Chapter 776: You've Tried So Hard to Survive
In the southern part of Ever Grande City.
Right next to an Ever Grande Forest.
In the past, many low-level Pokémon lived here; it could be called a paradise for the little ones.
But now.
This Ever Grande Forest had become barren and empty. The trees in the forest had been replaced by a plant that looked like bamboo shoots, the difference being that these bamboo shoots were grayish-white.
In the center of the Ever Grande Forest stood a super giant bamboo shoot.
Its height alone exceeded twenty meters.
And in the upper-middle part of this bamboo shoot, there was a small tree hollow where some Pokémon seemed to live.
A gentle breeze blew in from Ever Grande City, sweeping into the tree hollow.
The little creature lying inside shivered, perked up its fluffy ears, stood up, and looked towards the direction of Ever Grande City: "Meow..."
She hesitated for a long time.
Finally, she leaped down from the tree hollow.
Turning into a pink blur, she constantly wove through the bamboo shoot forest, rapidly heading towards Ever Grande City.
Over at the Peace Daycare.
Kazuya was lying on the rocking lounge chair, feeling drowsy, his consciousness seemingly returning to a leisurely afternoon over three hundred and sixty years ago.
Granny Sora was on the second floor picking flowers, occasionally standing by the window to give a few instructions to the young Pokémon playing in the backyard.
While he lay on her rocking chair acting as a proxy, grabbing and spanking any bad kids who didn't listen to Granny.
Occasionally, Big Cat would bring a small stool over, sit beside him, and read children's picture books.
And Little Cat would be in the backyard, yelling and chasing after some mischievous Pokémon that made her angry.
"Meow!!"
A familiar cry reached his ears.
Yes, yes, this is the sound. It's so nostalgic.
Kazuya sighed inwardly, as if his consciousness had returned to that autumn.
Swish—!
The sound of something tearing through the air came from beside his ear.
Kazuya's consciousness was jolted awake. He immediately raised his hand, summoning an azure Aura barrier.
Instantly, a tremendous force transmitted through the barrier.
Kazuya was sent flying in an instant, crashing through the wall of the fruit shop next door with a loud Boom!
Bang!
The massive rock above his head was smashed apart with a single punch.
The pitch-black figure stood up and casually dusted himself off.
That move just now didn't deal any substantial damage to him.
It was probably the Dark-type move, Sucker Punch.
Capable of silently approaching the opponent and launching a surprise attack.
"I was just reminiscing about warm past memories here. Suddenly interrupting is a bit impolite, isn't it?"
Kazuya's tone carried a hint of displeasure.
His slightly improved mood had instantly plummeted back down.
However, when he got a clear look at the newcomer, he froze abruptly, the negative emotions dissipating in an instant.
"Skitty?"
Kazuya murmured with wide eyes.
So the sound he heard earlier wasn't a hallucination.
Skitty had actually appeared right beside him.
It was just that the one who angered her had become him.
Before Kazuya could think through the sequence of events, the small pink furball had already pounced over, seemingly intending to viciously slap him in the face with her tail.
"..."
Kazuya suddenly closed his open mouth, a smile appearing on his face.
He decided not to reveal his identity to Skitty just yet.
This was a good opportunity.
Taking this chance.
He wanted to see how strong Skitty truly was now.
This child never liked fighting in the past and was rather timid, but since she managed to survive in this era, her strength couldn't possibly be weak.
If Kazuya told her his identity.
Even if they sparred later, Skitty most likely wouldn't go all out.
It was better to take advantage of her current berserk state to find out.
Thinking of this.
Kazuya immediately turned into a shadow and dove into the ground to escape.
Skitty froze for a moment, then immediately unleashed a Thunderbolt on the shadow on the ground.
The golden-yellow electric current moved incredibly fast.
Clearly, her proficiency with it wasn't low.
And Skitty's reaction speed was also commendable; she had probably faced many Ghost-type Pokémon in the past.
Kazuya could have used Extreme Speed to dodge this attack, but he didn't.
Possessing the Zap Plate, he had no need to dodge.
The Thunderbolt hit the shadow without causing any effect.
The next second.
The shadow on the ground suddenly split into a dozen clusters, rushing towards Skitty from all directions.
Shadow form plus Double Team.
A very simple application.
As long as one's proficiency in these two moves was high enough, this combination technique could be used.
However, the vast majority of Ghost-type Pokémon either didn't rely much on shadow form or didn't use Double Team much, so until now, Kazuya hadn't seen many Trainers or Pokémon develop this move.
"Meow!"
Skitty's eyes widened, looking frantically around, a drop of cold sweat appearing on her forehead.
It was her first time seeing this kind of formation!
But Skitty quickly calmed down.
She opened her mouth wide and let out an invisible sonic wave in all directions.
Disarming Voice.
Sound-based moves had a large area of effect and were hard to dodge.
The drawback was that most weren't very powerful, and during the release, it was equivalent to hard-controlling oneself.
The dozen or so shadow clusters on the ground stalled the moment the sonic wave swept over them, then dissipated. Kazuya's main body involuntarily resurfaced before Skitty's eyes due to taking damage.
But his combat experience was extraordinary.
Being forced to reveal himself at this moment didn't matter anymore.
Seeing that Skitty's body couldn't move because she was using Disarming Voice, Kazuya used an Extreme Speed to move right next to her and decisively threw a punch.
Bang!
An ordinary punch.
"Meow!"
Skitty instinctively cried out in pain.
However, upon landing back on the ground, she realized it didn't seem to hurt or itch at all. She turned her head to look at the spot where the punch landed.
Other than her fur being a bit messy.
It didn't seem like a big deal.
Skitty seriously used her large tail to smooth out the messy fur.
Then raised her head again, glaring angrily at Kazuya.
"Not bad."
Kazuya grinned at the little cat's cute actions.
As he expected.
There were no weaklings among those who could survive in this era.
Skitty's level wasn't low.
She couldn't compare to their Champion levels.
But she also possessed high-tier Elite Four strength. On this island, one probably couldn't find many magical beasts stronger than this child.
Of course.
What amazed Kazuya the most was Skitty's current combat experience and on-the-spot adaptability; this was the main factor shaping her strength.
"You've tried so hard to survive, haven't you."
Kazuya's eyes became gratified and gentle, the smile on his face gradually becoming impossible to hide.
Skitty.
Was different from their kind of Pokémon.
Darkrai, Mewtwo, Dragonite, Scizor, Lucario...
Which one of them had a base stat total lower than 500 in their settings?
This meant that they were all "geniuses," with innate potential towering above many other Pokémon.
But Skitty was different.
She was just a Normal-type kitten Pokémon with a base stat total of only 260.
The kind of poor little thing who would even get bullied by stray Meowth on the streets in the past.
Moreover, after Granny Sora passed away three hundred years ago, she became a lonely wild Pokémon.
Yet.
She survived until now.
And even grew into a mature, Elite Four-level powerhouse.
The difficulties involved in this were something even Kazuya couldn't imagine.
Therefore.
"You really worked hard. Thank you for your efforts, Skitty."
Kazuya looked at the little cat in front of him and spoke.
"...Meow?"
Skitty tilted her head in confusion upon hearing Kazuya's words.
She paced back and forth, frowning.
Seemingly trying to figure out what was up with this Darkrai.
When she rushed into the Peace Daycare earlier and saw the place destroyed into ruins, she was, like Kazuya initially, incredibly furious. So she immediately targeted the only creature present—Darkrai—and launched a fierce attack.
But thinking about it now, she felt something was wrong.
Whether it was this Darkrai's punch just now that neither hurt nor itched.
Or the way this guy looked at her, and the words he said to her.
Of course.
More importantly.
The voice.
This voice was so familiar.
"I didn't destroy the Peace Daycare. It was that Aggron outside. You saw it when you came in, right?"
Watching the little cat looking so conflicted in thought, Kazuya walked expressionlessly towards the lounge chair.
He stretched his back, sat back down on the lounge chair, and then started rocking it back and forth using his momentum.
Hearing this, Skitty blinked.
Remembering the big chunk of iron she saw at the door.
She instantly understood what was going on.
Turning back, she was just about to apologize.
But seeing that Darkrai sit on that chair, Skitty's fur immediately stood on end: "Meow!"
You're not allowed to sit there!
"Huh? Why not?"
Kazuya scratched his head, confused.
"Meow!"
Only Granny and Kazuya are allowed to sit on that lounge chair!
After speaking, Skitty pounced toward Kazuya. It wasn't an attack; she purely wanted to chase Kazuya off the lounge chair.
Who would have thought.
The little one was easily scooped up into Kazuya's arms.
"Meow!"
Skitty immediately struggled with all her might.
"Meow~"
But feeling the technique and pressure on her body, she gradually went soft, her four little legs going limp.
This technique.
It's so similar to Granny Sora and Kazuya~
Suddenly.
A flash of inspiration popped into Skitty's head.
Recalling the voice from earlier.
"Meow?"
Kazuya?
She slowly turned her head to look at the Darkrai holding her, meowing very uncertainly.
"Hm? You actually recognized me? I was still thinking about how to tell you."
Kazuya froze for a moment, then gave her a gentle smile.
"..."
Looking at this smile, Skitty couldn't help but purse her lips, her small mouth beginning to tremble slightly.
Although his appearance had changed drastically.
But this smile was exactly the same.
Small teardrops began to fall from Skitty's squinted eyes one by one.
Children who act strong and independent outside often suddenly recall the grievances they suffered in the past when they see their family, and then can't help but shed tears.
Skitty was just like this.
If Kazuya hadn't appeared, she might never have shed another tear for the rest of her life.
But now.
She just wanted to cry out loud.
"Meow!"
And Skitty did exactly that.
She hadn't cried in a very long time.
When emotions like joy, grievance, excitement, and sadness fill the heart, people often become overwhelmed and lose the ability to control themselves.
Skitty was just like this.
She lay in Kazuya's arms, looking at Kazuya in front of her, crying with her mouth wide open, doing nothing else.
She didn't know what she should do to express her current feelings to Kazuya.
She only knew that being able to see him again.
Was truly wonderful.
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