Chapter 674: Serperior

Chapter 674: Serperior



"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

The piercing alarm rang incessantly in Shizuru's ears as he stood in the room, his face pale, gazing at the massive time machine before him.

At this moment, a myriad of emotions, including regret, pain, and self-blame, swirled within Shizuru's heart.

If only he had been more cautious... or if Leocrown had come, perhaps this incident wouldn't have happened.

Shizuru was filled with deep regret.

"Agasy..."

Gogoat, standing beside him, had never seen Shizuru like this before. It hung its head low, also appearing deeply saddened.

"It's difficult," Or린 아 nodded, "But we will give it our best shot."

Shizuru fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What happened to Dr. Or린 and Dr. Forest?"

Or린 아 replied, "Not long ago, the paradoxical Pokemon in the Pantier Giant Pit went on a rampage. The two doctors went to the Fourth Observation Station to investigate, but they were attacked by the paradoxical Pokemon, causing the station to explode. They lost their lives trying to protect Gogoat."

So... he still couldn't change the fate of the two doctors?

Neither Or린 아 nor Futo 아 said much more. They turned around and began repairing the time machine using the remaining machinery in the research institute.

But it would take some time.

The paradoxical Pokemon in the Pantier Giant Pit were still in a state of riot.

Gazing at the scene, Shizuru took a deep breath, took out his Rotom Phone, and contacted the Palthia League, informing Yashi of everything that had transpired.

The Pokemon acted swiftly.

As it handed the Poke Ball to Shizuru, it sensed that his emotions seemed a bit off.

"What happened?" Leocrown asked.

As his words fell, a golden aura suddenly appeared beside him.

Hoopa's figure emerged from within, and upon seeing Shizuru, it seemed delighted, "Hey, Shizuru, what's up today?"

"Hoopa, I want you to help me retrieve the Time God, Dialga," Shizuru said earnestly.

Retrieve Dialga? This was a piece of cake for Hoopa!

"Leave it to me!" Hoopa transformed into its Unbound form, and a massive golden aura slowly flew out, hovering behind it, "Hoopa—Retrieve!"

The next second, a blue light emerged from the aura, and Dialga's colossal steel-blue body flew out.

"Dialga, I'd like to ask a favor," Shizuru raised his head, looking at the unfamiliar Pokemon before him, "One of my Pokemon fell into the time machine. I'd like to ask you to bring it back. Whatever your conditions are, I will agree to them."

The Time God looked at the human before it, and with a slight sweep of its red eyes, it understood his request.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," it said.

Shizuru was taken aback for a moment, not quite processing what he had heard.

"What do you mean?"

"Because it has already returned to you."

Shizuru's eyes widened slightly.

Dialga, however, turned its gaze toward a certain direction.

Following its line of sight, Shizuru looked over and saw a silhouette on the empty ground—a figure all too familiar.

A robust body, crimson dragon-like form, golden irises...

It was Gogoat.

Shizuru's pupils constricted, and he wondered, what did Dialga mean?

"Agasy..."

Gogoat was berating itself for not saving its past self when it suddenly heard Dialga's words. It quickly raised its head, and its gaze met Shizuru's.

Seeing Shizuru standing there in shock, Gogoat knew it couldn't keep the truth hidden any longer.

To spare Shizuru from further sorrow, it slowly stood up and approached him.

At this moment, everyone, including Leocrown, Dialga, and even Hoopa, turned their attention to Gogoat.

In these short steps, Gogoat seemed to have walked through millions of years.

Finally, it stood before Shizuru once more.

"Agasy... Agasy!"

Gogoat seemed to have made a significant decision. It looked at the Poke Ball in Shizuru's hand, which belonged to its past self, and then extended its head, touching the button on the Poke Ball with its forehead.

Shizuru's eyes widened, and a thought he dared not believe suddenly surfaced in his mind.

No, it's impossible! It can't be!

But the next second, the scene unfolded before his very eyes.

A beam of red light burst from the Poke Ball, enveloping Gogoat's body, drawing it back inside.

Overwhelmed with shock, Shizuru's body trembled uncontrollably.

"Thud!"

The Poke Ball fell to the ground, emitting a dull thud.

At this moment, Shizuru felt a tingling sensation all over his body.

In this moment, he suddenly understood.

Why did Gogoat appear at the ranch...

Why was it so affectionate towards him, even on their first meeting...

Why was it so familiar with the Swift Dragon and the others...

Why was it so close to the Ki Shu and Little Tree...

Why was it so powerful...

Why, despite him capturing Gogoat, were there still two Gogoats in Area Zero...

Why was it hostile towards that Miltank...

It was because, all along, there was never a Gogoat by his side, only Moto-shi!

Countless emotions surged like a tidal wave, turning into two streams of tears that uncontrollably slid down his cheeks.

Shizuru knelt down with a thud, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

A flash of white light passed, and Gogoat appeared from within the Poke Ball.

It looked at Shizuru, who was filled with self-reproach, and without speaking, it gently nudged its large head towards him, resting it on his shoulder as it always did, leaning against each other for support.

"Agasy..."

The Knights Explorers' faces were filled with sorrow.

Leocrown let out a slow sigh.

After a long while, Shizuru's emotions finally calmed down.

Despite witnessing the truth firsthand, having lived with these two Pokemon for so long and seeing Gogoat and Moto-shi's jealousy so many times, he subconsciously couldn't view these two Pokemon as the same.

Where did Moto-shi go after falling into the Time Machine?

What did it experience, and why did it transform into Gogoat?

These questions flooded Shizuru's mind.

Shizuru looked at Dialga with a glimmer of hope, asking, "Is there really no way to bring Moto-shi back?"

"They were originally the same Pokemon, and even I cannot do such a thing."

Dialga turned and left after speaking.

What about Arceus, then? Shizuru suddenly remembered the true Arceus he had once encountered.

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts and asked Leocrown to bring the Arceus Phone to him.

Leocrown nodded slightly, and within a few breaths, the Arceus Phone appeared before Shizuru.

Shizuru quickly took it from its hand, attempting to contact Arceus through the phone.

But one second, two seconds, three seconds...

Arceus remained unresponsive.

The God's observation had ended, and it had completely left this world.

Shizuru's heart sank.

"Agasy..." Gogoat hung its head, also looking deeply saddened.

If it could, it too would want to bring back its past self.

If Arceus couldn't help, what about using the Time Machine?

Shizuru's gaze shifted to the Time Machine that Ai was repairing.

Perhaps, through the Time Machine, Moto-shi could be summoned back!

Just like summoning those Paradox Pokemon from the past and future!

Shizuru gradually calmed down.

He turned to the Knights Explorers and Leocrown, thanking them, "Thank you all. I have some matters to attend to here, and I can't return to the ranch just yet. You can head home first, and I'll come back once I find Moto-shi!"

The Pokemon left one by one.

Shizuru remained at the Zero Zone Research Institute.

In the afternoon, the Swift Dragon and Pupitar arrived.

Upon receiving the news, the Paldea League immediately dispatched their main forces to establish a defense line at the Pantier Giant Pit, preventing the violent Paradox Pokemon from entering the Paldea Region.

The two Pokemon were deeply saddened by the news of Moto-shi falling into the Time Machine.

And when they learned that Gogoat was Moto-shi, their faces were filled with surprise.

Shizuru silently observed this scene and then approached Ai, asking, "Doctor, is it possible for modern Pokemon to transform into Paradox Pokemon?"

Ai inherited all the knowledge and emotions of Dr. Orلين.

Upon hearing this, she contemplated for a moment and then nodded lightly:

"It's not impossible. The past era had vastly different environmental conditions compared to our time, and it was filled with primitive, foundational, and destructive energies."

These descriptions immediately reminded Shizuru of a phenomenon that occurred with Groudon and Kyogre—Primal Reversion.

Could it be that the primitive and destructive energies of the ancient world caused Moto-shi to undergo Primal Reversion and become Gogoat?

The true answer to this question remains unknown.

In the evening, Ki Shu called.

As soon as the call connected, Shizuru heard Little Tree's voice.

Her voice was filled with sleepiness, and despite her fatigue, she insisted on calling Shizuru.

"Daddy, when are you coming back? Did you find Moto-shi? Moto-shi said it was going to find you! It even promised me that it would take me to catch butterflies on the World Tree!"

Hearing this, tears immediately welled up in Shizuru's eyes. He struggled to maintain his composure and said to his daughter, "Moto-shi found Daddy, but Daddy has lost a very important friend, and I need to stay here for a while. These few days, let your sister and Entei take you out to play, okay?"

"Okay!" Little Tree was very obedient, perhaps due to her sleepiness, she yawned and then thoughtfully reminded him, "Daddy, remember to eat and sleep on time too!"

"Yes, Daddy will," Shizuru wiped away a tear.

Ki Shu sensed the change in Shizuru's tone and, after putting Little Tree to sleep, she took the Rotom Phone, asking with concern, "Is everything alright?"

Shizuru gradually calmed down, "You should get some rest now."

Ki Shu nodded lightly, and after hanging up the call, she looked at the pregnancy test in her hand. She hesitated, deciding to hold off on sharing the news with Shizuru for now.

In the research institute, Or린 and Futo 아 tirelessly worked day and night to repair the time machine.

Their AI bodies allowed them to work without the need for food or sleep.

Shizuru curled up on a small single bed with Gogoat.

During the day, they worked together to tidy up the farm and plow the fields.

In the evenings, they would fall asleep in each other's arms.

Shizuru would never forget those times.

Looking at Gogoat before him, he couldn't believe what had happened today.

"Gak..." Gogoat nodded its large head and gently snuggled up to Shizuru's side, just like they did in the beginning.

"How did you end up like this?" Shizuru stroked its big head.

Gogoat shook its head, "Gak!"

It didn't know either. When it woke up, it was already like this! However, it remembered one thing—a long, long time ago, it had eaten a wish dish prepared by Shizuru. At that time, it had envied Gogoat's strength and secretly wished to become a Pokemon like Gogoat!

"A wish dish..." Shizuru recalled the meal.

"Gak..." Gogoat thought for a moment and then proceeded to tell Shizuru about everything it had encountered, one incident at a time.

It shared how it learned to dig to avoid danger, how it gained the FlapWing ability, about the Pantier Giant Pit, and about a group of little turtles that had helped it.

Little turtles? Totten Turtles? Shizuru was surprised. As far as he knew, the time machine was built using Totten Turtle's energy.

Could Tera Energy truly have the ability to travel through time?

"Then why didn't you tell me all this?" Shizuru asked again.

"Gak..." Gogoat immediately lowered its head, looking like a pitiful and wronged big dog.

It had witnessed scenes where changes in the past led to alterations in the future.

The Arceus incident, the Bikkun incident...

It had originally wanted to let its past self have the chance to stay with Shizuru, waiting until the matter was resolved before telling Shizuru everything, and then it would be corrected.

So, it hadn't revealed anything in advance.

In the past, it had searched for over ten thousand years. It missed Shizuru so much and just wanted to spend more time with him, even if it was just for a day.

But it never expected...

After listening, Shizuru's heart was filled with complex emotions.

The more he thought about it, the more Shizuru felt guilty.

It was all his fault. Everything was his fault.

If he had been more cautious back then, today's events wouldn't have happened.

Shizuru rested his head on Gogoat's body, remaining silent for a long time.

Gogoat seemed to sense his thoughts and clumsily tried to comfort him, "Gak!"

It wasn't blaming Shizuru. It had never blamed him!

It liked Shizuru very much and wanted to stay by his side no matter what form it took!

Shizuru felt even more saddened.

Pokemon... This was the nature of Pokemon—they would always accompany and protect their Trainers, no matter what, and would never abandon their Trainers.

How could one not love such pure creatures?

Unfamiliar Pokemon appeared in large numbers in the Paldea Region, attacking nearby Pokemon and residents!

As soon as this news spread, it immediately attracted the attention of the entire Paldea Region.

Fortunately, Shizuru had Pupitar and Swift Dragon take action earlier, and with Yezi's swift handling, they captured those violent Paradox Pokemon and returned them to the Pantier Giant Pit.

In just half a month, most of the Paradox Pokemon that had escaped to the Paldea Region were captured and returned.

Although a small portion remained, they did not attack humans.

As the Paldea League staff couldn't track them, they temporarily halted their efforts, but they didn't give up; instead, they kept a close eye on movements across various locations.

Should another incident of Paradox Pokemon attacks occur, the Paldea League would spring into action once more.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Within the Pantier Giant Pit, the two doctors' AI had successfully repaired the damaged Time Machine.

They controlled the Time Machine and began searching for Moto-Lizard's traces in the vast river of time.

However, this endeavor was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

A day passed, then a week, and over a month, yet they still couldn't find any trace of Moto-Lizard.

After a month, Shizuru's face had grown a thick beard, and his unkempt hair and beard made him look like a wild man.

Nevertheless, Shizuru didn't leave Area Zero.

It wasn't until the thirty-eighth day that the Time Machine finally had some news.

Dr. Orلين looked at the information and asked Shizuru, "We've successfully captured Moto-Lizard's traces. Do you want to summon it?"

Found it?! Shizuru sprang to his feet and rushed forward, nodding without hesitation, "Summon!"

Dr. Orلين pressed the switch, and the next second, the massive Time Machine roared into operation.

White light flashed continuously, and a strange buzzing sound filled his ears.

Time passed, second by second, as Shizuru stared intently at the Time Machine before him without blinking.

After an unknown amount of time, the enormous Time Machine suddenly emitted a rumbling sound, as if it were about to break down.

Dr. Orلين frowned and muttered, "No, it's impossible!"

"What's wrong? What happened?" Shizuru asked anxiously.

Dr. Orلين replied, "We've detected another force simultaneously summoning Moto-Lizard!"

Shizuru was slightly startled. "How is this possible? Is there someone else trying to summon Moto-Lizard besides me?"

Dr. Orلين's voice was more serious than ever before. She spoke in an almost alarm-like tone, "If this continues, Moto-Lizard will be in danger. Two completely different temporal energies will cause temporal chaos, tearing Moto-Lizard apart!"

Dr. Forest, standing nearby, seemed to have found something. He quickly spoke up, "That temporal energy seems to be from nine years ago!"

Nine years ago? Shizuru was instantly stunned. Wasn't that the year he first encountered Gogoat?

"The data shows that in the spring nine years ago, Dr. Orلين and Dr. Forest successfully summoned the first Gogoat to the research institute!" Dr. Forest exclaimed.

The next second, Shizuru saw a video recording.

On the screen, the two doctors stood in front of the Time Machine, and amidst a flash of light, a Gogoat appeared from within.

The two doctors wanted to capture it with a Poke Ball, but the Gogoat slapped the ball away with its paw and then rushed out.

That was...

At that moment, Shizuru suddenly widened his eyes, as if he had thought of a possible scenario, and his face instantly showed an expression of disbelief.

The next second, Dr. Or린's warning sounded again, "Warning! The energy has reached its limit. Moto-Lizard is in danger. If we continue, Moto-Lizard will be torn apart by the chaotic temporal energy!"

Shizuru struggled internally. He clenched his teeth and eventually chose to help Moto-Lizard, saying without hesitation, "Cancel the summon!"

The roaring Time Machine finally stopped.

Moto-Lizard's traces also completely disappeared into the river of time.

Staring at the massive Time Machine before him, Shizuru couldn't snap out of his daze for a long time.

At that moment, he understood everything.

He had personally sent Gogoat back to his past self, returning it to the very beginning of time.

Nine years ago, Pantier Giant Pit, Area Zero Research Institute.

"The Time Machine has finally been successfully developed!"

Dr. Or린, dressed in a white lab coat and wearing a necklace resembling ancient beast teeth, exclaimed excitedly.

"We can finally meet the Pokemon from the future and past recorded in the Zhu Zi zhi Shu!" Dr. Forest was equally excited.

"Let's start now! I want to witness with my own eyes the Pokemon from different eras!" Dr. Or린 said.

Dr. Forest nodded. He didn't know what he was thinking, but his expression softened, and he suddenly asked, "Is Pai Pa's eighth birthday coming up soon?"

Dr. Or린 responded with an 'mm-hmm': "Yes, this time we can bring back Pokemon from those eras to keep Pai Pa company."

"Then let's begin!" Dr. Forest had been thinking the same thing.

Then, Dr. Forest and his wife activated the Time Machine using their ID codes.

"Omm!"

Accompanied by a strange buzzing sound, the Time Machine quietly started up.

The space around the laboratory also underwent strange changes, with the walls shimmering like mirrors and pulsating with red and purple light.

The two doctors stared at the Time Machine without blinking, both excited and nervous.

Soon, the pulsating light slowed down.

Then, a dazzling red light flashed through the center of the Time Machine.

The two doctors' hearts raced with tension.

As the light gradually faded, a Pokemon they had never seen before appeared beneath the Time Machine.

The wheels of fate began to turn slowly.

Gogoat was born.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end