Chapter 335: Chapter 335
Inside the Tree of Beginning.
Ash and Lucario were under attack by Regice and Registeel.
“This way!” Lucario grabbed Ash’s collar and shielded him from Registeel’s Flash Cannon, his face contorted in pain.
“Lucario!” Ash cried out in panic.
Lucario dropped to one knee, gasped for breath, and continued pulling Ash deeper inside.
He had to get Ash reunited with Pikachu…
Lucario clenched his teeth.
He wouldn’t let the same tragedy happen again!
Inside the World Tree, the paths twisted and turned like a maze.
“And Meowth’s nowhere to be found either…”
They both let out a long sigh.
“James, check out this crystal—it looks super valuable!” Jessie suddenly noticed a glowing crystal and reached out toward it.
James’s expression changed instantly: “Don’t!”
“What?” Jessie turned—just in time to see a red, magma-like Lileep reach out a tentacle and trap her in its grasp.
“What is this thing?!” Jessie shrieked.
“It looks like… a white blood cell destroying bacteria,” James muttered, pale-faced. “Koffing, Cacnea—save Jessie!”
But as the two Pokémon moved forward, Jessie had already been swallowed by the “white blood cell” and vanished without a trace.
And behind James, another fossil Pokémon mirage was moving in to devour him.
“Ungh!” James struggled with all his might and hurled out a Poké Ball. “Chimecho—everyone—run!!”
In his final moment of danger, James’s last act was to release all his Pokémon.
“Chimee~~” Chimecho and Koffing locked eyes, tears streaming down.
Lu Ye and Steven had entered the inner sanctum of the World Tree.
Inside the trunk was a whole different world, where streams trickled gently through.
Everywhere you looked—rare berries, precious minerals, fossil Pokémon roaming freely.
“It’s a paradise…” Steven murmured.
“The Regis probably became guardians to keep humans from disturbing this peace,” Lu Ye said thoughtfully.
He glanced at his phone, hesitated a moment, and turned off the camera.
“There’ll be a next time,” Lu Ye nodded to himself.
“The paths here are too tangled,” Steven frowned. “Teacher Lu, can you get in touch with Ash?”
“No signal.” Lu Ye shook his phone and smiled, “But I’ve got Squirtle.”
“Squirtle!” Squirtle closed its eyes and focused, sensing Lucario’s Aura and pointing toward the deeper tunnels.
Steven followed the direction with caution, taking a step forward and calling back, “Let’s go, Teacher Lu. I haven’t seen either of the other two Regis.”
But silence echoed around them. Steven blinked.
He looked around—no sign of Lu Ye.
His smile froze, and his eyes sharpened. He raised his arm and sent out Metagross: “Careful, Metagross… there’s something nearby that can teleport!”
Just a moment ago, Lu Ye had been chatting casually with Steven.
Now, he found himself high atop the World Tree.
A cold wind brushed his face. Before him was a vast sea of clouds.
Looking down from the edge, he could see the dizzying height of the tree—it made his heart skip a beat.
Suddenly, Pikachu’s cry and Meowth’s wail rang out behind him.
Lu Ye turned around—just in time to catch a glimpse of a pink blur darting by.
Lu Ye glanced left, then right—then looked up.
Mew was hovering above him, giggling mischievously.
So it was Mew’s teleport that brought me here…
Just as Lu Ye realized that—Meowth threw himself into his arms.
Clutching Lu Ye, Meowth sobbed, “Mew made me play with it the whole time, meow—it’s been a whole day and night!”
“Meowth just wants to see James and Jessie again, meow!”
“Pika pika…” Pikachu stood to the side, ears drooping.
“Mew!” Mew looked flustered, floating toward a junk pile behind a tree stump.
Lu Ye looked over—it was stacked with all kinds of old toys.
Mew pulled out a toy trumpet and went toot toot.
When Pikachu didn’t react, it tried a music box instead, smiling: “Mew~!!”
Pikachu still shook his head.
Mew floated mid-air, struggling to come up with a new idea, so it just grinned wide: “Mew!”
“You brought me here… just to play with you?” Lu Ye asked softly.
Mew circled him twice. A soft white glow shimmered, and it turned into a Pikachu that leapt onto Lu Ye’s shoulder.
It nuzzled his cheek affectionately, then turned back into Mew and held out the music box: “Mew~!”
Lu Ye saw a vision of Mew, watching over the World Tree for millennia, with nothing but these old toys for company.
It longed for friends to play with, so it brought them here.
But those companions… all eventually went back to their trainers.
Only Mew remained, clinging to its music box, playing with toys that were centuries out of date…
Mew happily flew over and rubbed against his palm.
“Bui!” Sylveon puffed up her cheeks, turning away in a huff.
“Mew~~” Mew giggled shyly and floated off to play with Sylveon.
“I can play with you,” Lu Ye said with a smile. “But I’m definitely going back.”
“Whether it’s Meowth or Pikachu… they all have something they care about—just like you care about your toys.”
“Mew……” Mew hung its head and picked up the music box again, nudging it toward Lu Ye pitifully.
Lu Ye didn’t take it.
Instead, he asked gently, “Can you leave the Tree of Beginning?”
“Mew…” Meowth translated: “It says it can only leave for a little while. It always has to come back, meow.”
He had expected this.
Mew, the guardian of the Pokémon World, was symbiotic with the World Tree. It couldn’t move freely.
For centuries, it had no companions, no bonds with a trainer—only timeless innocence…
Still, Lu Ye accepted the music box and smiled: “If you want to play, come find me anytime.”
“Just for a little while, though. And—no taking other people’s Pokémon back to the World Tree without asking.”
Mew nodded and twirled its long tail as it floated around Lu Ye: “Mew~~~”
Lu Ye opened the music box. A peaceful melody flowed out. Mew rested quietly on his shoulder.
“So, you’re giving this to me?” Lu Ye asked with a grin.
Mew hesitated… then nodded with conviction: “Mew!”
“I was kidding,” Lu Ye laughed. “Gengar, you’ve got some Pokéblocks, right?”
“Gengaar~!” Gengarrr grinned and reached into its belly, fishing around.
Not Momotaro’s rice balls (crossed out)… but Teacher Lu’s Golden Pokéblocks!
“Mew?” Mew took the Pokéblock in its tiny hands and nibbled a bite.
Its face lit up in pure bliss: “Mew!!”
Meowth wiped its mouth. “It says that’s the best thing it’s ever eaten, meow.”
“Here,” Lu Ye handed one to Meowth, “You’re drooling.”
“Thanks, Boss!” Meowth said gratefully.
“Gengaa~~︿(￣︶￣)︿” (I’m not even into those anymore~)
After making their agreement with Lu Ye—
Mew floated obediently in mid-air, leading Pikachu and Meowth to search for Ash.
The tangled crystal branches wove a complex path.
Pikachu suddenly twitched its ears and called from a high perch: “Pika-pika!”
Ash and Pikachu were reunited.
Lucario looked on with a small smile—he really had done what Aaron couldn’t.
But Meowth looked around and still didn’t see Jessie or James.
He looked like a kindergartener left behind after class, waiting to be picked up.
Meowth drooped his head, clearly dejected.
Lu Ye gently patted his head to comfort him.
Suddenly, Lu Ye looked up in alarm.
Not far away, a red, magma-like fossil mirage Pokémon hovered—scanning its surroundings.
“I remember… if one of those things swallows you…”
Mew poked its fingers together like a guilty child.
Meowth translated: “It says… that one didn’t follow its orders, meow!”