Chapter 765: Brat, Support
A distance of a hundred meters is not short.
But that is only for ordinary humans.
For Kazuya and the four Pokémon, this distance didn't even take three seconds.
And Mewtwo appeared behind the child in an instant.
He bent down and picked up the little boy and the Dratini.
Just as He was about to use Teleport to flash away.
That Persian had already launched an attack, and its speed was incredibly fast. A Sucker Punch was about to scratch Mewtwo's back.
Two invisible blades of wind shot over from a distance.
Swish, swish—!
"Meow—!"
The wind blades brushed past Mewtwo's ear, and the next moment they cut into the Persian, causing the latter to let out a shrill howl.
The next second.
Scizor rushed past Him, leaving only one sentence: "Use your proud psychic powers to keep an eye on your surroundings at all times. Master should have taught you how to use Confusion, right?"
Immediately after.
Scizor instantly killed the Persian with his iron pincers.
Although the Persian's strength was not weak, the gap between it and Scizor was still too large; it was simply no match for the latter's single blow.
"...Thank you."
Mewtwo stood up and thanked Scizor.
"Hmph, don't flatter yourself. I was only following Master's instructions to protect the child."
Scizor turned his head away and said disdainfully.
"..."
In the back, Kazuya revealed a mysterious smile.
If his memory wasn't faulty, he had given the order to Lucario, right?
After all, Lucario had Extreme Speed and could arrive faster.
He didn't expect.
That Scizor would actually act before he even gave the order.
This disciple of mine is really awkward...
Kazuya raised his hand and rubbed his head.
He didn't know if Lucario and Mewtwo had noticed.
Anyway, he had seen through it.
Scizor had accepted Lucario, but not Mewtwo.
However.
Acceptance was one thing.
After a month of getting along, there was still some affection, so he didn't want to see Mewtwo get hurt either.
As for what Scizor was actually thinking.
Only he himself knew.
Kazuya guessed it was because Scizor hadn't seen a certain quality or determination in Mewtwo that Lucario possessed.
That was why he accepted the latter and not the former.
"Let's leave first. There's an underground tavern at the corner ahead. We'll go hide there for a bit, and incidentally get some alcohol smell on this child," Lucario leaned in, took a sniff, and couldn't help but frown.
Kazuya glanced at the bewildered little boy and Dratini, and nodded.
This child.
Had a head of bright, fiery red hair.
The scene shifted.
The four Pokémon brought the two children they picked up from outside to the underground tavern.
Lucario found some strong liquor in the tavern.
He used the fur on his paws to sprinkle it little by little onto the boy's clothes. He didn't need to drench him completely; just enough to cover the scent would do.
The boy stood obediently in place.
Even when the cold liquor wetted his skin, he didn't show any discomfort.
It seemed he was already quite familiar with this kind of thing.
The smell of the strong liquor was pungent to Lucario, making him just want to stay away.
It would definitely be the same for other magical beasts.
So using this was enough to mask the human scent on the boy.
Lucario also sprinkled some of the liquor outside the tavern to mask the lingering scents nearby.
This made it a bit safer.
The little boy also belatedly realized that he had been saved.
So he was particularly at ease with the four Pokémon.
Not only was he not afraid, but he also looked at them with excitement.
He stared at the dog and mantis in front of him with large, dark eyes, his tone full of excitement, his hands and feet uncontrollably dancing around: "You are... Lucario! Scizor! So amazing! It's my first time seeing you! So cool!"
It was his first time seeing a real Lucario and Scizor!
He had only seen them in the Pokémon Pokédex books in the village before!
As for the other two...
They were a bit unfamiliar to this child.
On the other side.
Kazuya rummaged through the tavern's storage and found some canned food.
There was food for humans, and also Pokémon food.
Canned food.
This was a major survival resource that would inevitably appear in post-apocalyptic novels.
Even if it was an overused trope, it was still a necessary supply to write about.
Although canned food had almost no significant presence in peaceful times, in the apocalypse, it truly was "ready-made gold."
Long shelf life, ready-to-eat upon opening, high nutritional value, and effortless to heat up...
Right now, Kazuya was enjoying a can of meat.
And in his arms.
The little Dratini was happily licking another can. Inside was some paste-like Pokémon food, which seemed to suit Dratini's taste very well.
Compared to the carefree little boy.
Dratini was still quite timid and didn't trust the other three Pokémon very much.
As soon as Lucario and the others got close, Dratini would coil up into a lump.
Right now, the only one he trusted was Kazuya.
Even though Kazuya's outward appearance looked a bit scary.
The naturally gentle aura and the scent of the Dragon Plate on him made Dratini immediately choose to trust him.
"Did you guys run out from a nearby survivor base?"
"Miyu~"
"Hm? Village? Tell me about it."
"Miyu!"
Dratini trusted Kazuya very much and spilled everything at once!
However.
Because Dratini had just been born not long ago, both his intelligence and language expression skills were relatively immature, so his explanation was a bit messy.
Even Kazuya didn't really understand what this child was talking about. One moment it was city gates, the next it was hip bones, leaving him feeling mentally exhausted just listening.
Fortunately, Kazuya's IQ wasn't low, and he managed to summarize some useful information.
Just as he had guessed before.
The little boy and Dratini were members of the Dragon Clan.
Moreover, the Dragon Clan didn't live underground.
They still lived in the Dragon Clan Territory, the plain surrounded by mountains.
It's just that before today, the little boy and Dratini had never left the Dragon Clan Territory. They sneaked out today, and it was their first time seeing the outside world, and also their first time seeing Pokémon they had only seen in the Pokédex.
"The outside world is very dangerous. Your elders should have told you this. Sneaking out by yourselves is wrong, you can't do this again."
Kazuya extended a finger and gently tapped Dratini's white nose.
"Miyu~"
Dratini narrowed his eyes and wagged his tail, looking happy and cheerful.
Who knows if he actually listened.
After Lucario finished up.
The four Pokémon took them out of the underground tavern.
The destination remained unchanged.
They just continued heading towards the Dragon Clan Territory.
Although Blackthorn City had changed quite a bit, making it hard for Kazuya to judge the roads, determining the general direction was not a problem.
They headed all the way north.
Just as Kazuya and the others found the entrance to the Dragon's Den that led to the Dragon Clan Territory.
They discovered that a battle seemed to be taking place inside the Dragon's Den.
"It should be that the scent this child left behind earlier attracted nearby magical beasts, causing this place to be discovered by those magical beasts. Right now, the survivors inside the Dragon Clan Territory are resisting with all their might."
Lucario instantly guessed the general situation.
He broadcasted this paragraph directly.
So the little boy in his arms couldn't understand, only Dratini's expression turned terrified and anxious.
The gentle and steady Lucario wasn't just caring for the child's emotions; he was also preventing the other party from getting overly excited and yelling, which would attract more magical beasts.
"Tch, what a troublesome brat."
Scizor clicked his tongue in displeasure.
His pincers opened and closed; he was already prepared for battle.
"Are we going to support them?"
Mewtwo turned to look at Kazuya.
This place seemed to be the hometown of Kazuya's friend.
Then they should intervene, right?
"Ah, please everyone, protect this place as much as possible."
Kazuya nodded gently.
The next moment, Scizor and Mewtwo charged into the Dragon's Den, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
"Lord Kazuya..."
"Lucario, you look after these two children. I also want to fight a bit and train my Aura."
"Yes."
"Then, I'll go ahead. You follow slowly behind."
Kazuya reached out and patted the dog's head, then turned into a shadow and blended into the darkness of the Dragon's Den.
Leaving Lucario to protect the two children.
Was not only because Kazuya wanted to train himself through battle.
But also because Lucario's strength was sufficient; letting him protect the two children was more reassuring.
The legendary Dragon's Den.
Was actually a complex network of intersecting underground river channels hidden within the mountain.
At the same time, this was the only passage on the surface that could reach the Dragon Clan Territory.
At a crossroads with rushing river water somewhere inside the Dragon's Den.
A small-scale battle was taking place.
One side.
Was composed of five adults and five Pokémon.
The hair of these people was either fiery red or ice blue, clearly descendants of the Dragon Clan.
And the five Pokémon were Gyarados, Seadra, Dragonite...
A very classic Dragon Clan Pokémon lineup.
The other side.
Consisted of seven or eight corrupted Water-type Pokémon.
Basically Feraligatr, Octillery, Ludicolo—these amphibious Pokémon.
After all, the terrain of the Dragon's Den meant only Water-type Pokémon would enter. Other magical beasts would probably turn and leave upon seeing the rushing river; only Water-type Pokémon would continue forward.
Overall.
The magical beasts' side had stronger power.
They were a higher level and fought without any reservations.
Conversely, the Dragon Clan side.
Had to avoid getting bodily wounds while facing a larger number of higher-level enemies. The situation was clearly very disadvantageous for them.
If this continued.
The outcome of this battle would be obvious.
Fortunately, Kazuya's trio quickly arrived at the scene.
Both Kazuya and Mewtwo could fly in the air, unaffected by the terrain.
And with Scizor's hard strength laid bare here, he could easily suppress these magical beasts even in the water.
With their joining.
The situation was instantly reversed.
The several magical beasts were killed off before they could hold out for long.
And the people of the Dragon Clan also gained a chance to catch their breath, setting their sights on these three suddenly appearing Pokémon.
They hadn't noticed just now.
Looking at them now.
It was simply unbelievable.
The Legendary Pokémon that were supposed to have all fallen, were now standing right in front of them, two of them no less. Could it be...
Had the situation outside improved significantly?!
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