A few days after Lorze and his wives temporarily moved into the Sword of the Vale, Damon seemed to have finally emerged from the shadow of his defeat, accompanied by his sister and mother.
During these days, some of the People of the Vale, whom he had persuaded to come from all over Unova, came to visit him. Some expressed continued support for his promise to restore their homeland, while others voiced deep disappointment and informed him of their departure.
To Damon, hearing the latter actually gave him a bit more peace of mind; after all, his strength had failed to fulfill the grand promises he had boasted about...
However, there was still unfinished business between him and Lorze that needed to be settled. To simply keep avoiding it would be a lack of accountability, and in a strict sense... as the nominal leader of the People of the Vale, Damon was the true master of this castle.
It was just that, during his absence these past few days, Lorze had been constantly having sexual intercourse with Reshiram, Victini, and his other wives within the Sword of the Vale. Making love anytime and anywhere, they acted as if they wanted to leave the traces of their sex in every corner of this solemn castle. They spent these days in a state of utter bliss, feeling as if they were floating in heaven, completely forgetting the world outside.
Returning to the Sword of the Vale, Damon was filled with conflicting emotions. Not long ago, he was still working on restorations and planning the revival of his homeland; now, all that effort had vanished like smoke... it felt like he had woken up from a very long dream.
Having learned of Damon's arrival, Lorze came to welcome him with great enthusiasm. He was already impatient to destroy the barrier that restricted Victini's movement.
"Mr. Damon, you've finally come."
Meeting Lorze again, the youth was still accompanied by Reshiram, while Damon was no longer the Hero of Ideals.
Looking at the hand Lorze extended toward him, Damon felt a mix of complicated feelings. After a moment of hesitation, he finally shook it.
"The place for our talk upstairs is ready. Mr. Damon, Mr. Lorze, please follow me."
Next came the negotiation between the two of them. Led by the butler, they sat across from each other at a tea table on a high balcony. It was a beautiful spot with an expansive view of the endless forest, perfect for a serious conversation.
"Mr. Damon, it's good to see you've adjusted so quickly."
Damon let out a sigh of relief: "I thought I would collapse, but I found that after accepting everything, it's just the way it is. Perhaps I walked a wrong path from the start, and the final result was predestined."
It was only because Victini had shared the truth about the Sword of the Vale with him that Damon could step out of the shadow of failure so fast; otherwise, he would have been trapped in endless regret.
"Don't be so down. You are the leader of the People of the Vale; you need to lead everyone forward."
Damon gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "Coming from you, Mr. Lorze, those words aren't very convincing at all."
Even though Damon understood Lorze was a man practicing justice, his dream had still been ruthlessly crushed by Lorze, so a bit of friction was understandable. In contrast, Lorze had a personality where he could be rivals on the field and friends off it. While that might sound odd here, he didn't hold personal grudges; he was usually focused on the matter at hand rather than the person.
"You can't say it like that. What I opposed was the forced activation of the Sword of the Vale. You saw the result of that yourself; who was right and who was wrong is plain to see."
"But without activating the Sword of the Vale, our homeland can never return to its former glory. It's a dead end... wait?"
As he spoke, even Damon began to doubt his own words. Catching his micro-expression, Lorze's lips curled up slightly.
"Is that really true? To revive the Village of the Vale, I don't think you necessarily have to cling to the old ways, do you? Stopping you from moving the castle... in my view, doesn't necessarily run counter to the revival of your people."
"What?"
Damon frowned deeply. He felt like he was touching upon the core issue of the People of the Vale.
What Lorze meant by "clinging to the old ways" was their stagnant reliance on their ancestors' technology. As for whether that was viable, Ridley's tribe had already provided the answer—if not for being slapped awake by Team Rocket's invasion, they'd likely still be living in their delusional bubble of past grandeur...
"Times are always progressing. Solely reminiscing about the past is meaningless. If you truly desire development and progress, you should embrace the present and the future. Isn't that also a way to revive the Village of the Vale?"
Hearing this, Damon slapped his hand on the table: "Exactly! Whether it was nearly becoming a villain of history or the stagnation of the entire tribe, it all stems from being blinded by past glory. Pursuing past prosperity while ignoring the fact that it's a choice to be abandoned by the current era."
Why hadn't he thought of this before? Because they hadn't experienced failure, they wanted to blindly follow the ancient laws. Just as a person cannot easily jump out of their comfort zone, this is a kind of inertia in civilization. Perhaps "the bystander sees more clearly" explains why Damon couldn't see it until Lorze pointed it out.
Under Lorze's words, Damon murmured thoughtfully: "Embrace the present and the future..."
Seeing this, Lorze pressed his advantage: "I see Eindoak Town is developing tourism, right? That's an excellent direction. As long as you open your minds, you don't have to worry about your people not returning to prosperity. As for using the Dragon Pulse to recklessly alter nature... I think we should still hold a sense of reverence toward the natural world."
"I see. So it's about no longer relying on ancestral technology, but seeking development from the perspective of this era?"
Damon fell into deep thought. The old him would never have listened to Lorze's advice, but as a loser now, he no longer held his former arrogance and carefully considered Lorze's words.
"The process certainly won't be easy, but as long as you're willing to make changes, I believe it will pay off in the long run."
Perhaps just as he said, the People of the Vale really needed to step out of their past glory. The road ahead no longer seemed so muddled.
"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Lorze, for beating some sense into me!"
A relieved Damon stood up. Seeing him look like he was about to kneel again, Lorze immediately thought of Ridley. He didn't want another round of that life-shortening drama! He proactively supported Damon, preventing the kneel with earnest persuasion.
Damon felt quite embarrassed about it.
Men always seem to become friends through a fight. Not long ago, they were at each other's throats, and now the ice had melted. Ridley was like this, and Damon was the same; overall... it was pretty much the same pattern.
Thus, they reached an agreement on the most core issue. Other matters, in comparison, had plenty of room for negotiation.
Regarding toppling the barrier pillars to give Victini back her freedom, Lorze didn't bring it up immediately, as that might easily damage this hard-won companionship.
Damon decided to tell the rest of the People of the Vale: they would no longer blindly trust the wealth left by their ancestors, but would step toward a new future with their own feet. He was prepared to bear some insults, but everything started with him, and as a man, it should end with him.
Lorze nodded, expressing admiration for Damon's willingness to shoulder responsibility. Making a mistake isn't scary; what matters is recognizing it sincerely and taking responsibility. That makes a man respectable.
Together, they found Mayor Mannes and informed him. They expected the mayor might disagree, but he expressed support quite cheerfully—after all, the Harvest Festivals and battle tournaments had brought a lot of money to the town over the years. The living standard had objectively improved, a fact no one could deny.
This was far more realistic than the distant dream of restoring an ancient kingdom. The mayor was a practical man.
Mannes used the broadcast system to gather all the People of the Vale in Eindoak Town to the central plaza. Driven by curiosity, some other residents mixed in as well, making the plaza bustling and noisy.
Encouraged by Mannes and Lorze, Damon, the current leader of the People of the Vale, stood bravely before his people to admit his mistakes.
"First, I want to apologize to everyone. The promises I made... can no longer be fulfilled in the future. We stepped onto a path that was wrong from the start... I am sorry!"
With that, Damon bowed deeply. The crowd below was in an uproar.
He calmly explained why that path was wrong and invited Victini to show the king's final words to everyone. This was the truth of that day.
—Though, Victini's appearance seemed to draw more attention than the truth itself, because our V-girl was just too, too cute!
The socially anxious Victini quickly turned invisible and disappeared after the sharing, but Lorze knew exactly where she went: What is this fluffy, warm little thing in my arms? Even without seeing her, Lorze could accurately pull her into his embrace and stroke her, which put Victini much more at ease.
"As you have seen, we can no longer rely on the Sword of the Vale. But I will never give up on the revival of our people. This time, we will use our own hands to explore a path that makes everyone's lives better!"
After Damon finished, only one person clapped loudly—his sister Carlita. She and their mother Janta would always support him unconditionally. As for the others, they were whispering and discussing among themselves.
Those who wanted to live a steady life were satisfied with the present and agreed with Damon's new path. However, among the People of the Vale, there were also "old guards" who reminisced about a glorious past they hadn't even experienced themselves. They certainly couldn't accept Damon's change of direction.
The result was as expected: not entirely rejected, but not entirely supported either. Fortunately... most were willing to continue with their current lives. Idealists were, after all, the minority. Thus, the old guards...
Actually, there was another very important reason for this satisfactory outcome: the appearance of Victini.
Almost everyone present knew their people had such a mascot, but few had seen her with their own eyes. Victini's appearance was a feast for their eyes, and many young girls let out screams of adoration: The Victini they had dreamed of... really is a very, very cute little thing!
Of course, as for how Victini herself felt... that remains unknown.
Regardless, Victini's appearance sucked away most of the residents' attention. No one could dislike the V-girl. This sudden boost in happiness and sense of gain diluted the resistance to the transition, helping Damon pull in a significant portion of the undecided votes.
According to the principle of majority rule, the matter was settled. From today on, the People of the Vale would no longer dwell in the past but march toward a brand new future. Growing pains would exist, but everyone believed the path was winding while the future was bright.
Only after everything settled did Lorze propose to Damon the destruction of the barrier restricting Victini's freedom.
"Mr. Damon, I actually have one more request." Lorze's expression suddenly became very serious.
They had experienced much together, from rivals to comrades. Damon now took Lorze's words very seriously.
"Speak, Mr. Lorze. If I can help, I certainly will!"
Lorze let Victini reveal herself; at that moment, the V-girl was sitting on his shoulder.
"I hope to capture Victini and take her with me. Is that alright?"
"Vini❤~"
Victini let out a soft cry and hugged Lorze's head, as if echoing his words.
Damon had actually been mentally prepared for this. Although the People of the Vale found it hard to part with Victini, if it was truly a mutual desire between Lorze and Victini, he should support them. It was just... a bit hard to swallow.
Seeing Damon nod, Lorze continued: "Regarding Victini being bound to Eindoak Town by the barrier, are you aware of it?"
"I have heard some rumors about it."
If he wanted to take Victini out of Eindoak Town, the seal pillars on the Sword of the Vale had to be destroyed to lift the barrier. Lorze told him this, and Damon, as expected, looked troubled.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to let Victini go, but he didn't want the Sword of the Vale to suffer any more damage—this castle was the only thing left of the People of the Vale's civilization. Even if it was never to be activated again, Damon hoped to preserve it in its complete state...