Chapter 496:
"Is Mew back?"
Just after seeing off the two Professor, Kaede immediately received news from Serperior.
It slithered over and indicated to him that a few more Pokémon had appeared in the tree orchard.
Usually, in such situations, one could be sure it was Mew returning, but Kaede's Aura couldn't detect or sense it.
His method of discovering Mew had always relied on the system-granted [Eye of Exploration].
But Serperior was different. After establishing a symbiotic relationship with the Tree of Beginning, it had gained a peculiar connection with Mew and Mewtwo.
Through this connection, when Mew drew near, Serperior would have a faint, elusive feeling.
Hmm, that meant as long as Serperior was around, Mew's little tricks would basically have nowhere to hide.
"Let's go, Serperior..."
Upon hearing this, Kaede didn't wait and immediately headed for the tree orchard with Serperior.
Over the past couple of days, although the family had gained a Zoroark, it practically made no difference.
Because the thing Zoroark asked about most these days was news regarding Mew.
Every morning, it would ask Kaede if Mew had returned.
Kaede would answer truthfully.
At first, the social butterflies Alolan Ninetales and Little Nine would also come over to greet it. But Zoroark was somewhat aloof, and since its mind was wholly on Mew, when Alolan Ninetales and Little Nine came over, they were also questioned about Mew.
Initially, Alolan Ninetales and Little Nine had the patience to reply, but later, with the same topic every time, they quickly lost interest in chatting with this stuffy fellow.
Arriving at the plantation.
Following the trail led by Serperior, he soon saw three... well, Lugia—who knows how they corrupted it—also playing this childish little game.
Clearly, the three Pokémon had transformed into Furret this time.
Three perfectly normal-looking Furret were diligently picking Berries.
This time, Mew felt they had done exceptionally well.
Last time, after being discovered while transformed into Combee, Mew engaged in some serious soul-searching. After pondering for a long time, it realized that they probably acted too fake last time, not even knowing how to collect honey, which led to their discovery.
Last time, they genuinely didn't know how to collect honey.
But this time, picking Berries should be very simple.
That's what Mew thought.
In the past, Kaede might have had the patience to play along, but this time, Kaede walked directly up to them. Spotting Mew and Victini, he grabbed one by the scruff of its neck with each hand.
As for why he didn't grab Lugia, naturally, it was because he wasn't that familiar with Lugia yet.
"You two, change back."
After catching them, Kaede didn't waste words and directly exposed their identities.
The two "Furret" looked at each other, confusion and shock evident in their eyes.
They were sure they hadn't given themselves away this time, so why...?
"Not changing, huh..."
Kaede let go of Victini, then used one hand to hold Mew steady while the other rubbed its belly back and forth. Soon, unable to withstand this torment, Mew changed back to its original form, looking at Kaede with a giggle, "Mew~" (Stop it, stop it....)
Only then did Kaede relent.
The remaining Victini and Lugia also changed back.
"Mew~" (How... how did you find us again!)
After transforming back, Mew broke free from Kaede's hands, puffing its cheeks as it looked at him.
"Hmm... let's not talk about that for now. I have a question, Mew, do you know Celebi?"
Kaede directly chose to change the subject.
Upon hearing this name, Mew was indeed drawn in, "Mew?" (Celebi?)
"Mew~" (I know it... it's that Pokémon that's always hard to find and likes to travel through time, right?)
Mew tilted its head back, thinking. Having lived in the world for so long and traveled so extensively, it actually knew most Pokémon quite well.
Those flying in the sky, running on the ground, swimming in the sea, even some Pokémon from outer space—it knew a portion of them.
"It's like this. Just a few days ago, Megumi was outside..."
Kaede explained the matter about Zoroark and then said, "That's the situation. I wanted to ask if you know Celebi."
Regardless of whether past events were irreparable, Zoroark ultimately didn't belong to this era.
"Mew~"
Mew's expression instantly turned troubled, a look that seemed to say, "You're making things difficult for me."
Although it was very powerful, the best transforming Pokémon in the world, in reality, it wasn't familiar with most Mythical Pokémon.
This was because most Mythical Pokémon either had their own places to guard or responsibilities, staying in one place all the time without moving, or were like it—elusive, impossible to find when you were looking for them.
"Mew~" (I'll try...)
But Mew didn't refuse outright either.
It didn't want to disappoint Kaede.
Mew flew into the air, its form changing. Accompanied by a faint white light, its entire appearance transformed into that of Celebi, landing behind Kaede.
At this moment, Kaede was taken aback...
This scene was exactly the same as what Zoroark had seen in the future. That meant, in the future it foresaw, Kaede himself never actually encountered the so-called Celebi. Instead, after Zoroark told him about this, he would seek out Mew.
This is so strange...
If the situation of foreseeing the future hadn't occurred, he actually wouldn't have asked Mew for help, and this scenario would never have happened.
After transforming into Celebi, "Mew" controlled its own energy, as if trying to open something in front of it. The energy fluctuated and gathered, but this attempt ultimately failed. The unique time tunnel vanished, leaving only a series of spatial ripples, like waves, in the air before it.
This was what Kaede's [Eye of Exploration] displayed: Time Ripples.
Mew was trying to open a time tunnel, but clearly, it failed. Although it could transform into the forms of all Legendary Pokémon, when it came to actually using their powers, it ultimately fell short.
But this was enough.
Once Time Ripples were left behind, Celebi would be able to sense them and come to this place to erase the Time Ripples!
But clearly, the existence of Time Ripples wouldn't attract only Celebi, but also....