Chapter 768: The Purpose of Striving to Prove Oneself
Kazuya and his party of four temporarily settled down in the Dragon Clan Territory.
Not only did Dragonite welcome them, but even the members of the Dragon Clan welcomed them.
After all, the vast majority of current Dragon Clan members were children born in the New Magical Beast Era. Many of them had never been farther than a corner of Blackthorn City in their entire lives.
There were many, many Pokémon in this world they had never seen before.
Like Kazuya and his three companions.
They were all Pokémon that could only be seen in Pokédex books.
So for the people of the Dragon Clan, the arrival of Kazuya's group added a fresh splash of color to their lives.
That night.
Kazuya and Dragonite went to Liz's cemetery together.
The flower field, once filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, had long dried up, leaving only a few wild grasses visible. Two tombstones stood lonely in the center, evoking a sense of desolation.
Kazuya walked forward, looking at the rough Poké Ball swaying gently in front of Liz's tombstone, and couldn't help but reveal a nostalgic expression.
That was the first Poké Ball he ever made.
He learned from Uncle Tetsuya in Azalea Town for a week. Relying on his strong Pokémon physique, he barely qualified as an apprentice and finally forged his own Poké Ball.
"This world truly is fraught with disasters and hardships."
Kazuya sat beside the tombstone and sighed, then turned his head slightly. "If you were still here, what would you do?"
Whoosh~
A gentle breeze brushed past Kazuya's ears, stirring his long grayish-white hair.
There was no response in the cemetery.
But he heard it.
"No matter what I wanted to do, you would accompany me, right?"
Kazuya muttered.
In an instant.
A gust of wind rose from the ground, swirling around Kazuya, as if the legendary spirit of the wind was gently embracing him.
The wind from a thousand years ago had brought the answer to his side.
"I will save this world. I will save everyone, including you."
Kazuya slowly stood up and headed off into the distance.
A promise made by a man must be kept with resounding conviction.
Therefore.
No matter how many lifetimes he had to live for this.
He would persevere to the end.
The next day.
By the lake of the Dragon Clan.
"Do you have a dream?"
Lucario glanced at the little boy beside him, who was staring silently at the lake's surface.
"...Mm."
Natsu nodded, hugging Dratini tightly. "I want to become someone like Queen Liz. I want to protect everyone in the Dragon Clan together with Dratini."
"Miyu!"
Dratini responded loudly.
He also wanted to become a divine dragon like Lord Alan and protect everyone together with Natsu!
Hearing this, Lucario turned to look at the two statues in the distance.
Want to become Lord Kazuya?
That's a very difficult thing.
Probably even harder than saving this world.
"To become a figure like that, you might have to pay a considerable price. Have you truly prepared yourself with that kind of resolve?"
Lucario left only this sentence behind.
Then he departed.
Natsu's answer was not important to him, nor did he expect one.
No one would believe the casual words of a young child. So even if Natsu solemnly declared he had that kind of resolve right now, Lucario wouldn't hold out hope for his future.
"..."
Natsu turned his head, watching Lucario leave, and pursed his lips.
He paced in front of Liz's statue, looked up, and gazed at the gentle face that even the carving couldn't conceal, slowly clenching his fists.
"Dratini."
"Miyu?"
Dratini looked up at Natsu's chin, confusion showing in his eyes.
"If one day in the future, we die in a place where we can't see each other, it would definitely be very painful, right?"
"Miyu!"
"Then, there's nothing left to hesitate about."
Natsu's eyes became incredibly determined at this moment.
He turned around and plunged headfirst into the village, barging into the home of every Dragon Clan member.
The next day.
Kazuya and Dragonite together taught the Pokémon of the Dragon Clan new moves.
It had to be said.
The Dragon Clan truly lived up to being a human group that had continued for over a thousand years and traversed three eras; this potential hadn't been exhausted even today.
The people of the Dragon Clan all possessed extraordinary physiques; with proper training, they could become martial artists.
And the Pokémon of the Dragon Clan also had profound foundations; neither their levels nor their move pools were bad.
At least, that's what Kazuya saw.
"Awoo?"
Only Dragonite tilted her head in confusion.
She felt somewhat puzzled by today's scene.
"What's wrong?"
Kazuya asked.
He didn't notice anything amiss.
"I just feel that everyone's desire to show off is really strong today. Could it be they recognized your identity?"
Dragonite pinched her chin and looked at Kazuya beside her.
Anyway, the Dragon Clan members of the past wouldn't be as proactive as they are now.
"Probably not. There isn't a single human in this world who knows I've been resurrected."
Kazuya shook his head.
The fact that he could reincarnate.
Only Cynthia knew.
But he didn't know where the current Cynthia was; there was a high probability she was in some era of the second world.
"Then that's really strange."
"If you don't even know the situation, then I can't guess either. Maybe Mewtwo can guess; He can hear other people's inner voices."
Kazuya looked around, searching for Mewtwo's figure.
"Forget it, don't bother looking. This kind of thing isn't important anyway, and I don't really want to pry into other people's hearts."
Dragonite raised a hand and patted Kazuya's shoulder.
"Alright then. I'm a bit tired, let's take a break."
Kazuya glanced at the sweat on Dragonite's forehead and suggested.
Actually.
Teaching the members of the Dragon Clan wasn't a very tiring task.
It was just that Dragonite was truly very old. Her bodily functions couldn't compare to the past, and she easily broke a sweat with just a little exercise.
"Mm, okay."
Dragonite nodded with a smile.
She found that Kazuya seemed to be more gentle and considerate than before.
Was it because he was older, so he knew how to take care of people?
Anyway, in her impression, the Kazuya of the past was a Pokémon who was very oblivious to romance.
They walked over to a stone block.
The two sat on the ground.
"When was the last time you saw Meowscarada?"
Kazuya looked at Dragonite, suddenly remembering this matter.
He felt that after his death.
Meowscarada definitely went looking for friends she knew in the past to alleviate her loneliness.
He had once brought Meowscarada to live in the Dragon Clan Territory for a while. That child made quite a few Pokémon friends here, and even her evolution from Floragato to Meowscarada took place on this land.
Kazuya believed that if Meowscarada traveled around later.
She definitely would have come here.
Since Dragonite had always guarded the Dragon Clan Territory, she should have seen her.
"That little cat? Hmm, it should have been around League Calendar Year 70. She came once, brought me some local specialties from the Hoenn region, and then left."
Dragonite raised her head to recall.
"Year 70, huh. Sigh."
Kazuya couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this time.
In League Calendar Year 70, Kazuya had only been dead for about twenty years; this information wasn't very useful.
"You'll definitely find her."
Dragonite comforted Kazuya.
She already knew what Kazuya was going to do.
She really wanted to help, but she still had her own responsibilities, and she didn't have enough time left.
Dragonite trained the members of the Dragon Clan hard every day just to prepare for the arrival of that day, hoping that after that day, these children could still survive in this world.
"Mm."
At the entrance of a rock cave not far away.
Mewtwo leaned against the rock wall, looking down at the group of humans below.
"Are they planning to let Senior Dragonite leave with us?"
Scizor's voice came from deeper inside the cave.
He walked out slowly with his arms crossed, also looking at the members of the Dragon Clan.
"How did you know?"
Mewtwo was a bit surprised.
If Lucario had said this.
He could understand.
After all, Lucario had Aura and could guess people's intentions by perceiving their emotions.
And He had psychic powers, so He could directly hear people's inner voices.
But Scizor had nothing.
Yet sometimes Mewtwo felt that he saw things even more clearly than He did.
Could he also have some special ability?
"Hm? Wanting a beloved person to attain happiness, is this something very hard to guess?"
Scizor cast a strange glance at Mewtwo.
He could see the intentions of those Dragon Clan members at a glance.
Because...
He could empathize with them.
"I have never experienced that kind of emotion, so I cannot understand it. Clearly not wanting Dragonite to leave in their hearts, yet working hard to allow her to leave. This kind of thing is too strange."
Mewtwo shook his head expressionlessly.
He didn't have any elders.
If you had to say, Mew and those people from Team Rocket counted as half.
But the former was already dead.
And the latter wasn't worthy of His respect and love.
"...Emotions are just that kind of complex thing. It's enough to study for a lifetime. One day, you will understand."
Scizor grinned, feigning profundity.
Actually, there were many things.
As a bystander, he couldn't see through them either.
But when encountering the same situation himself, he would make the same choice and instantly understand that approach.
Some emotions.
Without experiencing them personally.
One will never be able to understand them.
"Emotions... Then what are they doing now? Why not just tell Dragonite directly?"
Mewtwo pointed downward.
The people and Pokémon of the Dragon Clan were like lunatics, frantically showing off their survival skills and combat abilities.
What was the point?
It was baffling.
"If it were that easy to let Senior Dragonite leave, they wouldn't have gone through all this trouble. Do you think you understand Senior Dragonite better than they do? Relying on words alone, Senior Dragonite won't feel at ease leaving."
Scizor stared at the members of the Dragon Clan below, a complex look appearing in his eyes.
He seemed to see the Meowscarada of the past in this group of people.
Three hundred years ago.
During Master's final year.
Meowscarada became especially mature, capable of handling everything herself.
In the past, it was Master taking care of Meowscarada, but that year, the situation completely reversed.
Scizor couldn't quite understand at the time why Meowscarada could suddenly learn so many things she wasn't good at before.
Later he understood.
[In order to let Dad leave with peace of mind, I have to let him see me become an adult.]
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