" Meow~ What's up, Regigigas? I'm playing a game."
Pink light dissipates
Mew called out to Regigigas, very unhappy.
"...Look at this."
Regigigas was completely speechless, and pointed at a leafless tree on the ground.
"It's just a tree, Meow. You… wait, what?"
Mew glanced at it, then humanly pouted.
But when it looked again, it noticed something was off.
Mew floated down a bit, circled that tree twice, and bit its own paw as it fell into thought.
"That's the scent of that Xerneas… It's Xerneas, Meow?"
Mew finally confirmed it.
It let out a very Stunned sound.
"No way—how could Xerneas be here? Meow?"
Mew was stunned, and looked at Regigigas.
"Xerneas dwells on the continent across the sea. It's far from here."
Regigigas humanly shrugged, meaning it didn't know either.
"While I was asleep just now, it suddenly dropped onto my head."
Regigigas was also totally confused.
As far as it knew, the only nasty thing that could teleport Xerneas here like that, with zero warning—
was that guy.
But why would it do that?
"Hold on, I'm going to ask Damian. Meow~"
Mew thought about it and took out its phone to call Damian.
It was extremely familiar with doing this.
Yeah—because its body size was suitable, Mew really could use a phone.
On the other hand, Regigigas couldn't, because its body size was just too huge.
"Hello-hello? Damian, yep—Park is showing up a Xerneas tree, Meow. You delivered it, right? Awe—it's fine then."
"Right, Damian. Can you open up some more snacks and drinks for me every day, Meow? I'm not eating enough."
"No? Why, Meow? Damian, I'm your cat! How could you treat me like this?! Waaaah. You don't love me anymore."
"I'm fat? Where am I fat, Meow? I've always been like this. Back when we first met, wasn't I not like this?"
"That's because I used a disguise at the beginning. Back then I was a little slimmer. Now this is what I'm really like, Meow. You can't just because my fake look resistant you now, you can't accept the real me!"
"Damian, you're the one Reshiram recognizes. You have to admit the real thing, Meow! I'm not lying! Don't you believe me—ask Regigigas. I've always been this plump!"
Hearing Mew argue with Damian over the amount of snacks it got—
Regigigas silently sank back underground to get some sleep.
This Mew, basically—
had "gone off the rails."
As for having a new neighbor, Xerneas—
Regigigas didn't really have any complaints.
After all, Xerneas was gentle, a caring legend.
For Tree of Beginning Park, having it there was a good thing.
Kalos.
"This Mew is really beyond saving."
Damian, completely speechless, hung up.
He thought it was the biggest wrong decision to let this Mew learn how to get online.
Mew was already deeply poisoned by the internet.
(Sad. Jing)
Just now, that Meow~ had actually complained to him.
It said it had just played three matches of a game.
And it ran into two hackers.
Like seriously, where was everyone else?!
As for why?
Because it was Mew, so anyone it couldn't beat wasn't just "a hacker"?
emmm…
Damian thought Mew's reasoning was actually pretty solid.
Damian looked around and sent a message to the nearby Team Rocket squad.
He told them to bring people over and take everyone in Team Flare's secret base away.
Those people had originally all been defeated by Yveltal.
But thanks to Xerneas's sharing, they were all revived as well.
Now they could be squeezed for everything again.
And Damian himself brought Caitlin as they walked toward Geosenge Town.
In front of the plaza of Geosenge Town, the Ultimate weapon stood there just like that.
"So this is the Ultimate weapon?"
Caitlin stared in awe at the giant device in front of them.
It looked like a flower-shaped mechanical apparatus.
"That's right. Three thousand years ago, the Kalos King manufactured this 'divine item.'"
"It's a cross-era invention."
"Even nowadays, reproducing it would be extremely difficult."
Damian was full of emotion.
That was talent bestowed by the heavens.
Their creation completely surpassed this era.
As far as Damian knew, Pokémon World already had several talents like that.
Az from three thousand years ago—
he created the Ultimate weapon.
It could destroy everything, and grant immortality.
And this era also had that kind of talent.
It was the prodigy professor couple Sada and Turo from Paldea Region.
They also created a cross-era device.
A time machine!
It could teleport ancient and future Pokémon to the present.
Although it was manufactured using the special Crystal of Area Zero—
it was still an invention so great it was hard to imagine.
It was technology that completely surpassed this era.
"Really? But with it here, all it would bring is catastrophe."
At that moment, a deep and aged voice came from behind them.
Damian turned around.
When he saw the silhouette clearly, Damian couldn't help raising a brow.
This was a "giant" dressed like a vagrant.
That's why it was called that.
Because His body was extremely tall.
From a glance, he was nearly three meters.
That was an absurd height.
Almost like he wasn't meant for a normal human at all.
His hair was white.
His face was filled with years of suffering.
Right now, he looked up at the Ultimate weapon.
His eyes were complex beyond words.
There was remembrance…
and also unbearable pain, and regret.
"Mr. Az, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Damian smiled and greeted the vagrant—Az.
That's right.
This man that looked like a vagrant—
was Az, the Kalos king from three thousand years ago.
The one who invented the Ultimate weapon!
Back then, Az was hit by the Ultimate weapon's light, which gave him immortality.
And then, because his beloved Eternal Flower Floette was disappointed and left him…
Az kept drowning in pain.
But since he had immortality, he couldn't end his own life.
So for three thousand years, he wandered around the lands of Kalos in a daze.
"I didn't think you'd know me."
Az looked at Damian when he heard that.
Ripples appeared in those cloudy eyes.
"Of course."
Damian smiled.
"The greatest king of the Kalos Region, three thousand years ago."
Hearing that, Caitlin's eyes widened slightly.
The Kalos King from three thousand years ago…?
Even though Damian had shown her too many things already—
at this moment, Caitlin was still shocked.
A person from three thousand years ago?!
"The greatest… king…"
A thick bitterness showed on Az's lips.
He looked at the Ultimate weapon again.
This was the pride of his invention too—
and also the source of his endless suffering, his guilt, and his regret.
"I'm just a…"
"a sinner."
Az's voice was extremely painful.
Yes.
He was a prodigy.
People called him a prodigy with talent and technology far beyond what the era could contain.
But right now, Az only had numbness and pain.
His life had no end.
He had lost his "heart."
Only endless wandering remained.
He wanted to find the friend he loved most, Floette.
But it had been three thousand years.
And he still couldn't find it.
The Ultimate weapon, called the "divine item," only brought him sadness.
It was a cursed item.
"I don't want to judge what happened in the past."
"But Mr. Az…"
"your talent deserves to be recognized."
"In my eyes, you are a great king."
Damian shook his head.
"I know your pain."
"But I believe you'll find your friend."
"You'll reunite."
"And please don't keep hurting yourself over the past."
"You really can forgive yourself."
"Your invention… was outstanding."
In Damian's eyes, Az was just a pitiful man.
Because his most important friend, Floette, died in the war.
In pain, he invented the Ultimate weapon.
He revived Floette, and Floette reunited with him.
But also because the war killed Floette, his anger couldn't be calmed.
So he turned the Ultimate weapon into a weapon.
He became the god of destruction.
And ended the war.
But Floette understood something.
It knew the revive had been paid for with the lives of countless Pokémon.
So Floette left Az.
From then on…
Az fell into eternal loneliness and sorrow.
"…"
Hearing that, Az stood there, stunned.
Could I… forgive myself?
Sometime without him noticing, tears had already filled his eyes.
His vision turned blurry from the tears, and he couldn't control it at all.
"Waa… Waaa…"
This man who had wandered for three thousand years—
knelt on the ground.
With both hands covering his face, he let out a sob he couldn't hold back.
For three thousand years, he had wandered in a fog.
Every single day, every single second—
he was still living in the past.
Why did he manufacture the Ultimate weapon?
Why did he sacrifice so many Pokémon just to Trigger the Ultimate weapon?
Az couldn't forgive the past version of himself.
His suffering—
actually all came from three thousand years ago.
He never got free.
But now—
someone finally told him he could let himself go.
"Many times…"
"people just need a small bit of affirmation."
Damian silently watched Az cry his heart out.
In his mind, it was a mix of emotions.
Immortality…
only gave Az endless sorrow.
Floette's leaving kept him unable to reconcile with himself.
He looked like he was free.
But his heart had always been locked down.
And now…
he finally got his release.
Caitlin also stayed silent.
She didn't really know why Az suddenly cried like that.
But that deep choking sob was still moving.
And at that moment—
a beam of light fell from above.
Damian looked up.
He saw Floette holding a black flower, slowly flying toward them.
It was Eternal Flower Floette.
"Hua~"
That crisp call made Az instantly lift his head.
When he saw Eternal Flower Floette, he finally confirmed it.
It was the friend he cared about most.
Az trembled and stretched out both hands.
He caught Eternal Flower Floette.
"Hua~"
Eternal Flower Floette gently touched Az's cheek.
Three thousand years.
But Eternal Flower Floette's eyes were still pure and untouched, just like their first meeting.
"Floette…"
"Three thousand years…"
Tears spilled endlessly.
Az spoke in a trembling voice.
He gently held Eternal Flower Floette into his arms.
Finally…
he reunited with it again.
"Pokémon and people…"
"people and Pokémon…"
"It's really amazing, isn't it?"
Watching this touching moment, Damian didn't interrupt them.
He only felt deeply moved in his heart.
But honestly—
Eternal Flower Floette was really adorable.
Really pretty.
He wondered if he would ever have a chance to get one.
Damian watched Eternal Flower Floette, thinking about how possible it was to get one.
After all, Eternal Flower came from Floette that had been hit by the Ultimate weapon.
Maybe… he could get one.
~~
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