Chapter 744: Postscript to Volume Seven (Part 1)
Twenty years after Kazuya's departure.
The war between the three kingdoms broke out once again.
Powerful and mysterious scientific weapons appeared in the armies of the Giant Rock Kingdom and the Mountain and Field Kingdom. Relying on the power of these weapons, the two kingdoms joined forces and annihilated the Azoth Kingdom.
Up until the moment the Azoth Royal Palace was breached.
XY did not send a request for help to the Nebel Plateau.
So everyone living on the plateau had absolutely no idea what happened in Azoth.
That man wielded a long spear, fighting hundreds of enemy soldiers alone, and finally died in battle in the back garden of the Royal Palace.
Thus.
The Azoth Kingdom vanished.
But Azoth was preserved.
And to fight over the territory left behind by the Azoth Kingdom, the remaining two human kingdoms ignited a new war.
After the fall of the Azoth Kingdom.
The Nebel Plateau lost the concealment measures frequently maintained by humans and began to face invasions from Pokémon in the forest, bringing quite a bit of trouble. It was also at this time that Volcanion realized something was wrong.
Upon investigation, He found out that the Azoth Kingdom was gone.
Although feeling somewhat emotional.
As the guardian of the plateau, He immediately cheered up and began researching how to protect the Nebel Plateau.
To this end.
Volcanion even made a special trip to visit the Pokémon Village, asking the Village Chief, Slowking, who lived there.
Two years later.
A dense fog enveloped the entire periphery of the Nebel Plateau.
Any Pokémon that entered would lose their sense of direction and eventually return outside the fog in bewilderment.
Only an extremely small number of lucky Pokémon could enter.
As for whether they became a part of it or were driven away, it had to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
From then on.
The Nebel Plateau completely settled down.
In later history, it even gained the title of "Utopia within the Forbidden Zone of Life."
A utopia exclusively for Pokémon.
Four hundred years later.
On the hills of the Nebel Plateau.
Bang!
The sound of steel hitting the ground rang out, waking Volcanion from His nap.
He groggily lifted His head and looked around, His gaze finally landing on the silver-gray iron ball rolling beside Him.
Unknowingly.
It had been five hundred years since Magearna's creation.
The brilliant golden color on her body had long since faded over the lengthy passage of time.
"Hm? Did I accidentally knock you off? Sorry about that."
Volcanion stretched out His arms, about to pull Magearna back.
Just at that moment.
The iron ball trembled slightly.
The next moment.
Clack clack—!
The iron ball continuously transformed, turning into a puppet in the blink of an eye.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Volcanion was stunned for a moment and turned to look around.
Generally speaking.
Only when a creature attempting a sneak attack on Volcanion appeared nearby would Magearna actively transform into a puppet and attack the opponent.
But right now.
Volcanion hadn't noticed any Pokémon nearby.
The place He lived was a bare hill; there couldn't possibly be any place around for a Pokémon to hide.
"Di-ri du-ru..."
A strange sound came from Magearna's mouth.
Although strange.
The meaning of this sound could be understood by Volcanion.
In an instant, His eyes widened as He looked at Magearna, shocked, and hurriedly spoke in a pleasantly surprised voice: "You! You just called my name, right?! Magearna!"
No one could understand how excited Volcanion was right now!
Although.
Staying in this isolated Nebel Plateau.
Volcanion almost felt no passage of time.
However.
The Pokémon living on the Nebel Plateau were not unchanging.
Looking at these faces that were completely different from the beginning.
Volcanion estimated that at least a few decades had passed.
He had finally "hatched" Magearna.
This old father was truly so moved that He was about to cry in the next second.
"Di-ri du-ru~"
This time.
A human-like smile actually appeared on Magearna's unchanging face.
She took two quick steps, threw herself onto Volcanion, and hugged His large head with both hands in response.
"That's great! That's wonderful! If Kazuya knew you were born, he would be so happy!"
Volcanion stretched out His arms, hugging Magearna and flying around in mid-air.
"Di-ri du-ru."
Magearna's eyes flickered as she searched her past memories.
Then she confirmed who the "Kazuya" Volcanion mentioned was...
That was her father!
After a long while.
They returned to the ground.
"That detestable guy, to think he still hasn't come back after leaving for so many years."
Recalling Kazuya, Volcanion couldn't help but start cursing again.
"Di-ri du-ru?"
"Huh? Father? That guy isn't your father. Your father is a human, called... forgot. Whatever, it's not important."
Volcanion tilted His head, not caring at all.
Magearna paused.
And began searching her memories again.
A moment later.
She recalled who the human Volcanion mentioned was—XY.
Her creator.
Considered her biological father.
However...
Recalling what the other party had said in her memory, Magearna lowered her head somewhat sadly.
That "father" didn't acknowledge her as a daughter...
"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing that Magearna was in a bad mood, Volcanion hurriedly asked, somewhat flustered.
Being a father for the first time.
He was a bit clumsy.
Not knowing how to comfort his sad daughter.
"Di-ri du-ru."
"Tch! What's there to be sad about! You don't need to care about him. After all, that guy didn't care about anything after creating you; I've been the one taking care of you all along!"
Volcanion proudly raised His head.
"Di-ri du-ru."
"You're welcome, you are my daughter after all!"
"Di-ri du-ru."
"What?! I am your father! This was personally approved by that guy Kazuya!"
"Di-ri du-ru."
Magearna shook her head.
In the settings within her heart, Kazuya, AZ, and XY—these three creatures were fathers.
As for Volcanion...
He was a very important family member, but had no explicit identity.
The current Magearna's understanding was very superficial. She didn't know what kind of identity to give Volcanion, but it definitely wasn't the role of "father."
This made Volcanion so sad.
He directly lost His appetite for several days.
At night, He would even secretly wipe away tears while looking at the moon in the sky.
But this guy cared a lot about His pride and didn't let anyone notice. On normal days, He still displayed a very strong and aloof attitude, as if He didn't care about this matter at all.
On the other hand, Diancie.
The first time she saw the conscious Magearna.
Besides happiness, she also had some other emotions, seeming a bit relieved.
No one could clearly explain that kind of emotion.
Perhaps, besides herself, no one could understand it.
The joyous Volcanion didn't notice this point either.
Not long after.
Diancie left the Nebel Plateau and returned to the underground Diamond Domain.
Volcanion originally thought she was just following routine, going back to show everyone she was fine and would return soon.
However, He waited but Diancie never returned.
He went to look for her.
But only received the answer that "she won't return to the surface anymore."
Volcanion was puzzled by this, but didn't get an answer; instead, He was chased out of the underground Diamond Domain by Diancie.
With His extremely strong self-esteem, how could Volcanion bear this grievance? He angrily laid down harsh words:
He would absolutely never come to the underground Diamond Domain again.
Two hundred years passed in a hurry.
The Nebel Plateau remained as peaceful as ever.
But the underground Diamond Domain, located ten thousand miles underground, faced a massive disaster.
The formerly incredibly radiant underground Diamond Domain.
Recently, it flickered between bright and dark, frequently exhibiting symptoms of "power outages."
Not only that.
The temperature of the entire underground Diamond Domain was continuously rising.
It had reached a level where even the Carbink felt scorching hot.
"Still haven't found Xerneas?!"
Sachima's angry voice echoed throughout the entire underground Diamond Domain.
The Carbink trembled in fear.
This was the first time they had seen Sachima in such a state.
"Sachima~"
A gentle yet majestic voice drifted over, instantly calming the irritable Sachima down.
"Princess..."
Sachima turned around to look at Diancie, its two ears drooping.
"Don't be angry. Actually, you had already anticipated this, right?"
Diancie revealed a gentle smile. She reached out and hugged the Carbink in front of her; this was her most important family.
"I..."
Tears welled up in Sachima's sea-blue eyes.
Yes.
It had known for a long time, having heard it from the previous minister.
The destiny of all past Diancie was, when the underground Diamond Domain was on the verge of destruction, to sacrifice themselves to become a new Sacred Diamond, thereby extending the lifespan of the underground Diamond Domain.
But they had received a new method from Elder Kazuya.
Sachima originally thought this fate could be changed.
The destiny of all past Diancie would end in its hands, and this secret could rot in its stomach forever.
But...
"It's okay... I had thought of this long ago."
Diancie reached out and stroked its head, flashing a proud smile at it, "I have my smart moments sometimes too."
Where did the past Princesses go?
Such a question.
She had considered it a long, long time ago.
And she had found the answer a long, long time ago.
At that time, Diancie had already understood that, in reality, every Princess must have anticipated her own ending in her heart long ago.
Similarly.
They had all made the same decision—they must definitely save this country that deeply loved them.
"Princess! Let's escape..."
"Sachima."
"...Princess?"
"I said before, I would definitely be of great use."
At this moment, an unprecedented resolution appeared in Diancie's eyes.
She remembered the matter concerning Florges and the Dragon Clan.
She also remembered the matter concerning Jirachi and the Pokémon Village.
And she remembered even more the matter concerning Kazuya and his family member.
In the past, she didn't understand.
Today, she understood.
Looking at the Sacred Diamond that had lost all its color and was falling down, Diancie pounced on it without any hesitation.
At that final moment.
She turned her head and revealed a smile more dazzling than a diamond to Sachima: "Sachima."
"Have I now become a qualified Princess?"
~~~
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