Chapter 858: I Hope You Remember This Branch
There was quite a bit of confidence in her voice.
But Shadow didn't care about this at all.
"Then you can immerse yourself in your 'love' forever."
Shadow reached out to Dragonite, grabbed her, and stepped into the spatial wormhole together.
Inside the spatial wormhole, it was a colorful neon hue.
Just like a lantern spinning before one's death.
Scenes of the past reappeared in Dragonite's eyes one by one.
The clearest one was still that day.
That day.
He left her behind when her first love had just begun to blossom.
The neon colors vanished, receding from the edge of her vision like a tide.
Dragonite only felt the world spin around her.
Then she was caught by someone and held in their arms.
This scent was very familiar to her.
It was the scent of the one she loved.
"Keep running, Kazuya. This guy won the chance for you to escape. Remember her for the rest of your life."
Shadow said helplessly, with a hint of sympathy in His voice.
Without the Lake Guardians.
He couldn't stop Kazuya from leaving.
And this was indeed the fact.
After catching Dragonite, Kazuya immediately took his companions and crossed space, instantly running to the other side of the world.
It was a quiet and open plain.
There was also a slowly flowing stream on the plain.
The stream babbled, neither fast nor slow, like time itself flowing.
It was very similar to the Dragonite Plain in the past.
They crouched by the stream, listening to the sound of the flowing water, washing away their exhausted souls.
"Dragonite!"
Kazuya's anxious voice rang out.
He looked at Dragonite in his arms, somewhat at a loss for what to do.
Dragonite's pupils trembled slightly.
Her blurred eyes recovered a little vision.
She tried her best to look at the figure in front of her.
He was still as charismatic as ever.
But she herself was old and decrepit.
This made Dragonite feel an involuntary sense of inferiority in her heart, just like when she saw him again as a Sceptile back then.
What a pity.
If she was still young and full of vitality.
Then she would definitely have the courage to express her love to him again.
Sigh~
Forget it.
She already knew the ending anyway.
What was the point of being persistent.
"Where are Scizor and Lucario?"
Dragonite asked weakly.
Even at this moment.
She was still worried about her companions.
She had always been this kind of personality, tolerant and gentle, always worrying about everyone.
"They're fine, don't talk anymore."
Kazuya shook his head.
He tried his best to use Heal Pulse to treat Dragonite's injuries, and Mewtwo and Lucario beside him also rushed over to help.
But all this seemed to be useless.
Endless dark energy surged from the hole pierced through Dragonite's chest, constantly plundering her life force. Their treatment was of no help at all.
Hearing this.
Dragonite breathed a sigh of relief again.
This way.
She could leave with peace of mind.
"Kazuya, I defeated Uxie and Mesprit. Azelf is dead too, you don't have to worry about Them anymore."
There was a hint of pride in Dragonite's voice.
Just like the somewhat naughty Dragonair on the plain back then.
When wrapping her tail around her sweetheart, she couldn't help but reveal a proud and smug smile.
"...Mm-hm."
Kazuya nodded slightly, tears escaping from the corners of his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Kazuya... I'm going to die..."
Dragonite raised a hand and gently stroked Kazuya's face.
The story of her and him.
Seemed to have reached the final page.
A feeling of over a thousand years.
To the very end, she didn't have the courage to say it again.
It really didn't have a good ending to the very last moment.
It really makes one unwilling to accept it.
"..."
Kazuya didn't answer; he was already sobbing uncontrollably.
Tears rolled down onto Dragonite's palm.
Incredibly hot.
"Are you crying for me?"
A few tears flowed from Dragonite's eyes, and a gentle smile hung on her face.
Watching Kazuya shed tears for her.
She actually couldn't suppress the joy in her heart.
How twisted...
He was clearly crying his heart out for her, yet she felt happy because of it...
But...
This time.
His tears belonged completely to her.
So.
It's understandable, right?
Dragonite let out a long sigh, a sigh as light as dandelion seeds scattering.
She reached out and rubbed Kazuya's face: "If only everything could go back to the past..."
Her eyes were filled with endless longing and reluctance to part.
Until her eyelids couldn't control themselves and closed, until her arm completely lost its strength and dropped.
Kazuya's tears dripped onto Dragonite's face, blending with a tear of hers, reflecting the summit of Mt. Silver from over a thousand years ago.
As if to say...
If life was just like our first encounter, why should the autumn wind make the painted fan sad.
The babbling sound of the stream in her ears brought Dragonite back to the past from over a thousand years ago.
Her body became lighter.
The pain subsided.
The heavy shackles that time had placed upon her were falling off layer by layer.
[She opened her eyes.
And found herself back on the summit of Mt. Silver, the Dragonite Plain from back then.
She once again saw the Dragonair working hard by the stream.
"It's about time I left."
Hearing this murmur that had replayed countless times in her memory.
Dragonite lowered her head.
She saw an ordinary little red flower at her feet.
She bent down.
And gently picked it.
Then, gathering her courage, she walked toward that Dragonair.
"Hmm? It's you again."
Hearing the sound, Kazuya turned around and smiled at Dragonite.
Dragonite nodded gently, returning a gentle smile to him.
"I'm leaving."
Kazuya said with anticipation, turning his head to look at the distant horizon.
He wasn't expecting Dragonite's response; he was anticipating seeing a certain someone, the person he had always been working hard for.
"I know."
I'm leaving too.
Dragonite nodded, silently adding in her heart.
She handed the little red flower in her hand to Kazuya beside her.
The petals trembled slightly in the breeze, like her heartbeat at this moment.
"Hmm?"
A look of confusion appeared on Kazuya's face.
"For you."
"Thank you, but... why?"
"On your path ahead, you will definitely meet many people, many Pokemon, many beautiful sceneries...
But I hope you won't forget this place, won't forget this little flower, won't forget me."
Having seen a thousand beautiful flowers and ten thousand trees, I hope you remember this single branch.
This was Dragonite's final wish.
She didn't beg for a response.
Nor did she expect a promise.
She just wanted to convey her feelings to him, not knowing if he could understand.
"Mm! I won't forget you!"
Kazuya opened his mouth, nodded heavily, and grasped the little flower in his hand with his tail.
He got up.
And flew away from the Dragonite Plain.
And Dragonite stood there, watching that figure gradually fade away.
Tears gradually blurred her eyes.
"I'm sorry..."
"The road ahead..."
"I can't walk it with you anymore."
Her voice broke in the wind.
Tears formed a line, continuously falling from her face, disappearing into the earth beneath her feet.
Just like those feelings of over a thousand years.
Ultimately, all had to return to dust.
"Kazuya."
"I've always... always..."
"Liked you so much."
Those words she didn't dare to say even at the end of her life.
She could only say them in a dream.
The wind carried those words far away.
It seemed he never heard them.]
Enough.
This is fine.
A gentle smile appeared on Dragonite's face.
In her heart.
Being able to die in the arms of the one she loved.
Could be considered a pretty good ending.
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