"There weren't any Pokémon inside. All I found was a place where Rayquaza once lived… and also a human made entirely of energy."
Afterward, Nathan carefully explained in detail everything that had happened to him inside the ruins.
When the village chief and Manager Kerry heard that there had been a human energy body inside, both of them froze in shock.
Human energy bodies—this was something they had never even heard of, not in stories, not in legends. Yet right here, within the bounds of their own Dream Valley, there was actually one in existence.
But when they heard that Yaya had been living alone inside the ruins for more than four hundred years, the old village chief couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pity for her.
Such a tiny little girl, all alone inside that desolate ruin for four entire centuries… how crushingly lonely must that have been?
"I've already told you everything about the situation inside. As for what you choose to do afterward, that's none of my business. But one thing—Yaya must be protected."
Nathan's voice grew firm and serious as he said this.
He absolutely wasn't joking. And this was a matter far too grave to joke about in the first place.
Having already witnessed the countless sinister methods used by the Dark Organization, Chiyou, Nathan's greatest worry right now was Yaya's safety.
If one day, Yaya's existence became known to the wider world, she would inevitably attract the attention of people with wicked intentions.
And once that happened… Yaya's life would become nothing less than a living hell.
That was something Nathan could never allow to happen.
"Don't worry. If we ever reveal anything about the ruins, we will absolutely guarantee Yaya's safety."
Manager Kerry patted his chest confidently as he spoke.
Even without Nathan's warning, Manager Kerry already understood the significance—and the rarity—of Yaya.
A human energy body. Just the name alone would be enough to draw hordes of curious people to Mirage Valley.
And those would only be the ones who came to gawk out of curiosity. There would also be those who came with the goal of capturing and studying her.
"Some time later, I'll come back to visit Yaya. As for whether you decide to make the ruins public or not, that's your business. I've got things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Once he finished speaking, Nathan turned to go.
Seeing this, the village chief and Manager Kerry didn't try to stop him. Instead, they personally escorted Nathan out.
But before even two minutes had passed since Nathan's departure, the parents of the two children arrived, leading their kids by the hand.
"Where's Nathan?"
The parents looked around, spotting the old village chief and Manager Kerry standing in the hotel lobby, and asked curiously.
"He already left. If you'd come just two minutes earlier, you could have caught him."
Manager Kerry shook his head as he replied.
Hearing this, both sets of parents sighed regretfully.
They had rushed over with their children as soon as they heard news that Nathan had returned, intending to express their gratitude to him in person.
But unfortunately, they hadn't made it in time.
They had originally planned to thank him properly, invite him for a meal, and even offer him some form of reward.
But now, it seemed they wouldn't get that chance.
After leaving Dream Valley, Nathan immediately set out for Grace City.
Originally, his purpose for coming had been to look for Pokémon. But after everything that had happened with the ruins, that matter had been completely pushed aside.
Fortunately, he still had Xerneas by his side.
With Xerneas accompanying him, even if he hadn't directly searched for Pokémon himself, the matter wouldn't be delayed.
…
Returning to his manor in Grace City, Nathan placed a phone call to Grog.
Barely fifteen minutes later, Grog came running over in a fluster, looking both excited and nervous.
"Boss, how did it go?"
He couldn't stop rubbing his hands together as he spoke.
Seeing Grog's expectant face, Nathan couldn't help but smile.
"Relax. When the time comes, I'll definitely make sure everything is arranged perfectly for you."
Nathan reassured him with certainty.
Grog's wedding was scheduled for March fifteenth—just two days away. That was more than enough time.
The wedding venue had been booked at a resort in the suburbs.
It wasn't that they didn't want to hold the ceremony in the city. It was simply that Nathan had decided to prepare something special, something different, for Grog.
If the wedding was held in the city, it would be troublesome to bring Pokémon to the event.
Once Grog had left, Nathan entered his own secret realm.
The very first thing he did upon arrival was instruct the system to forge the Rayquaza scales into armor.
The next second, a brand-new suit of battle armor appeared in his hands.
He weighed it in his palms. The armor was heavy—at least fifty jin, he estimated.
Its design was reminiscent of ancient scale armor.
The Rayquaza scales had been cut into square plates of varying sizes and arranged neatly across different sections of the armor.
The scales were strung together with thin, white cords.
Nathan didn't know what material these cords were made of, or whether their toughness would hold up.
Picking a random tree, he hung the armor on it.
"Mewtwo, come out."
Nathan released Mewtwo.
After all, this armor had been made specifically for it. And besides, Nathan also wanted to test its defensive strength.
"Attack the armor and see what happens."
Nathan pointed toward it as he gave the order.
Mewtwo followed his command, striking at the tree where the armor was hanging.
It deliberately held back its power.
At full strength, even a tree with a trunk a full meter in diameter would be obliterated by a single punch.
This time, using less than twenty percent of its power, Mewtwo's fist slammed into the armor.
The tree shook violently several times, then fell still.
Nathan quickly stepped forward, lifted the armor, and inspected the trunk beneath it.
There was only a small dent.
His eyes lit up immediately.
He could tell Mewtwo hadn't used its full strength. But even so, the force behind the punch had been at least a ton or two.
And yet, that much force hadn't managed to punch straight through the tree.
This proved the armor's defense was astonishing.
"Now try it with full power!"
Nathan's eyes gleamed as he stared at the tree.
Mewtwo nodded, clenching its fist as the muscles in its arm tightened.
The next moment—boom! A sonic boom rang out.
The tree was ripped from the ground, hurled through the air, roots and all.
Nathan rushed over and picked up the armor.
Beneath it, the tree trunk bore a dent three to four centimeters deep.
Such incredible defensive power!?
Even Nathan himself hadn't expected this.
Ordinarily, when Mewtwo struck a tree with full power, there would be only one result: the tree shattered into splinters.
But this time, because of the armor's protection, the tree hadn't broken apart—it had only been uprooted.
This meant the armor had absorbed at least seventy percent of the explosive force.
If Mewtwo wore this in battle, combined with its own defenses and the Navy Six Styles "Iron Body" technique, then among all Fighting-types…
It would be number one.
Undeniably number one.
With defense like this, Nathan felt the armor could even rival world-class Pokémon.
"Mewtwo, this armor is for you. Put it on."
He held the armor out.
Mewtwo didn't refuse. It took off its old armor and donned the new one.
Holding the discarded armor in his hands, Nathan sighed inwardly.
Mewtwo had chosen the right trainer to follow.
Even if nothing else was said, just this armor alone proved it.
In anyone else's care, not only would they never have provided it with new armor, they might not even have been able to train it properly.
And besides, the scars and wear on its old armor only proved one thing—its defensive strength had never been enough.
But with this new armor, forged from Rayquaza's shed scales, would there ever be a chance for such scars to appear?
Absolutely not.
In the entire world, there probably weren't even ten Pokémon capable of leaving marks on this armor.
"Should I store your old armor for you?"
Nathan raised it slightly as he asked.
Mewtwo stared at it for a long moment, then nodded.
Although it was reluctant to part with its old armor, which had accompanied it through so many battles, in the end it agreed.
Looking at Mewtwo clad in its new armor, Nathan nodded with satisfaction.
Compared to before, it had lost some of its battle-hardened aura, but gained something sharper instead.
If its old self had been like a scarred, seasoned veteran, then its new self was a warrior restored to peak form, ready to return to the battlefield.
The armor had been made perfectly to fit its body, keeping the same general shape as before. The only major change was in style.
From a sleek, futuristic look, it had become an ancient, dragon-scale style.
Its color too had shifted—from gray to green.
"In two days, you'll be facing your challenger. When that happens, this armor will show its worth. I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll be capable of when you fight in it."
Nathan said with anticipation.
"I feel like… even if I went up against that other Mewtwo right now, I could fight it evenly."
Mewtwo ran a hand along the surface of its new armor and couldn't help but murmur.
(End of Chapter)