Chapter 216: The Promise Fulfilled
"I don't know what happened to you, but... you must have tried so hard, right?"
"Raaar! (Boss)~"
"Gli! (Father)~"
"Bat! (Big Brother)~"
"...Mm." Will's nose stung. He squinted at their phantom figures, then smiled and nodded heavily.
The sun was bright, the breeze gentle. Will and Liz both looked ancient, like candles at the end of their wicks. But no matter how their appearances had changed, they still smiled at each other.
Will's group continued west.
Meowscarada had asked Will who those people and Pokémon were who appeared when the Time Flower bloomed. She felt Will knew them, and that their relationship was special.
It was hard for Will to explain. He just said they were friends from a thousand years ago, and then told her how he had been brought to this era by Celebi.
Learning Will was from a thousand years ago shocked Meowscarada. But the shock was brief. After all, Will was right beside her. She was more just curious about what the world was like a thousand years ago.
Seeing that both Meowscarada and Scizor were interested, Will told them about the social environment during the Era of Primal Beasts. Hearing how cruel it was, they couldn't help but shake their heads, all agreeing it was better to live in this era.
Along the way, Will needed to stop and rest after every short walk. His stamina was terrible, his breathing unsteady. Even his body's ability to absorb sunlight had become incredibly slow.
Meowscarada no longer caused trouble or pestered Will. Her every action had lost its childishness. She knew Will didn't have much time left. So, she wanted to act like an adult, so Will wouldn't have to worry about her when he left.
Thanks to his Aura power and the Time Flowers scattered everywhere, Will didn't lose Liz's trail, even with all his stops and starts.
They walked all the way from Kanto to Johto, passing by Mt. Silver. There, Will and Meowscarada parted ways with Scizor.
He now had his own small clan. The numbers weren't large, only seven or eight. This was because most Scyther and Scizor preferred to act alone; only those less concerned with combat power liked to stick together for warmth.
"Scyther." Scizor stood at the foot of Mt. Silver and bowed to Will and Meowscarada.
"Mm, go on. With your talent and hard work, you'll definitely become the Alpha of Mt. Silver one day." Will reached out and patted his hand.
Scizor's talent was high. Most importantly, he was hardworking, had a strong drive to improve, and was willing to act on it. He was the complete opposite of Meowscarada, who'd slack off and had to be forced by Will to train.
One just had to look at their progress over the past seventeen or eighteen years. Scizor had gained twenty-six or twenty-seven levels, crossing the threshold to the Elite Four. Meowscarada had only gained fourteen in the same period.
And Scizor was still young. He was only twenty. Although Scizor was a Bug-type, he was also a Steel-type, so his lifespan wasn't short. He had at least a hundred years left.
Scizor was guaranteed to reach the Champion-class in the future. Whether he could go further was up to him. In any case, Will's expectations for him were high—even higher than for his own "daughter," Meowscarada.
"Mrow?" Meowscarada gently shook Will's arm, asking, "What about me?"
"You? Forget it. It'll be impressive if you don't regress." Will glanced at her, deliberately trying to annoy her.
"Mrow!" Meowscarada huffed, turning her head away, and ignored him.
"Haha, just kidding. For you... your happiness is what's most important. Strength... that can just be whatever." Will raised his hand and stroked Meowscarada's head. The feeling of his whole palm sinking into her fur was wonderful. It was something he could never experience when he was huge.
As Scizor said his goodbyes, in the phantom vision nearby, Liz and her team were also sending Crobat off.
To be precise... Liz was making Crobat leave.
Will understood. Liz, like him, was running out of time. She didn't want Crobat and the others to watch her die. And she didn't want them to be trapped in the Dragonite Capital for their whole lives. So, she was sending them back to the places they belonged.
Will had brought Crobat out of Mt. Silver. Mt. Silver was Crobat's home, the place he grew up. So, Crobat was also returning to Mt. Silver. No amount of reluctance mattered. Her mind was made up.
Will and Liz stood "together," watching Crobat and Scizor leave, heading deep into Mt. Silver. Both felt a sense of loss.
"Let's keep going."
"Mrow."
Meowscarada helped Will as they headed southwest.
Will glanced up and understood immediately. Liz's next stop was Gligar Island. She was taking Gliscor home.
Time moved to the 49th year of the League Era.
Compared to Crobat, Gliscor's departure was much more casual.
Under Liz's command, he first defeated the current leader of Gligar Island and became its new Alpha. Then, he and all the other Gligar on the island saw Liz off.
And with that, only Charizard remained by Liz's side.
Charizard's home was a small forest on the way back to the Dragonite Capital. But he didn't go there. He told Liz not to worry about him; he would fly off and see other places. Hearing this, Liz finally nodded and let him escort her back to the Dragonite Capital.
Heading north, Will followed Liz's phantom to a mountain range. A thousand years ago, this had been a vast plain, the very spot where the Dragonite Capital once stood.
"We finally made it." Liz's figure appeared before Will.
"Yeah," Will muttered. The memories of the past twenty-nine years, of the long road he had walked with Meowscarada, flashed through his mind.
"It's been hard on you."
"You too."
"Thank you for walking this road with me."
"I promised you I would."
Will pressed his lips together. He couldn't say if the journey had been hard on him, but he knew for a fact it had been fulfilling. The one who had truly suffered was Liz.
Never mind anything else, just her time in the Hisui region must have been exhausting.
But... she did it. She had actually changed the relationship between humans and Pokémon, just as she'd set out to do.
Will had never thought she could. Because it was hard. So, so hard.
"Well... I'll see you in a little while, then."
Watching Liz's stooped figure enter the phantom palace, Will knew.
His promise was finally fulfilled.
The burden he had carried in his heart for so long was finally resolved. Will looked up at the blue sky and let out a long, slow breath.
Now, he was truly free.
His body was in a terrible state, but he felt incredibly happy.
His only remaining tie to this world... was the big cat still following him.
"Mrow?" Meowscarada looked at Will. She didn't know why he'd come here, and she asked where they were going next.
"Let's go to the Dragonite territory. It's time for me to rest." Will turned to Meowscarada, a small smile on his face. The Dragonite territory was a good place to retire. Perhaps he could live out the rest of his days there.
"...Mrow." Meowscarada nodded.
They continued north, arriving at the Dragon's Den that led to the Dragonite territory.
Will and Meowscarada met no resistance and easily entered the grassy valley.
"Raaar?!" When the Dragonite saw Will again, her face was one of pure shock. She looked at Will's form, which seemed even older and more frail than her own, and frantically asked what had happened. Will calmly explained the events at the Tree of Beginning.
"You should go play with your friends. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Will said to Meowscarada.
"Mrow." Meowscarada shook her head. She didn't want to go anywhere. She just wanted to stay by Will's side.
Will stroked her head and didn't force her. Meowscarada wanted to cherish this last bit of time with him. And how could Will not feel the same?
Who knew what era he'd be dropped into in his next life? He didn't even know if Meowscarada would still be alive. And even if she was, he'd have no idea where to find her, or how to explain who he was.
"Raaar?" The Dragonite lay on the grass next to Will, quietly basking in the sun. She asked him how long he planned to stay.
Will's answer was simple: "Until I die."
Will yawned. Death. It was such a heavy word for others. But for him, it sounded so much lighter. It was just changing his identity, changing his era, and starting over. This was already his third time; he was more or less used to it.
Maybe after a few more times, Will would stop feeling anything about death at all.
"Raaar." The Dragonite grinned. She was pretty happy to hear Will would be staying for a long time. She just didn't know... Will had less than a year left.
Life became calm, but not boring.
Sometimes he would coach the other Pokémon in battle. Sometimes he'd tell the younger ones stories about the outside world. Sometimes he'd take Meowscarada to a Tree crystal to chat with Mew, who missed them. Sometimes he'd just pet the Pokémon in the territory. And sometimes, he'd tease Meowscarada.
In the blink of an eye, more than half a year passed.
Will's body had become withered again, though at least it wasn't yellow. He reckoned he only had a few days left.
What left Will at a loss... was that he didn't know where he should die. He didn't really want to die in the Dragonite territory.
Mainly, he didn't want to die in front of Meowscarada.
Lost in thought, Will wandered deep into the quiet valley, to the flower garden where the tombstones for 'Liz' and 'Lan' stood.
He walked to his own tombstone and sat down, leaning against it. His gaze fell on a Time Flower beside him.
"Really... I just keep running into you, don't I?"
~~~
Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter