Clever Clover packed his bag for a trip to the Isle where he was prince. He had received a letter from Raven explaining that the Isle was in grave danger and his presence was required. The letter didn’t go into any detail on the nature of the danger, but it did specify not to bring any guests this time.
His packing done, Clever Clover was ready to head out. Minoko was on the couch watching soap operas. “I thought you were going to find a job and get an apartment. Why are you still here?”
“There aren’t many jobs around here that are suited to my special talents. Besides, I haven’t been here that long.”
“It’s been three weeks! You said you’d only stay for a few days and it’s been three weeks!”
“Oh, has it been that long? I’ve completely lost track of time. Well, I’m sure something will come up soon. Are you going somewhere?”
“I told you two days ago, I have to go to the Isle to take care of some business. I’ll be gone for a week or so. Don’t destroy the house while I’m gone and don’t bother looking for the axe. I’m taking it with me.”
“You’re going home? Please take me with you! It’s been such a long time since I’ve been to the Isle. And we haven’t had that much time to get to know each other. It’ll be fun!”
“No. Raven doesn’t want me to bring anyone else. And I’m sure that goes double for you.”
“Raven? That old stick-in-the-mud is still around? Maybe it is better to stay here. Don’t worry, I’ll look after the house while you’re gone.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Pixie, keep an eye on her.”
“Vuuuuul-pix!”
* * *
The road to the Isle was uneventful. Ironwood and his guards met Clever Clover on the shore of the lake. “So, Ironwood, what’s up this time?”
“The Regent wishes to inform you himself. Do you think you can handle an ice-boat by yourself? My guards and I have been instructed to stay here until the situation has been rectified.”
“I guess.” Clever Clover boarded the vessel and set sail for the Isle. It took him a little while to get the hang of the boat, but by the time he reached the Isle he was in complete control.
There was no one to greet him on the shore. Along the path he saw several ponies wandering about seemingly aimlessly. They did not greet him as they had on his earlier visits. The village was the same way. Ponies wandered about or just stood there with blank expressions on their faces. The castle gate was open and there were no guards to watch it. Clever Clover made his way through the eerie, apparently deserted castle to the throne room. Oak and Gooseberry were sitting upon their thrones.
“Greetings, your highness. What do you know of the urgent matter that Raven summoned me for?”
Oak stared at him blankly. “Uh, hi. Do I know you?”
“I’m Clever Clover. You know, the one who crowned you king.”
“King?”
“This is not right.”
Clever Clover had not noticed Raven entering the room. “You are very observant prince.”
“Raven! I didn’t know you could be sarcastic.”
“Come with me. We have no time to waste.”
“Ohh-kay.”
The jet-black regent led the purple prince to one of the many great halls in the castle. There, in the center of the room, sat the most terrifying sight Clever Clover had ever seen: a Furby! Its fur was black and streaked with crimson.
“Woah, big fun,” it chattered. “Let’s party! Doot-doot-doo! Doot-doot-doo! Dah, dah dah!” It did a little dance along with the song.
“That is what you dragged me all the way to the Isle for? A Furby? Just throw a towel over it and it’ll go to sleep. Then unscrew its battery compartment.”
“You are mistaken, my prince. That is no mere electronic toy. It is a flesh and blood Furby! A minion of the evil empire of Atlantis!”
“Evil empire? Atlantis? Aside from the evil part, you’re starting to sound like Tabby.”
“Did you not witness its foul work in the throne room and with the ponies of the village? Since it appeared, the ponies of the Isle have been losing their intelligence and their will, just as it happened so many years ago.”
“Wha? Rave, I think you need a vacation.”
“Come with me to the library. It is time that you learned the history of your people.”
“Hmm... boring. Me hungry. Ahh, ahh? Tickle me, hee hee hee!” The laughter took on an ominous tone.
“So, what’s this got to do with our history?” Clever Clover asked as they continued to the library.
“A long time ago our people lived in distant lands. There were seven Clans, each inhabiting their own land, and seven Regents who where the King’s eyes, ears, and mouth in the land of their Clan. We were known as great warriors and craftsmen around the known world. We traded far and wide, and our warriors protected our people wherever they might go. Until our traders encountered the Atlanteans.
“At first they traded peacefully, but with time they tried to lure our craftsmen away from their homes to work for the Empire. That is when the Furbys appeared. At first the Regents were able to keep our people together, but then they began to disappear. The Clans began to scatter, and they were relocated throughout the empire. The King was losing influence with his people scattered such.
“Then the two remaining Regents gathered what was left of the Clans and led them to this Isle for refuge. Only five Clans made the journey, Earth, Wood, Spirit, Sky, and Water. With such a small population, the Regents were no longer needed to carry the King’s law to his people. Today, only one Regency remains, and I hold that title, Regent of the Sky Clan.”
“Uh-huh, so what do the Furbys have to do with anything?”
“I already told you; they steal our intelligence and will.”
“So why aren’t you affected?”
“I am the Regent. It is our legacy. Hm, the legacy of the Regents. Come. Your naivety has given me an idea.” The jet-black pony strode confidently form the library. Clever Clover, who was quite confused by this point, followed hesitantly. Raven led the prince through winding corridors into the heart of Malachite Castle where they arrived at a circular chamber with seven chairs along the wall and a pedestal topped by a polished stone orb in the center.
“This is the chamber of the Regents. Though only two made the journey to the Isle, it was hoped that one day the lost clans would return and the Regency would be restored. This chamber was created for that day.”
“Uh huh. So why are we here?”
“This chamber was created by the two Regents who escaped Atlantis. Perhaps they left some clue as to how to defeat the… that creature.”
“Uh, what creature?”
“What! Ah, you are falling under it’s influence. We must search the chamber for some clue left by the Regents.”
“Oh-kay. What’s that?” Clever Clover pointed at the stone orb in the center of the chamber.
“That is an artifact brought here by the Regent of the Earth Clan. Hm, perhaps it can aid us.” The jet-black Regent tried to lift the orb but found it firmly fixed to the pedestal. He peered closely at it’s polished surface. “There is writing here.”
Clever Clover leaned close to the pedestal. “Ah, runes.”
“You recognize it?”
“Sure. I am an archaeologist. They’re similar to the Germanic style, but distinctly different. They are familiar though.”
“It seems the forgetfulness begins with recent memory. You must translate it quickly before you forget.”
“Whatever you say. Hm, I know! These runes are Pokemepolitan. They’re similar enough to Germanic that I can probably make sense of it. Now, let’s see, it says ‘speak my name’.”
“ ‘Speak my name’? Is that it?”
“Uh huh. Over and over.”
“What does it mean?”
The purple prince scratched his head. “What does what mean?”
Raven bopped the forgetful prince on the head. “Speak my name! What does it mean!”
“Raven? It’s a big black bird.”
“Not my name! The runes on the orb! What do they mean!”
“I dunno, what?” The Regent bopped him again. “Ow! Hey, what’s that?” Clever Clover peered at the pedestal upon which the mysterious orb rested.
Raven noticed what had caught the prince’s attention. “Scratches? But not random. An ordered row of scratches spiraling around the pedestal. What could they mean?”
Clever Clover held his forehoof to his lips. “Shhh, I’m counting. One-forty-eight, one-forty-nine, one-fifty, one-fifty-one. Hm, one hundred and fifty one scratches.”
“Speak my name, and one hundred fifty one scratches. What can it mean?”
“One hundred and fifty one Pokemon. Or at least there used to be. Now there are more.”
“This isn’t about Pokemon, it’s… wait. These Pokemon, they are numbered, are they not? Which one is 151?”
“Which what is 151?”
“Pokemon! Which Pokemon is number 151!”
“Mew.” As if a veil had been lifted from his mind, the purple prince confidently reached out and placed his forehoof upon the orb. “Mew!”
For a moment nothing happened. Then the orb began to vibrate and a sudden flash of light blinded the two ponies. When their vision cleared an unbelievable sight met their eyes. A giant Mew hung in the air over the orb and pedestal. Giant for a mew that is. Being a normally small Pokemon, the giant was not quite as tall as Clever Clover. Its body was covered in strange, primitive, tattoo-like markings.
Raven’s jaw dropped; the purple prince grinned. “Cool!”
The giant Pokemon looked around the chamber, as if getting its bearings or searching for something. “Me-ew!”
Raven pondered the Pokemon. “Perhaps this can drive off that vile creature.”
Clever Clover scratched his head. “What creature?”
Mew floated toward the door, oblivious to the two ponies. Raven grabbed the prince and followed the Pokemon. “Come, we must see where it leads.”
“Whatever you say.”
The Mew flew confidently through the maze of passages, as if it knew exactly where it was going. The two ponies followed at a short distance. It soon became clear to Raven that they were returning to the hall where the Furby worked its dark design.
When the flying Pokemon entered the haunted hall, the Furby reacted with great fear, its unnatural eyes going wide. “Ah! Bright light. Me scared. Hug me.”
The Pokemon’s eyes burned with anger. “Mew! Me-ew!” It hurled a sphere of purple energy toward the Furby. The dark agent of Atlantis jumped out of the way and spat a curse at the Pokemon. Then it vanished, as if it had never existed. The Mew smiled and began to fly loops throughout the massive hall.
Clever Clover shook his head. “Whoa. What just happened?”
“What do you remember?”
“I remember everything, I just don’t understand. I mean, Furbys aren’t real. They’re just toys. And I’ve never seen a Mew like that before.”
“You must learn, my prince, that there is much in this world that is not as you believe. After all the wonders you have witnessed in your life, why can you not accept what you have just seen?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’ll just take some getting used to.”
The Pokemon, convinced it’s victory was adequately celebrated, flew over to the ponies and hovered in front of the prince. “Mew!”
The purple pony patted the Mew’s head. “Good job, Mew. I wish I had a Pokemon like you.”
“Mew mew!” The giant Pokemon nodded vigorously.
“It seems the Mew wishes to have a trainer like you. It makes sense, the Earth Clan were always good with animals. That is why many of them were relocated to Pokemopolis by the Atlanteans.”
“That would explain the artifact. It must be one of those ancient Pokeballs I’ve heard rumors about. I’ll have to have a closer look at it, now that I’ve got my wits about me.”
“Very well. And I will check on the king and queen.”
“Right. I’ll meet you in the throne room once I’m done.”
The ponies parted ways. The giant Mew followed Clever Clover back to the chamber of the Regents. Once there, Clever Clover carefully examined the polished stone orb. He noticed that it was no longer firmly fixed in place as it had been when Raven tried to lift it. When the orb was lifted from its resting place, it shrank to the size of a large marble. “Hm, just like a real Pokeball,” Clever Clover mused. “I wonder if it has any other similarities. What do you think, Mew?” But the giant Pokemon was nowhere to be seen. “Hey, where’d you go? Are you back in the ball?” The purple pony held the ancient Pokeball in front of him and spoke the name, “Mew!” but nothing happened. “That’s strange. Maybe he needs to rest, or maybe he only comes out when he’s needed. I guess I’ll just have to find out with time.”
As the prince was about to leave the chamber, he noticed something about the pedestal that had held the orb. There was a deep depression on top where the orb had rested and underneath was a small silver disk with an emerald set in the center, just like the pin that Raven wore. “Rave is gonna want to know about this.”
Later, in the throne room, Clever Clover explained his finding’s to the king. “…so I’m going to have to hold on to the orb at least until I can figure out how it works. And I found this under the orb.” He presented the pin to Oak, who gazed upon it with great wonder.
“The lost insignia of the Earth Clan Regent! This is a great sign!”
Raven stepped forward and took the pin. “It is true. This heralds the restoration of the Regency!”
The king nodded. “Yes, and I can think of no one better suited to bear the title than Clever Clover.”
The purple prince stared in disbelief at the king. “Me? A Regent? Why?”
“I agree with his highness,” said Raven. “With a number of our people now living in Friendship Gardens, the king will need someone to act on his behalf. And since you are of royal blood and descended from the last Regent of your clan, it is your birthright.”
“As is the orb,” added King Oak. “Both the pin and the orb belong to you. As well as the title and responsibility that go with them.”
With that, Raven handed the pin back to Clever Clover. The purple pony nervously accepted. “Gee, thanks. I don’t know what to say.”
Raven laughed. “Perhaps now you will begin to understand why I am the way that I am.”
“What are you trying to do, scare me off? I’ll do the Regent thing, but there’s no way I’m gonna be another Raven.”
Now the king laughed. “I would not expect it of you. You will serve your post just as you are, or else I would not have chosen you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
As Clever Clover navigated the ice boat back to Ironwood’s camp on the lakeshore, he remembered that he had meant to discuss Minoko with Raven. “Well, maybe next time. Besides, maybe my giant Mew can keep her in line.”
When he reached the shore, Ironwood greeted him. “My prince, were you successful?”
“Yeah, but I can’t really take much credit. Have Raven fill you in on the details, and ask him if he remembers someone named Minoko.” Clever Clover jumped down from the boat.
“Very well, my prince. Farewell once again, for my men and I must return to the Isle right away.”
“Sure. See ya later.” And the purple prince regent set off for home once more.