pokémon in the world, and Mew is one of the most mysterious Pokémon of all!"
"Don't worry, I know what you're concerned about, Ash. No matter who ultimately catches Mew, Professor Amaranth only wants to study it."
Ash nodded in understanding.
Unlike villains who try to capture Legendary Pokémon for selfish gain, Professor Amaranth's goal is focused on exploration and research.
If that's the case…
"Dr. Cerise, I want to participate! But… if I end up catching Mew, I want to return Mew to nature! I believe nature is where Mew truly belongs!"
Ash has encountered Mew more than once, and Mew has even saved him before. So Ash understands Mew's nature quite well: playful, mischievous, but helpful and deeply fond of freedom!
Because of this, unlike some other Legendary Pokémon who might be willing to follow a trainer, Mew would definitely not stay quietly inside a Poké Ball.
"Return to nature… Actually, I feel the same way, but… not all trainers share that view, and perhaps Professor Amaranth hasn't considered it either."
"However, Project Mew has already been launched, and many trainers have already responded to the call. It's too late to stop it now. If you want to ensure Mew is ultimately returned to nature, Ash, you might be the only one who can accept that responsibility."
Prompted by Ash, Dr. Cerise also realized how flawed the plan actually was. Professor Amaranth had likely been carried away by his own thirst for knowledge.
But now the plan is already underway. A few candidates have even been chosen, making it impossible to withdraw. Therefore… it all depends on whether Ash can catch Mew, or if another trainer who succeeds is willing to release Mew back into the wild.
"Who says only Ash can do it?"
A familiar voice came from the doorway. Ash turned around and saw a young boy with spiky hair leaning against the doorframe with a confident smile.
"Gary?! Why are you here?"
Ash looked surprised. Ever since their joint battle against Eternatus, Gary had gone elsewhere and hadn't been back to Pallet Town. Ash hadn't expected him to show up here in Vermilion City.
"Heh, of course I'm here to join Project Mew, and I came to bring you along too! Though I didn't expect Dr. Cerise would have already convinced you to join."
After hearing about Project Mew, Gary thought almost the exact same thing as Ash.
It makes sense to search for the legendary Mew. However, calling together trainers from everywhere just to hunt down a mythical Pokémon didn't sit right with him.
A real trainer meets all kinds of Pokémon along their journey, including Legendary Pokémon. If someone defeats one in a fair battle, Gary feels that trainer might earn the Pokémon's respect. But this project seemed designed to have three or four trainers team up just to overwhelm and catch Mew!
Because Professor Amaranth offers clues about Mew and other Legendary Pokémon, trainers have been rushing to join. Professor Amaranth plans to select 2 to 4 people from among them to search for Mew.
When Gary first learned about this project, his immediate thought was… Ash needs to be the one to catch Mew! Knowing Ash's character, if he catches Mew and Mew wants to be free, Ash will definitely return Mew to nature. Or perhaps Gary himself could catch it and do the same.
That's why Gary immediately came looking for Ash to team up—only to hear Ash's words right at the door.
All that could be said was… classic Ash!
Global Forum Chat Board
[Lance]: I can't help feeling there's something strange about this Project Mew, though I can't quite put my finger on it.
[Diantha]: Professor Amaranth, do you really plan to launch this project? I know researchers are passionate about Pokémon, but… there need to be boundaries. This project seems too broad!
[Professor Amaranth]: How should I put this… I do have a deep curiosity about Mew, because legend says Mew contains the genetic code of all Pokémon!
[Professor Amaranth]: How were Pokémon in the world born? What are they truly? I believe if we can find Mew, who possesses the genes of all Pokémon, we might answer those questions!
[Professor Amaranth]: However, I never intended for Project Mew to be an open call for random trainers! If I were to choose, I would only rely on trainers I personally trust!
One of the biggest concerns about Project Mew is that no one can guarantee the intentions of the gathered trainers. Their characters and motivations vary widely. Finding trainers who are both strong and trustworthy isn't that simple. If a trainer with poor character catches Mew, it could turn into a major problem.
That's why Professor Amaranth himself felt that such an open recruitment plan seemed unusual.
[Cynthia]: Hmm… is there something else going on behind the scenes?
[Sabrina]: I sense something isn't right here.
[Volkner]: It definitely feels off… Let's keep watching first!
Besides Professor Amaranth himself, many others felt something was wrong with this setup. Project Mew sounds reasonable on the surface, but reveals flaws upon closer thought. The truth can only be revealed by watching further.
In the Footage—
Gary explained Project Mew to Ash in greater detail. Compared to Dr. Cerise, Gary clearly knew more specifics about the project.
First, you need to qualify for Project Mew. The initial screening checks whether you have enough battle strength, evaluated through your past records or battles against Professor Amaranth's evaluators.
Of course, if you have an outstanding record—like winning a Pokémon League Conference or placing as a runner-up—you can skip the preliminary test.
After passing the screening, participants must complete Trial Missions to earn tokens. The difficulty of these tasks varies: some require collecting materials related to Legendary Pokémon, while simpler ones might only require a feather or scale from a common Pokémon.
"…Unfortunately, my task this time is pretty tough: I need to collect a feather from Moltres."
"Moltres!!"
Even Ash was taken aback by this task. Chloe and Dr. Cerise beside him were equally speechless.
This project is truly demanding—requiring trainers to face Legendary Pokémon just for a trial mission! How could ordinary Pokémon stand up to Legendary Pokémon? Let alone pluck a feather from one!
"It's fine. I can handle Moltres. I've already tracked down a few possible locations for Moltres on my way here, so I'll go look tonight. Ash, when are you signing up?"
"Right now!" Ash said firmly, turning to Dr. Cerise with a determined look.
"No problem, I'll register you right away."
"With your battle record, Ash, you should easily pass the initial screening without a trial battle, and your mission should be assigned shortly," Dr. Cerise said, taking the Rotom Phone from Ash to complete the registration.
With modern smartphones, everything is much faster than before when registration required visiting a facility in person.
After a few taps, Ash successfully registered for Project Mew, and the review took less than three minutes! It seemed the evaluators recognized Ash's impressive accomplishments immediately.
Almost at the same time, the phone notified Ash of his assigned Trial Mission:
Hand in a feather from Zapdos!
Seeing this task, Ash, Dr. Cerise, and Chloe all went silent.
This mission…
"Did you really get assigned to fetch a feather from one of the legendary birds too? Are both of our tasks intentionally made this hard, or did your strong record prompt them to give you a massive challenge right away?"
"Don't worry. Compared to Moltres, information on Zapdos is actually easier to track, since its appearance always brings stormclouds. I'll help you investigate!"
Seeing Ash's silence, Gary assumed Ash was overwhelmed by the difficulty of the task, so he tried to reassure him.
However, after hearing that, Ash looked at Gary with a strange expression.
"What's wrong? Did I say something strange?"
"No… It's just that… I actually caught Zapdos already."
"Oh, you caught Zap—WHAT?!!! You caught Zapdos?!"
Gary didn't register it at first, but as Ash's words settled in, his expression instantly shifted into utter shock and disbelief!
He never expected that Ash had already caught Zapdos! And as luck would have it, the mission happened to be collecting a feather from Zapdos. Talk about incredible timing!
"Yeah, I'll just ask Zapdos for a feather later, which should complete the task! Then I'll go with you to find Moltres, Gary! After helping you finish your mission, I'll head to Sinnoh!"
With his own task already taken care of, Ash turned his attention to Gary.
Finding Moltres was one thing, but dealing with it was another. As a powerful Legendary Pokémon, even a wild Moltres without a special duty would be stronger than an average Champion's Pokémon. Handling it alone would be quite difficult for Gary.
Since this wasn't an official match—just obtaining a single feather—working together was completely fair!
"To Sinnoh? What are you going to Sinnoh for?" Gary caught the second half of Ash's words.
Ash then explained about Suicune and the disturbance involving the two Legendary Pokémon of Time and Space.
"…There's a disruption involving the Legendary Pokémon of Time and Space in Sinnoh? Then I'll come help too!"
Ash shook his head and declined Gary's offer.
"Gary, don't you have your own important task to focus on? I'll handle the situation with the two Legendary Pokémon of Time and Space! You focus on Project Mew and keep an eye on things there!"
"Leave Sinnoh to me!"
Saying that, Ash extended his fist toward Gary. After a moment of surprise, Gary smiled in relief and bumped his fist against Ash's.
"You've really grown, Ash!"
Compared to the reckless young trainer Gary used to know, the current Ash felt like a completely transformed person—someone who inspires complete confidence just by standing there!