Pokémon: Starting with a Bound Entry System

Chapter 173: The Arrival of Champion Lance

Dragonite's Dragon Pulse halted mid-air.

It had caught sight of Hikaru, who was riding on Latias.

Their entire mission had been to locate Hikaru, and now that they had found him, there was no need for further confrontation.

"Hikaru?"

The moment Lance saw him safe and sound, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though he never truly believed that this kid would just disappear so easily…

Until he saw Hikaru with his own eyes, there had still been a lingering unease in his heart.

"Mew, could you please stop those three big guys down there?"

Seeing that Regirock was about to unleash a Hyper Beam, Hikaru quickly called out.

"Mew~" (Got it!)

Mew floated down effortlessly towards the three Legendary Titans.

The instant they saw it, they ceased their energy buildup.

"Whew… that was close."

The tension in Hikaru's body eased.

He had just worked so hard to restore the World Tree.

If they started another fight now, that would really be a disaster.

Watching the Titans slowly back away, and then glancing at Mew beside Hikaru, Lance rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Mew?

The legendary Pokémon said to contain the genetic blueprint of all Pokémon?

The Pokédex described it as:

"It is said to possess the genes of all Pokémon. Because it can make itself invisible at will, it appears only rarely, even when near humans."

This ability made Mew one of the most elusive and enigmatic Pokémon in history.

Moreover, every recorded sighting stated that Mew rarely appeared in its original form—preferring to stay hidden or shapeshift into other Pokémon.

Yet here it was.

And Hikaru had just casually flown out of the World Tree with it?

Lance cleared his throat.

"Hikaru, what exactly is going on here?"

Could it be that this kid had been followed the whole time?

That thought briefly crossed Hikaru's mind.

"I had one of my Dragonites follow you after you left Kyoto," Lance admitted straightforwardly.

Then, he turned his gaze toward the grinning Mew floating beside Hikaru.

"Alright, let's hear the full explanation."

"…Huh."

Hikaru hadn't expected his movements to have been monitored the whole time.

And the fact that he never noticed meant he really needed to work on his awareness.

This was a wake-up call.

If it had been someone other than Lance—like Team Rocket—and they had tracked him into a dangerous location like this…

That could've been disastrous.

At least this won't happen again.

Now that his Aura had increased, he could sense anything within a 10-kilometer radius.

And with his Malicious Intent Detector ability, spotting hostile presences would be much easier.

"Hikaru… do you know Mew?"

Lance asked cautiously, his tone subtly changing.

Hikaru beckoned, and Mew obediently floated closer to him.

"I was about to introduce it."

Yet—

The moment Mew casually moved toward Hikaru…

Lance's eyelids twitched.

Something was very wrong about this situation.

Mew's power level—even in this massive tree—was something he couldn't perceive.

That meant…

At the very least, Mew was at the Champion-level.

Or even beyond that.

And yet…

It was acting so friendly with Hikaru?

Lance's mind went blank for a moment.

"…I know what Mew is."

He nodded, but then an absurd thought crept into his mind.

Wait.

Did this kid…

…actually catch Mew?!

"I wanted to ask why you came here in the first place."

Lance narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hikaru and Mew.

"…And why exactly are you two so close?"

"Oh, that's simple."

Hikaru waved his hand casually.

"This tree—this World Tree—is deeply connected to Mew. I met it while I was traveling to Kyoto for the High School League."

He quickly summarized his encounters with Mew, his journey into the World Tree, and the restoration process.

Of course, he edited a few details.

For instance—

Instead of saying that he had summoned Mew, he framed it as Mew seeking him out for help.

Latias and Mew both turned their heads slightly.

But neither of them spoke up to correct him.

As Hikaru explained further, Lance's expression became increasingly strange.

What kind of nonsense is this?

He had known that this kid was talented.

But telling stories to an ancient mythical Pokémon until it trusted him completely?

Was that really all it took?!

"So… you came all the way into the depths of Qinling just to heal this tree?"

Lance asked incredulously.

"Pretty much."

Hikaru nodded without hesitation.

Lance was at a loss for words.

His eyes swept over the massive, ancient tree.

Now that he looked closely, he could feel the dense energy emanating from its core.

It was unmistakably… alive.

And its presence was overwhelmingly strong.

His trained instincts told him that every Pokémon living here had reached their genetic potential—many even surpassing their natural limits.

Then, as if a realization struck him, he turned back toward Hikaru.

"So the Pokémon migration disturbances across Qinling… they were caused by this tree's sickness?"

Dragonite had flown him here in a hurry.

But even during their journey, he had felt the chaos in the region.

If this had continued to spiral out of control…

It would have reached human settlements.

Hikaru nodded.

Lance finally stopped questioning him.

Instead, he simply stared at Hikaru.

This kid—

Without making any noise or seeking attention—

Had just stopped an ecological crisis.

"…Ahem. Champion Lance?"

Feeling slightly uncomfortable under the intense gaze, Hikaru hesitantly spoke.

"If possible, I'd prefer if this matter wasn't reported to the public."

Lance raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Why's that?"

Ordinarily—

Solving such a huge crisis and having it confirmed by him—a Champion—would skyrocket Hikaru's fame in the League.

With just a little publicity, he could become a household name.

Hikaru then explained that the World Tree reacted negatively to human presence, triggering defensive responses.

And more importantly—

There were three Legendary Titans standing guard.

If the wrong people got word of this place and started invading it…

That could lead to disaster.

Lance thought for a moment, then nodded.

That made sense.

The League classified the locations of most Legendary Pokémon as top secret for exactly this reason.

If certain powerful figures tried to disturb them…

The results could be catastrophic.

"…You really are patient, huh?"

Lance smirked.

If this were any other teenager—

They'd be bragging about this to the entire world, demanding recognition.

Hikaru, however, just wanted to keep things quiet.

"Fine. I won't report it."

He then remembered something else.

"Oh, right—you're an Expert-level Breeder, aren't you? There's a severely injured Serperior below. Wanna take a look?"

A Serperior at the Elite Four level.

If it could be saved, it might even become Hikaru's Pokémon in the future.

Lance was already thinking two steps ahead.

"Hm? Serperior is injured?"

Hikaru frowned slightly.

How long had he been gone?

Had Salamence already fought Serperior?

"Yeah. And it's in bad shape."

"Alright. Mew, I'll be back soon."

Without wasting time, Hikaru patted Latias, following Dragonite's descent toward the base of the World Tree.

To be continued…

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