Chapter 600: I Will Protect All of You
The total number of members in the Cyclizar clan was twenty-five.
A uniform group of Cyclizar.
After all.
Their kind of Pokémon only had this one stage; from birth, they were a Cyclizar.
The newly arrived Cyclizar appeared extremely cautious and circumspect.
They even kept a distance from the other members when eating.
If any other Dragon Clan members approached, they would immediately stop eating and look at them pitifully, their eyes revealing a "please don't take my food away" look.
Regarding this.
Kazuya chose not to intervene.
Or rather.
There was no need for him to intervene.
After living in the Dragon Clan for a while and understanding that everyone harbored no ill will.
With the nature of Cyclizar, it would be very easy for them to actively integrate.
Furthermore.
The Bastiodons and Shieldons were very warm Pokémon.
The Cranidos and Jangmo-o were also Pokémon who took the initiative and didn't mind "pressing a hot face against a cold butt."
With them around.
Kazuya was very reassured.
However.
There were some things he still had to discuss with the Cyclizar patriarch beforehand, to prevent the Cyclizar from inadvertently breaking the rules of this land.
At night.
Because they feared the cold.
After a bout of mental struggle, the Cyclizar clan...
Still chose to snuggle close to the smaller Shieldons, who looked friendlier.
"Shiel~"
The Shieldons watched the Cyclizar huddle over.
Not only were they not averse to it.
They even smiled and actively leaned in to rub against them.
For a moment, the Cyclizar were so moved that tears almost flowed.
It was their first time being treated so kindly.
It turns out that different species can get along so well.
"Your clan shouldn't just be this small, right? Where are the others from before? And why did you run to the north?"
Kazuya looked at the Cyclizar beside him and asked curiously.
This Cyclizar.
Was probably only about a year old.
Maybe even less than a year old.
But he displayed a mature demeanor.
Even now.
He wore a gratified expression looking at the other Cyclizar, like an elder watching his own children.
"...Vroom."
The Cyclizar paused for a moment.
His gaze shifted to the flame on Kazuya's tail.
Illuminated by the firelight, another scene was reflected in his eyes.
The Cyclizar clan once lived in the southernmost part of the grassland.
Bordering the volcanic mountain range, the climate was warm, making life very comfortable for the Cyclizar.
Moreover.
It was close to the forest.
This meant it was relatively easy for the Cyclizar whether they wanted to gather berries or catch insects.
But being a fringe area, after all.
Competition wasn't that fierce.
If it weren't bordering the species-rich forest region, it would probably be a place no one cared about.
So the Cyclizar clan couldn't be called powerful, at most only slightly stronger than the clans on the northern border.
The former Cyclizar clan had a population of over 40.
This scale could already be considered a medium-sized clan among wild Pokémon in the wild.
After all, unlike the Dragon Clan, they weren't formed by combining multiple Pokémon species.
However.
In front of truly powerful clans.
The Cyclizar clan was as fragile as paper.
One day, over a month ago.
A flock of fire dragons flew from the direction of the volcanic mountain range, flying over their heads towards the south-central part of the grassland.
Immediately after.
A great war erupted.
The Charizard clan launched an air raid on the Arcanine clan living in the south-central grassland.
This wasn't a sudden action born of a whim.
But 'routine interaction' between the two clans.
Decades ago.
The Charizard clan had snatched the position of the overlord clan of the volcanic mountain range from the Arcanine clan.
To the victor goes the spoils.
The Arcanine clan was driven out of the volcanic mountain range and became one of the inhabitants of the grassland.
However, the battles between the two clans didn't end there.
In the following decades.
It couldn't be said that the Charizard clan and the Arcanine clan fought every day, but their interactions were frequent.
It was just that they only dabbled; the scale wasn't large.
The Alphas of both sides would spar a bit.
Stop before going too far.
And return to their respective homes.
It had no impact on other Pokémon clans.
However, this time was a bit different.
The Charizard clan and the Arcanine clan seemed to have really gotten fired up.
This 'fire'.
Spread to the territories of other surrounding Pokémon.
Among them.
Included the Cyclizar clan.
That kind of battle, even just the aftermath, was enough to claim the lives of a group of weaklings like them.
Say what you will about the Cyclizar clan.
But they are number one at running away.
Thanks to their fast speed.
Although they lost their homeland, at least there were no casualties among their clansmen.
Considering this unprovoked disaster.
The Cyclizar clan decided to head north, far away from the area where the Charizard clan and Arcanine clan were.
As for why.
The clan was now only left with twenty-something Cyclizar.
It wasn't because they died on the migration route.
But because they got separated.
The grassland hadn't been peaceful recently.
Poison-type Pokémon were running everywhere on the grassland, as if chased by some terrifying flood or ferocious beast.
Sometimes they encountered powerful Poison-type Pokémon clans, and the Cyclizar clan didn't want to fight.
They could only avoid them.
After multiple evasions, the clan became scattered.
Until today.
When they arrived at the Dragon Clan.
After listening, Kazuya wiped his face, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.
Floette, sitting on his head, also fell into a daze.
They knew very well.
Why those Poison-type Pokémon were running everywhere.
This made Kazuya and Floette couldn't help but wonder in their hearts...
Is Charizard...
The nemesis of Cyclizar?
"Vroom vroom?"
At this moment, the Cyclizar turned its head and looked around.
More accurately speaking.
He was looking at the Rampardos and Bastiodons, Pokémon with completely different appearances and even vastly different dietary habits.
He couldn't understand.
Pokémon of different species living together.
Wouldn't they start fighting every few days?
Even their gentle Cyclizar clan would frequently fight with the Mawile clan next door.
Shouldn't the situation in the Dragon Clan be even worse?
"Would you go to war with your family?"
Kazuya grinned.
"Vroom?"
The Cyclizar furrowed his brows tightly.
Of course he wouldn't go to war with his family; everyone in the clan got along very well, and they were very measured during sparring.
But.
How do Pokémon of different species become family?
The Cyclizar's question.
Not only reached Kazuya's ears.
But also Floette, Goomy, Bastiodon... every member of the Dragon Clan.
This was something they hadn't considered in the past.
Right.
Why did we become important family members to each other?
We're clearly not Pokémon of the same species.
"No matter who gave birth to them, everyone is a child living in this world. As long as we like each other, we can become family."
Kazuya reached out and cupped Floette in his hands.
"Does Floette like me?"
"Flo-ette!"
Floette nodded vigorously without hesitation.
"I like Floette too."
Kazuya responded with a smile.
"Flo-ette~"
Floette happily hugged Kazuya's big head, kissed him with her little mouth, and then had her sensitive lips turned red from Kazuya's body heat.
"See, this is the reason why we can become family."
Kazuya covered his mouth and chuckled, looking at Floette fanning her lips.
Humans can become family with Pokémon.
Why can't Pokémon and Pokémon?
Species.
Cannot be an obstacle to forging bonds with each other.
"...Vroom!"
Listening to Kazuya's words, the Cyclizar's eyes gradually became clear.
He felt.
A Pokémon that could say such things.
Was so amazing!
So full of spirit!
The Cyclizar didn't know there was a term in this world called 'vision'.
It wasn't just him.
Rampardos, Bastiodon, Kommo-o...
Every Pokémon listening to Kazuya speak at this moment felt their hearts gently tapped twice.
They looked up at Kazuya.
Unable to hide the adoration in their eyes.
Only a dragon like this.
Deserved to be their 'Big Brother'.
"Nene..."
Goomy's two little eyes trembled slightly.
Then, as if making some kind of resolution.
In the middle of the night.
Kazuya felt something soft and cool crawling on his face.
Opening his eyes, he saw Goomy.
"What's wrong?"
Kazuya saw his hesitant expression.
"Nene."
Goomy looked off into the distance.
Kazuya quietly sat up, took him, and stealthily flew away from this place, arriving at a quiet spot.
He landed on the ground, took a look north, and then turned his head to look at Kazuya.
Kazuya looked at him with a puzzled expression.
But didn't rush him.
He could feel that Goomy was somewhat conflicted and worried internally, seeming to have some misgivings, currently building up his courage.
"Nene?"
"Hm? Speaking of which, I haven't heard you mention it before. Your family... I thought you were a stray."
Kazuya was momentarily stunned.
No matter what era it was, there were especially many stray Pokémon who couldn't find their parents.
So he had previously subconsciously treated Goomy as such a child.
Now.
Goomy seemed to be planning to tell him about his background.
"Nene..."
Goomy lowered his head and spoke softly.
His mother was the previous Overlord of the swamp.
While fighting the Overlord of the rocky mountains, she suffered a sneak attack from a group of Poison-type Pokémon from the swamp, was severely injured, and ultimately failed to survive.
The rocky mountain Overlord hated others interfering in his battles the most.
He slaughtered all the Pokémon that participated in the sneak attack at the time.
The only survivors were the Arbok clan.
And after the Arcanine clan fled back to the swamp, they became the new Overlord clan of the swamp because they had no other competitors.
To maintain their rule, they began to purge those powerful Pokémon clans on a large scale.
Slaughter.
Expulsion.
As the former rulers and old enemies, the Goodra clan naturally became a primary target of focus. It was the kind of situation where the Overlord Arbok wouldn't sleep peacefully unless they were completely exterminated.
And as the child of the previous Overlord.
Once the Overlord Arbok learned of Goomy's location, he would inevitably come from thousands of miles away to hunt him down.
More and more Poison-type Pokémon were coming to the grassland.
Goomy occasionally worried whether any Poison-type Pokémon would run back to inform on him, exchanging the information for a chance to survive.
He was very worried.
Worried about bringing trouble to Kazuya and Floette, who had showered him with love.
"You said you had something important, I was wondering what it was. Turns out it's just this minor issue."
Kazuya grinned and lay down on the ground, completely unconcerned.
"Nene?"
Goomy turned his head to look at Kazuya, a somewhat blank look in his eyes.
Is this a minor issue?
"If one were to abandon their family because of someone else's force, wouldn't they be a man in vain?"
Kazuya swished his tail and gently patted Goomy's head, making the little guy bounce up and down.
"Nene."
Goomy opened his mouth, his expression looking somewhat stunned.
"I will protect all of you. You guys can just focus on growing up happily with peace of mind."
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