Chapter 757: Turning the Tide Against the Falling Heavens
Lucario was quite excited after confirming Kazuya's identity.
Even though the other party still maintained a stern look on his face, the large fluffy tail wagging back and forth behind him betrayed his mood.
For Lucario, as an Aura Guardian, even without the connection through his master, being able to meet the legendary God of Wood was a very joyful event.
After all, this was the "Eternal Aura Guardian" personally titled by the Queen in the City of Aura, a role model in the hearts of many subsequent Aura Guardians.
And Kazuya, after sharing some amusing anecdotes of his past travels with his master, directly stated his purpose for coming to Lucario.
"The Tree of Beginning no longer has self-consciousness."
Lucario shook his head with a look of regret.
"When did this happen? I remember when I saw the Tree of Beginning over twenty years ago, it could still give me some reactions."
Scizor frowned.
When Kazuya said he wanted to find the Tree of Beginning, he did not stop him.
Because in his impression:
The Tree of Beginning was not a Pokémon, but merely a rock. It would not be corrupted by shadow energy, nor would it be deliberately attacked.
Furthermore, the current magical beasts did not covet life energy, unlike the Shadow Lugia from three hundred years ago, who attacked the Tree of Beginning to seize life energy.
Therefore, finding the Tree of Beginning shouldn't be a problem.
They could even obtain a massive amount of intelligence from it.
"The reaction you're talking about was nothing more than the crystals inside the Tree of Beginning glowing, right? That wasn't the Tree of Beginning reacting to you; it was an instinctive rejection response."
"You do not possess Aura, so you cannot converse with the Tree of Beginning. Naturally, you couldn't sense its current state. It has already lost its consciousness and is now just like a real rock."
"I understand your thought process. The Tree of Beginning indeed wouldn't be attacked by magical beasts, nor would it be invaded by shadow energy, but... Mew would be."
Mew and the Tree of Beginning share a symbiotic relationship; they thrive together and suffer together.
This matter.
Was something both Kazuya and Scizor knew.
So they quickly realized that while the Tree of Beginning wouldn't become the target of the magical beasts' attacks, Mew would. And because of the Tree of Beginning, Mew had nowhere to run and could only stay near the Tree.
Ultimately.
Mew became corrupted and lost its consciousness.
Naturally, the Tree of Beginning would also be affected and lose its consciousness.
"Even if the Tree of Beginning lacks self-consciousness, I still plan to go take a look. First, I want to see if I can save them by defeating Mew. Second, I believe they definitely would have left some words for me before completely losing their consciousness."
Kazuya made the decision without any hesitation.
The Tree of Beginning and Mew were among the first few beings to notice his reincarnation.
At that time, Kazuya and Lorelei had just arrived at Cameran Palace.
His Aura was immediately recognized by Mew, who subsequently deduced his identity.
Although the two of them might not have known he possessed the power of infinite reincarnation, Kazuya believed they would definitely anticipate his rebirth and leave some words for a potentially reincarnated him in the future.
The three of them had interacted for over a hundred years.
Kazuya still had this much confidence.
"Lord Kazuya, even if you defeat those Legendary Pokémon, you cannot save them. The Pokémon League tried this long ago."
Lucario shook his head at Kazuya, his two ears drooping down.
If merely defeating those Legendary Pokémon was enough to awaken their consciousness.
Then the sky of this world wouldn't be covered by a gray mist.
And Lucario wouldn't be wandering the globe.
He would have long been chasing and killing those Demon Gods all over the world.
The despair of this world.
Was not something that could be so easily crushed.
"Is that so? So, who was the Pokémon League's test subject?"
Kazuya's gaze narrowed slightly, staring intently at Lucario.
"The Legendary Pokémon Glastrier, located in the Galar region."
Lucario spoke a name that was relatively unfamiliar to Kazuya.
The Galar region.
That was a place Kazuya had never set foot in.
Mainly because that region was quite far from the others, located on the other side of the world opposite to the Alola region, and closer to the Orre and Paldea regions.
"Who defeated it?"
"Calyrex, fighting alongside Spectrier. They took action with the intent of cleaning house, and also to try and see if they could save Glastrier."
Lucario spoke two more unfamiliar names, "But regrettably, when the shadow energy within Glastrier dissipated, its life force faded away along with it."
However.
Compared to Glastrier and Spectrier.
Calyrex's fame was massive.
So massive that Kazuya had heard no shortage of legends about this Pokémon in other regions; it was virtually on par with Hoenn's Rayquaza or Sinnoh's Creation Trio.
Calyrex was also known as the King of Bountiful Harvests.
It was the legendary king who ruled Galar in ancient times.
It was a Psychic and Grass-type Legendary Pokémon.
Not only did it possess high intelligence, but it also held a merciful and loving heart.
Kazuya was not at all surprised that it would personally take action against corrupted Pokémon; this perfectly aligned with its "setting" and "legends."
What he didn't expect was...
That defeating the Demon Gods couldn't save them.
Kazuya had originally thought that the rule where expelling the shadow energy would cause the Pokémon itself to die only applied to ordinary Pokémon. He didn't expect that even Legendary Pokémon couldn't escape this fate.
If that were the case.
The problem was extremely severe!
So severe that even Kazuya felt his mind go blank, reaching the point of not knowing how to save this world.
If the opposition consisted solely of Cipher and a horde of magical beasts.
Then Kazuya wouldn't take them seriously.
But if all the Legendary Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, and even the Ultra Beasts stood on the opposing side, then Kazuya truly didn't know how to win.
Kazuya fell silent, turning and sitting in a corner, completely blending into the shadows.
Scizor and Lucario did not disturb him.
Because.
This was a step every living creature in this world had to go through—recognizing just how despair-inducing this world truly was.
After realizing this.
Only then would one understand how to live moving forward.
The vast majority of creatures in this world chose to give up resisting and merely eke out an existence.
The Scizor from a few days ago was exactly like this.
He couldn't see any hope of this world being saved.
Meanwhile, a very small minority of creatures would choose to struggle near death, doing whatever was in their power, waiting for that slim chance to arrive.
Lucario.
Was a representative of this group.
And now.
It was Kazuya's turn to make a choice.
Even he himself wouldn't realize just how many people his choice would subsequently affect.
After a long while.
Kazuya stood back up.
He slowly floated out from the darkness, a fleeting, imperceptible gleam of Aura flashing across his deep blue eyes.
Scizor and Lucario shifted their gazes to him, both of their eyes harboring an anxious light.
But regrettably.
They did not get a definitive answer from Kazuya.
"Let's go take a look at the Tree of Beginning. I want to know what words the Tree of Beginning and Mew left for me."
Kazuya said without changing his expression.
"Mm."
Scizor nodded, immediately turning to walk away, ready to clear the path for his master.
For him.
It actually made no difference what kind of choice Kazuya made; Scizor would follow closely behind him regardless.
Lucario watched the two Pokémon walk past him.
He shifted a half-step, turning his body slightly, watching Kazuya's retreating back out of the corner of his eye.
A few seconds later.
He pursed his lips into a smile.
Wagging his tail, he followed along.
His steps were brisk, a feeling he hadn't experienced in decades.
Actually...
There was no need for him to be anxious earlier.
Because the person standing before him was the "Eternal Aura Guardian," the fellow companion whom his master was so full of praise for.
When the seed of Aura appeared in Kazuya once again.
His choice was essentially already an open hand.
Turning the tide against the falling heavens, supporting the collapsing great hall.
This was the destiny that Aura Guardians actively embraced.
Ever since making the firm decision to save "everyone's home," Kazuya's heart hadn't wavered in the slightest from beginning to end.
Hiding in the shadows.
Was merely to rethink a way out.
Walking down the cold, gloomy corridors of Cameran Palace, Kazuya stared at the incomparably dark path ahead and clenched his fists.
He absolutely wouldn't choose to sit back and wait for death just because there was no other power to rely on.
Moreover.
The powers one could rely on in this world were not limited solely to the power of Legendary Pokémon.
Of course.
The most important thing was...
He was not fighting alone.
Kazuya smiled and turned his head to look ahead...
"Why did you follow us?"
Scizor turned his head to look at the dog beside him, a look of confusion on his face.
"I've heard that my master learned quite a few things while traveling with Lord Kazuya. I also wish to learn a thing or two, and lend my assistance to Lord Kazuya, contributing whatever meager strength I have."
Lucario offered Scizor a smile.
Since they would be companions fighting side-by-side from now on, and they had fought against the darkness together in the past, his attitude toward Scizor was quite good.
"Oh? You want to become a disciple?"
"Not become a disciple; I already have a master."
"Then you just want to freeload my master's knowledge?!"
Scizor reached out and grabbed the fur on the back of Lucario's neck.
"I didn't say that..."
The latter hurriedly waved his hands innocently.
For some reason, Scizor and Lucario suddenly seemed on the verge of arguing.
The darkness in the corridor seemed to be dispelled somewhat by this noisy scene.
The originally solemn atmosphere was instantly broken.
Making it seem rather fragile.
Kazuya looked at these two squabbling with each other in front of him and shook his head somewhat helplessly.
He halted his steps.
Turned his head to look out the window at the gray sky.
With a flick of his right hand.
A photograph appeared between his fingers.
The beautiful blonde silhouette in the photo radiated brightly even in the darkness.
Yes.
They were not fighting alone.
In this world.
There must still be many lives lying dormant.
Everyone was working hard, contributing their own strength to save the world.
If this strength could be gathered together, they might just be able to try and shatter the smog obscuring the sky.
This path was not walked alone.
Knowing this was enough.
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