Pokémon: Starting with a Bound Entry System

Chapter 176: The Vision of the Time Flower

"Hah…"

Hikaru let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the now calm and composed Serperior.

He nodded.

"I'll have Mew release you now, so put away your Leaf Blade."

"Serp." (Alright.)

Seeing Serperior agree, Hikaru waved his hand.

Mew, grinning mischievously, released its Psychic hold.

However—

The moment Serperior was freed, it instinctively coiled around Latias as it landed.

Originally, if it was just Hikaru on Latias's back, there was plenty of space.

Even with Gardevoir, it wasn't too crowded.

But now—

Serperior was five to six meters long.

And although this particular Serperior had an exceptionally refined physique, maintaining a sleek and elegant form,

Its mass still caused Latias to sag slightly.

And without thinking—

Serperior's tail wrapped tightly around Latias's body.

And worse—

Its entire body pressed against Hikaru.

Forcing Gardevoir to be pushed aside.

"Mm?"

Latias tilted her head, glancing at the intruder on her back.

Hikaru coughed.

"Latias, just focus on getting us to the World Tree first."

"…Mmm~"

Latias cheered softly, then dove down at high speed.

Hikaru, however, was now in an awkward position—

Serperior's body completely wrapped around him,

Forcing him to cling tightly to Latias's neck.

As soon as they touched down,

Serperior immediately slithered off.

It was too cramped.

Ever since it hatched, Serperior had never been in such close contact with another creature.

Hikaru watched Serperior distance itself, feeling a slight sense of loss.

He had just saved its life…

And now it was rushing to get away?

A Level 70 Serperior…

With Contrary as its ability…

The thought of catching it inevitably crossed his mind.

But—

Wild Pokémon, especially those who had lived in the wild all their lives,

Were not easy to tame.

And Pokémon like Serperior, who had already become a ruler in its territory—

Would be even more reluctant to follow a human.

After all, traveling with a trainer meant going where the trainer decided.

Not where it wanted.

Even though Serperior felt grateful toward Hikaru,

It wasn't ready to leave.

But—

There was still the debt of gratitude…

"Serp, Serp…" (Thank you, human…)

Serperior slithered up to Hikaru, its long body coiling.

For the first time, it bowed its head.

Hikaru hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand gently on its smooth, cold scales.

"Serp, Serp…" (If you want me to follow you—)

Serperior's bright yellow leaf-like frills fluttered slightly,

Its red eyes gleamed with seriousness.

"—then you'll have to defeat me first."

Hikaru blinked.

Then—

He grinned.

"Alright. I'll come back here one day. And when I do—"

"You won't be able to escape."

"Serp…"

Serperior gave him a deep look, as if memorizing his face.

Then, with a few swift twists and turns, it disappeared into the shadows of the World Tree.

"Meow~" (Hehe, Hikaru, if you really want to catch it, I can help!)

Mew covered its mouth, giggling.

It loved watching the chaos unfold.

If Hikaru truly wanted Serperior,

A single Psychic move would have done the trick.

"No need to force anything."

Hikaru rolled his eyes.

Mew pouted, crossing its tiny arms.

"Meow…" (Tch, this is why I like you~)

Hikaru ignored Mew's teasing and turned to Latias.

"Latias, take me to the Time Flowers."

Mew's ears perked up.

"Meow?" (Time Flowers?)

Then, after a moment—

It nodded.

"Meow, meow…~" (Time Flowers record everything—humans who come here, Pokémon battles…)

"Who knows?"

"It might even grow one for you soon."

Hikaru's curiosity was piqued.

Besides Riley, had any other humans ever reached the World Tree?

There were four Time Flowers in total.

One at the center of the tree.

One at the edge.

And two along the rocky cliffs.

Hikaru decided to start with the nearest one—

The one at the base of the World Tree.

It looked ancient—

A thick layer of dust had settled on its surface.

Mew saw it and sighed wistfully.

"Meow~" (This one recorded Riley when he was a child…)

Hikaru's eyes lit up.

Riley.

The Wave Guardian King.

Mew floated over, brushing its tiny paw against the rock-like petals.

Immediately—

A projection of the past emerged from the flower.

Like a holographic memory,

The scene unfolded before them.

The image showed a young boy, around fourteen or fifteen.

He wore tattered clothes, his short sleeves ripped and worn.

By his side—

A Riolu followed closely.

The young Riley stood before the massive World Tree,

His eyes filled with awe.

Then, without hesitation—

He knelt.

And bowed deeply.

A gesture of respect.

Hikaru frowned slightly.

The World Tree… allowed him to enter?

Not only that—

It seemed to welcome him.

In the next moment—

The crystals around the tree began to glow brightly.

Threads of light flowed toward Riley,

Seeping into his body.

This…

The granting of Aura.

Hikaru's eyes widened.

He recognized this process instantly.

After all—

He had just experienced the same thing himself.

"Damn… Riley had some insane luck."

To have his Aura awakened on his first visit?

But then—

Why did the World Tree later reject humans?

The first Time Flower's vision faded away.

"Meow~" (Riley was a good person.)

"But after he received Aura… more humans started coming."

Mew crossed its arms, sighing.

"And a lot of them were idiots."

"Some didn't even bring a map."

"So I had to keep teleporting them away."

Hikaru glanced at Mew.

He hadn't expected it to know so much.

But this explained a lot.

Why the World Tree became just a legend.

"You're smarter than you look."

"Meow~" (Of course~!)

Mew puffed out its chest proudly.

But what it didn't say was—

After people stopped coming,

It had gotten lazy.

And that's how a few trespassers had slipped through later…

"Alright, Latias. Let's go to the next Time Flower."

Hikaru gave the order.

Latias shot into the sky.

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