Chapter 751: Thirty Years East of the River, Thirty Years West of the River
After a round of questioning.
Scizor reluctantly explained the ins and outs of the matter.
He seemed somewhat unwilling to tell Kazuya about this, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Simply put...
Scizor was beaten up by a member of his own species.
And it was a Scizor that hadn't Mega Evolved and was weaker than him.
This naturally made Scizor feel humiliated.
"Oh, is that Scizor the current overlord of Mt. Silver?"
"So-rai."
Scizor shook his head.
Magical beasts possessed no intelligence and barely thought. Gaining their reverence and recognition was impossible.
Overlords had long ceased to exist in this world.
At least.
He hadn't encountered one in all these years.
"Can you handle this thing yourself?"
Kazuya pointed at the black gas.
This shadow energy.
Was like a zombie virus, able to spread through wounds.
Fortunately, it only infected Pokémon and not humans, otherwise this world probably wouldn't have lasted this long.
"No problem! Right now, it's just attached to the surface of the wound. With my strength, it won't invade my body. I just need to slowly expel it little by little."
Scizor confidently patted his chest.
Even he didn't realize it.
In front of his master, his behavior was much more childish than usual.
He was a Pokémon that had lived for over three hundred years.
Among Bug-type Pokémon.
This age made him an ancestor; he was only a few decades younger than Kazuya's actual age.
If Scizor didn't also have the long-lived Steel typing to balance things out, he never would have lived to this day.
"How long will it take?"
Kazuya pinched his chin and asked.
"Emmm... Seven days."
"Seven days, huh? Alright, seven days from now, we hit back."
"Ah?!"
"What? Are you scared?"
Kazuya frowned, glaring at Scizor, exuding an imposing aura without being angry.
With a height of 1.5 meters.
He stood with the presence of 150 meters.
"..."
Scizor guiltily nodded in a hurry, not daring to meet Kazuya's eyes.
To anyone who didn't know.
They would think it was the God of Wood and a little Scyther standing there.
Little did they know.
The latter could currently instantly kill the former.
"Master, fighting that guy is very troublesome..."
"I know. Because after being injured by it, you have to divert a portion of your attention to resist the invasion of the shadow energy, so you end up fighting timidly and ultimately choose to run away, right?"
"Yes."
Scizor nodded.
He inwardly sighed; as expected of his master.
Having just learned about the existence of shadow energy, he could immediately deduce so much.
"This little bit of trouble makes you want to retreat?"
"Master... It's the only way to survive in this world."
Scizor responded with a hint of grievance.
"...True."
After hearing this, Kazuya nodded, then turned his back. "In a few days, I will set out to find some old friends, to see if they are still alive and if I can get any information about Meowscarada."
"I'll go too."
Scizor hurriedly stood up.
"No, you stay here."
Kazuya shook his head.
"Why?"
"The path I am about to tread is full of danger. I could lose my life at any moment. I have already prepared myself for death."
What about you?
Kazuya didn't say these words out loud.
But his eyes had already told Scizor.
The path he was going to take.
Could absolutely not be walked without an unwavering, desperate resolve.
If the Scizor of today didn't even dare to fight a magical beast weaker than himself, then what would happen tomorrow if he encountered a corrupted Ho-Oh on this path?
To be honest.
Kazuya might run.
He felt there was no shame in running away from an opponent he couldn't beat.
However.
Scizor's situation was different.
He could beat his opponent.
He was injured at the time, worried about being invaded by shadow energy, so he temporarily retreated. Kazuya thought there was nothing wrong with this action.
But after the wound heals, why not dare to fight again?
Was he feeling fear?
In the future, when facing an opponent he couldn't beat and couldn't escape from, was he just going to surrender and await death?
Kazuya remembered that Scizor wasn't like this in the past.
Facing that powerful Little Shadow Lugia, no matter how many times he was knocked down, he bravely charged forward with Meowscarada.
And now...
The heart of the strong in Scizor had already been shattered by this cruel and desperate world.
Kazuya didn't blame him.
But he wouldn't bring along a Scizor like this.
No matter who he faced.
Kazuya would not retreat.
Fleeing temporarily wasn't a disgrace, starting over again was the mark of a true man.
He had finally grasped the hope of finding Meowscarada.
No matter what was waiting for him ahead, Kazuya would not turn back.
If Scizor couldn't do this.
Then Kazuya wouldn't take him along.
For a Scizor who just wanted to survive, staying on Mt. Silver was the best choice.
Just pretend he had never appeared.
"..."
Scizor fell into a sudden silence after hearing this, then his eyes grew resolute. "I want to go."
He had to go.
Whether to repay Kazuya's past kindness or for the sake of his good friend, Meowscarada.
Scizor knew that Kazuya's current strength wasn't high, and going out would inevitably lead to many dangers. Furthermore, he didn't know enough about this world yet; it wouldn't do for him to be without an escort.
Also.
He had made a promise with Meowscarada back then.
[Next time we meet, let's fight together again.]
Therefore.
He had to go.
"Please rest here for a week, Master. I will prove to you that I am qualified to stay by your side."
Scizor cupped his fists towards Kazuya.
It was a gesture only someone who was his disciple would understand.
"..."
Kazuya's gaze was fixed on Scizor, but it wasn't focused on him.
As if crossing a distance of thirteen hundred years.
It landed on a Scyther.
The exact same words from back then slipped from his throat: "Once your injury heals, we'll go find that guy and let him know what it means by thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the young for being poor..."
Upon saying this.
Kazuya couldn't help but purse his lips into a smile.
He remembered back then.
Scyther had lost the battle for the position of leader, was blinded in one eye by the young new leader, and almost died in the wild. But Kazuya accidentally saved him, encouraged him, and they fought their way back.
These were the words Kazuya had said to Scyther at the time.
Looking at the somewhat confused Scizor in front of him, he patted his shoulder and explained, "Those are words I once said to your ancestor."
During his third life.
Kazuya was still young, with many concerns and complex emotions in his heart.
So he hadn't told Scizor the story about him and Scyther at the time.
But now...
He could certainly tell him.
"Ancestor?"
The confusion in Scizor's eyes deepened.
He had never heard.
That his master also had a connection with his ancestor.
"Let me tell you a story about a Scyther. Thirteen hundred years ago, right here on this Mt. Silver, in this very cave..."
Kazuya pursed his lips and began to recall the past.
From being blinded in one eye and driven out of the pack on Mt. Silver, to later escorting Liz around the world, and finally welcoming the end alone in Laverre City...
A story that sounded dull and not very beautiful.
"So-rai..."
Scizor listened in a daze.
"The Dragonair who trained alongside Scyther back then... was me."
"So-rai?!"
Scizor was shocked beyond measure.
Of course, he had heard of that Dragonair! In the League Era, it was called the "Guardian Divine Dragon" by humans, a character comparable to Ho-Oh and Lugia!
It turned out that his master was already a big shot in this world long before becoming the God of Wood!
But in that case.
Didn't that mean his master had been reborn more than just once or twice?
At the same time.
It was only at this moment that Scizor understood.
Three hundred and twenty years ago.
Why, after hearing the story of his ancestor, his master had suddenly changed his itinerary and made the decision to stay in Laverre City and mentor him for three years before leaving.
At that time, Meowscarada had pressed him for answers for a long time.
But Scizor himself didn't know, so he didn't answer, earning quite a few scratches.
Only now did he know the answer.
"Quite a coincidence, isn't it? Me and Scyther, Meowscarada and you... Even though I don't really believe in destiny, this thing seems to constantly surround us."
Kazuya reached out, patted his head, and smiled.
"So-rai!"
Scizor nodded excitedly.
He was most fascinated by these talks about destiny.
However...
Some destinies.
Were better off not being repeated.
Scizor's expression quieted down. He looked up at Kazuya, then recalled Meowscarada.
He absolutely had to find Meowscarada.
The next morning.
The two Pokémon stayed up all night.
Talking for a long time.
It was rare to meet another living creature again, and a familiar person at that.
Scizor chased Kazuya with a barrage of questions about many things.
Kazuya also asked Scizor about this Mega form.
That was when he learned that roughly eighty years ago, in the middle of the Great Darkness event during League Calendar Year 270.
Professors from the leagues in various regions collaborated to research a Mega Evolution potion, giving some Pokémon the possibility to independently achieve permanent Mega Evolution.
Due to his formidable strength, Scizor was highly regarded by the League, and thus obtained a rare bottle of Mega Evolution potion. This allowed him to permanently maintain his Mega form, permanently enhancing his combat power.
Even though...
The Pokémon League was still ultimately defeated.
It wasn't until their biological clocks sensed it was about time that the master and disciple ended their conversation.
Scizor then moved the massive boulder blocking the cave entrance.
The two Pokémon walked out of the cave.
Kazuya looked up at the sky shrouded in thick fog, unable to stop himself from frowning deeply.
When he was just born yesterday, he had thought it was nighttime.
Who would have thought it was actually daytime?
And these Iron Thorn Trees on Mt. Silver...
It was probably because the sunlight was blocked that they had assumed this form that seemed not to need photosynthesis very much, right?
It was hard to imagine just how dark the nights in this world must be.
It was probably almost completely devoid of light.
However, for a Darkrai, the God of Darkness, that was actually better.
His own vision wouldn't be affected.
Instead, it would be difficult for enemies to spot him.
"Let's begin training. I'll give you some pointers."
"So-rai."
"If you don't want to be interfered with by shadow energy, as long as you aren't wounded by the enemy, you'll be fine. This is a very simple matter. When it comes down to it, you're still just a noob, which is why you got hurt. If you're a noob, you just need to practice more!"
"...So-rai."
The one-week training began.
Although Kazuya's combat power was currently inferior to Scizor's, in terms of close-combat skills, he could fight 10 Scizors at the same time.
So teaching him in this aspect was more than enough.
His opponent was also a Scizor who preferred close combat, inferior to Mega Scizor in all attributes, and whose brain was likely rendered not very smart by the shadow energy.
As long as his disciple honed his fighting skills, taking out the opponent without letting them inflict a wound would be a piece of cake.
With Mega Scizor's talent in the six base stats and his Technician ability...
Kazuya couldn't fathom how the Scizor managed to beat Mega Scizor.
This should have been a crushing defeat.
He really wasn't wrong to call his disciple a noob.
Playing a good hand of cards awfully.
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