Chapter 217: Arrival of Mew

Chapter 217: Arrival of Mew

High above the gym, Hikaru sat atop Latias.

Latias remained within its Divine Concealment state, with Mew floating nearby.

Hikaru let out a sigh of relief.

Even with the protection of his Purple Trait: Immunity and his aura shielding his body, he wasn't entirely sure if his aura alone could withstand such intense Ghost-type energy corrosion.

Moreover, it was best not to waste a life-saving trait like Immunity if it could be avoided.

"Thank you, Mew."

Seeing Mew giggling while covering its mouth, Hikaru expressed his gratitude.

In that critical moment, it was Mew who had saved him, appearing just in time to cast Protect.

The barrier effortlessly blocked the barrage of Mean Look attacks.

Mew, still within the Divine Concealment field, flew a few playful circles around Hikaru, curiously examining the protective domain.

Upon hearing Hikaru's words, Mew floated up to him, beaming mischievously.

"Mew~!" (Mew can show up anytime you need~!)

"Mew?" (Do you want Mew to throw all those Ghost Pokémon away?)

It spoke as if the Elite-level Ghost-types below were nothing more than a bunch of oversized radishes.

"Wait..."

Hikaru shook his head.

Back when he was still on the ground, he had distinctly felt a hand grab his ankle.

Was it a Pokémon?

Now, within Latias's Divine Concealment, Hikaru could clearly see every Pokémon below.

And it was obvious—their target was him.

Or rather, the Pokémon controlling them from the shadows was after him specifically.

But...

What kind of Pokémon could it be?

"Mew, can you conceal both your body and life energy? Completely hide your presence?"

Hikaru already had a vague guess in mind, but he needed to confirm it.

"Mew?" (Of course~!)

Though Mew didn't fully understand what Hikaru was planning, it found the situation amusing and agreed without hesitation.

With Mew by his side, Hikaru's courage swelled.

"Latias, cancel Divine Concealment."

"Mmm!" (Got it!)

The invisible barrier dissipated.

Hikaru immediately unleashed his Aura to its fullest extent, scanning the Ghost-types below without restraint.

As the Divine Concealment field vanished, Latias reappeared in plain sight.

The Ghost Pokémon, seemingly regaining focus, immediately locked onto Hikaru once again.

"Hikaru?! Why are you still here?"

Seeing Latias reappear, the elderly woman's expression darkened.

These Ghost-types had clearly marked Hikaru as their target.

It was obvious he had used Latias's concealment ability to hide.

But why hadn't he escaped?

As the airborne Pokémon refocused their attention on Hikaru, the elderly woman's face grew stern.

"Gengar!"

Since the High School League and Hikaru's subsequent gym challenges, this young trainer had continuously surprised her.

Such a prodigious talent—if nothing unexpected happened—was bound to become the next Lance, if not surpass him!

Not to mention, Hikaru wasn't just a gifted trainer but also an expert-level breeder, surpassing even her own skills.

With such potential, how could she let anything happen to him in her gym?

"Gengar…"

The blood-red pupils of her Gengar glowed vividly in the dim light.

It fully understood its trainer's intent.

In fact, all her Pokémon did.

But surprisingly…

Though the Ghost-types had once again focused on Hikaru, they made no move to attack.

Instead, they began to disperse.

---

This dramatic turn left everyone speechless.

"Huh?"

Even Hikaru was stunned.

From start to finish, he hadn't identified the hidden Pokémon controlling the horde.

Nor did he understand why it was targeting him.

Though he had a strong suspicion…

For a Pokémon to evade both his Aura and Mew's detection while controlling so many others without revealing its presence…

The answer was almost obvious.

Marshadow!

Truth be told, Hikaru didn't know much about this Mythical Pokémon.

But why was it after him?

That part remained a mystery.

---

Lost in thought, Hikaru directed Latias to descend.

"Hikaru! You should've left earlier!"

Seeing Hikaru ride Latias down toward her, the elderly woman recalled all her Pokémon.

Her two Gengar melted back into her shadow.

The other Elite-level trainers, seeing the situation calm down, also recalled their Pokémon.

They showed little concern for further investigations.

Hikaru scratched his head awkwardly.

"Uh, Latias got caught by Mean Look earlier, so we couldn't leave."

Of course, that was a lie.

The elderly woman sighed and couldn't resist offering one last word of advice.

"When you're out in the world, forget rare treasures or Pokémon. Your life is what matters most."

Hikaru nodded quickly, assuring her that he understood.

In truth, he valued his life greatly.

He had worked so hard to arrive in the Pokémon world, forging deep bonds with his Pokémon and sharing their dreams.

If he didn't protect himself, wouldn't he also be failing them?

---

Normally, Hikaru always assessed risks before taking action.

But now, with Mew as his trump card, he found himself bolder than ever.

Even so, he knew some dangers were simply unavoidable.

Like this unexpected incident—he had no chance to prepare in advance.

The elderly woman, eyeing Hikaru's nonchalant demeanor, couldn't tell if he was genuinely listening or just pretending.

So, she changed the subject.

"Child, do you know what's going on here?"

Hikaru shook his head.

"No idea…"

If he did, he wouldn't have been caught off guard like this.

---

"Strange. Could this be some Mythical Pokémon's prank?"

Old Li, standing nearby, voiced his suspicion.

Only a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon could orchestrate such an event.

After all, their temperaments varied widely.

Some were playful and naive, others enjoyed exploring the world, and some would sleep for years, only to wake and stir up chaos within hundreds of miles.

Among known Ghost-type Legendaries, Darkrai stood out.

But it was primarily active outside of Huaguo.

Every so often, Darkrai would appear in a state within the United States, causing tens of thousands to fall into deep sleep and suffer from nightmares.

Even now, the U.S. authorities had found no effective way to deal with the Nightmare Pokémon.

---

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