Chapter 483: Long-Lost Panel
"So beautiful..."
Diancie blankly murmured looking at the scene before her.
Ten thousand miles underground, where is there such a sight?
"This is also my first time seeing it."
Cynthia slowly nodded.
The hypoxia-induced dizziness, muscle soreness, and piercing cold brought by high altitude.
At this moment were actually strangely thrown to the back of the mind; thoughts uncontrollably drifted towards the Aurora and plum trees in front of them.
"This must be the most beautiful scenery in the world, right?"
Diancie turned her head to look at Will and Cynthia.
"Right, after all, looking at it together with important people."
Cynthia nodded.
Adding a prerequisite to this most important scenery.
"No."
Will shook his head.
"Eh?" x2
Cynthia and Diancie doubtfully turned their heads to look at him.
Could it be.
Lucario has seen more beautiful scenery?
"The most beautiful scenery is always the people beside you."
Will turned his head to look aside.
Blonde-kun, the Princess of the Diamond Domain, and the uncles and aunties who walked here together over these dozen or so days.
Everyone gathering here.
This is the true absolute scenery that will never appear a second time in the world.
"Hey~ everyone come take a picture together under the Aurora Plums!"
The team leader's voice came.
Everyone hurriedly gathered over.
This place cannot be stayed at for long; they must return to the position below 6000 meters before dark.
After taking the photos.
Everyone looked somewhat regretfully at the somewhat bare Aurora Plums.
The season when Aurora Plums bloom in full is the severe winter.
And right now it's midsummer.
At this moment, the branches only have scattered tender shoots and tough green leaves.
They came here and could at most only pick some tender shoots and leaves of the Aurora Plums, or an Aurora Plum branch; unable to pick those plum blossoms born bathing in the Aurora that can be used to make top-tier spices.
But it doesn't matter.
That was already anticipated before climbing.
Will and Cynthia's initial purpose of climbing Xiaoyao was intrinsically just to bring Diancie to experience it.
What Diancie needs also isn't necessarily Aurora Plum blossoms, but an item that can be used to commemorate this journey in the future—a piece of a branch.
Is already enough.
Will reached out, gently twisting off a side branch from a low Aurora Plum tree, and handed it to Diancie.
Diancie took it and carefully wedged it inside the clothes she was wearing.
This is already enough.
The rest, just remembering it in the mind is fine.
Everyone took photos as souvenirs, took a few more glances, and decided to head down the mountain.
At this time they realized.
They didn't see the figures of the uncle and Sudowoodo.
Searching around.
Gazes sweeping over jagged snow rocks and sparse plum shadows.
Found them on the other side of the Aurora Plum trees.
The uncle stuck the climbing stick broken in half into the snow under the Aurora Plums:
"You've worked hard these years, and thank you."
"Huso."
He reached out a branch-like hand, gently patting the uncle's shoulder.
"I have already decided, climbing, I will continue, until one day when I can't even climb a single step of stairs,
I will then stop."
"Huso!"
Bidding farewell.
The uncle and Sudowoodo took a final look at those two pieces of broken stick silent in the rosy clouds.
The regrets of the past twenty-eight years seemed to all be left here.
Turned around.
Walking briskly towards everyone.
Heading towards the return journey down the mountain together.
The Aurora dyed by rosy clouds still silently flowed on the canopy of heaven.
Under the illumination of the halo that looked as if scalded red by flames, the climbing stick broken in half swayed on the snow, as if making a final farewell.
A moment later.
One piece of it, as if exhausting all its strength, silently fell under the Aurora Plum tree, snuggling against that trunk that had experienced an unknown number of years of wind and frost.
Fine snow gravel gradually buried it.
Its mission.
Completed.
The process of going down the mountain compared to climbing, was more than three to five times easier.
Climbing the mountain took over a dozen days.
Going down the mountain only needed a short five days.
This was even without everyone using their own Pokémon for transportation, otherwise this time would only be faster.
On the afternoon of the fifth day.
They returned to Cyllage City.
"This time thanks to Cynthia and you guys' encouragement, that let me and Sudowoodo persist to the summit!"
The uncle looked at them cheerfully.
"Yeah yeah, if not for our encouragement, probably Uncle would have collapsed halfway again."
Diancie spread her hands.
Cold sweat flowed slightly on the uncle's forehead.
Fortunately, getting along over this past more than half a month let him understand Diancie's speaking style, otherwise he'd probably have thought Diancie was cursing him.
"Hope Uncle can continue to persist in the climbing you love in the future."
Cynthia raised her hand making a fist, encouraging a bit.
"Mm, don't plan to challenge higher mountains, but can challenge Xiaoyao a few more times in the future."
The uncle nodded, then asked Cynthia for a mailing address,
"If I gather Aurora Plums in the future, I will mail some over to you."
"Sure, then we'll look forward to it a bit."
Cynthia nodded.
"Actually not really looking forward to it much."
Diancie added a sentence.
"Ahem, well, I heard from them, Cynthia, you are a very famous trainer, right? Came to participate in some competition this time?"
"Hehe, it's okay, not that amazing."
"No no, at your age, becoming a star trainer aside, being able to summit on your first climb of Xiaoyao is simply an absolute genius, really struck a blow to us uncles and aunties."
"Not at all..."
Cynthia was praised to the point of being somewhat embarrassed, lowering her head and hiding half her body behind Will.
"Should only be a month or two left until your competition starts, right? We'll go to the scene to cheer for you then! Although Uncle's perseverance is not very good, my voice is definitely loud!"
The uncle gave a thumbs up and flashed his white teeth.
"Huso!"
Sudowoodo beside imitated him.
"Thank you!"
"Mm! Then I'll take my leave first, haven't been home for over a dozen days, my family is probably getting worried about me."
"Okay."
Cynthia nodded, waving to bid him farewell.
Watching the uncle and Sudowoodo sway left and right as they left, Will and the others couldn't laugh either.
After all, the uncle wasn't the only one tired.
"So tired, let's go back and sleep first, I'm going to lie down for a whole day today, any matters we'll talk tomorrow."
Will casually waved his hand, heading towards the direction of the hotel.
"I also want to lie down for a whole day."
Cynthia felt her legs sour and painful, also weak and powerless.
Must let Lucario rub them for her tomorrow.
"Really no helping it, then I'll also take a nap."
Diancie put her hands on her hips, shaking her head helplessly.
Sleeping a whole day.
For her is equivalent to taking a nap.
After returning to the hotel.
The three slept all the way from the afternoon until the early morning of the second day.
Tap!
The sound of glass being knocked sounded.
Will naturally opened his eyes; he got up from the bed and pulled open the curtains.
Scaring away a Fletchling resting outside the window.
"Mmm..."
A sticky murmur sounded.
Will looked down.
Only then discovered Blonde-kun was hugging his chest like an octopus. Clearly in a deep sleep, but didn't fall because Will stood up; the strength of this hug can be seen.
Will reached out, pulled Blonde-kun off his body and threw her back onto the bed.
Have to say.
Although Cynthia looks from the outside like a delicate and virtuous beautiful girl, actually this child's physical fitness is quite strong.
Will estimated taking a Thunderbolt from a roadside Pikachu head-on would definitely be easy-peasy.
"Will~ Good morning."
Diancie's voice came from the next bed.
This Princess of the Diamond Domain was also woken up by the sound of Fletchling pecking the glass.
"Morning."
"Where are we going today?"
"Don't know, wait until Cynthia wakes up and let her decide."
Will shook his head.
He doesn't care where to go next.
Letting Blonde-kun decide this kind of thing is fine.
"What is the competition you guys are going to participate in?"
"Just a Pokémon battling competition that many people pay attention to; Pokémon battling, Cynthia told you before."
"Oh oh, Will, are you also going on stage to fight?"
"Mm."
Will nodded.
He glanced at his own panel.
The panel hasn't changed for a while.
But other than level and marks, there's also nothing that can be changed.
If it weren't so.
He wouldn't have started learning psychic power either.
Will believes the current him can basically be called a hexagonal warrior (all-rounder), without any special shortcomings.
Whether facing any typing, or facing any combat method, he has means to deal with it.
As long as the level is raised and the energy intensity is elevated, then he can crush all Pokémon of the same level.
Such a situation.
Only when facing those "gods" who master some special exclusive abilities might changes occur.
For example, facing abilities like spatial jump and time regression.
Will temporarily can't think of any good countermeasures either.
"I can also go on stage to help."
Diancie patted her chest.
"...No need, Cynthia probably wants to win the competition relying more on our own strength."
Will smiled and shook his head.
If Cynthia was the kind of trainer who resorts to any means to win, she would have brought Victini and Druddigon in the team early on when leaving home.
"Oh, can you win the championship?"
"Hard."
Will glanced at the half-asleep Cynthia, shaking his head and saying.
This Star Trainer Tournament.
Guaranteed eight bona fide Elite Four-level trainers; the known Elite Four dispatched by the Kalos League is the Dragon Elite Four Drasna.
Gym Leader-level trainers are unknown in number.
Cynthia as a quasi-Elite Four trainer, her strength ranks in the upper stream among the 128 contestants.
But probably still quite a bit away from the top tier.
So.
The evaluation "hard", Will even said it a bit euphemistically.
Reaching the Elite Four stage now.
Wanting to defeat opponents across levels is not as simple as in the past.
Not to mention scenes like one against two or three; basically very unlikely to be replicated in this Star Trainer Tournament.
And Garchomp and the others' current levels are uniformly Gym Leader-level.
Garchomp might step into the Elite Four level before the tournament starts.
But it won't help much.
Relying only on him and the big mother shark is still not enough.
His goal this time is not high.
Guarantee top 16, strive for top 8 is fine.
As for Blonde-kun.
That undoubtedly is definitely aiming for the championship.
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