Chapter 102: Alan and Liz
(BGM Recommendation: Flying Towards the Distant Sky)
On the front lines, the war had begun. The sky, which had been clear moments ago, was now covered in dark clouds, and a continuous light rain began to fall, mirroring the incredible sadness in Liz's heart.
"My Queen, Ares and Artemis are leading troops to attack from the rear," her general, Yu Long Lin, reported calmly. They were not panicked by being surrounded; they knew the Earth Kingdom was no match for them in a head-on battle.
"Let Fire and Mountain handle them," Liz commanded. "The rest, continue forward and defeat Hephaestus's forces first."
"Yes!"
"Annoying rain," Liz murmured, looking at the sky. "It just won't stop."
She rode her white horse through the Silver Mountain Road, her heart aching at the sight of the distant battlefield. The bodies of humans and Pokémon were scattered everywhere. Some people had used their own bodies to shield their partners from spears. Some Pokémon fought alone against impossible odds to protect their trainers. Some knelt beside the corpses of their beloved Pokémon, weeping in agony, while others guarded their fallen trainers until death.
Liz felt the same pain and struggle, but she gripped her spear and continued fighting—to ensure her comrades had not sacrificed in vain, and to bring about true peace.
"As long as humans are still competing," she murmured, as if explaining to her Pokémon, and also to herself, "Pokémon will continue to die in endless wars, becoming sacrifices to human hatred. I must win this battle. Only when wars between humans no longer occur will there be a chance to truly improve the relationship between our two peoples. Only then can the ideal of true peace arrive. I want to live in a time of peace with Alan, and with all of you!"
Just then, a force from the Royal Dragon Kingdom suddenly surged out from the Viridian Forest.
"Alan is here?!" Liz's face lit up with joy, but she was puzzled when she couldn't see his figure. She didn't have time to think. She led her troops forward, crushing the enemy in a pincer attack with the newly arrived naval force. Hephaestus's unit was annihilated, his own head pierced by Liz's spear.
"Where is Alan?!" she asked the fleet commander anxiously.
"My Queen, Lord Alan stayed on the sea route..." he quickly informed her of everything he knew.
After hearing his report, Liz's breathing became ragged. "You... go call Yu Long Lin," she ordered, her body suddenly feeling weak. "He will lead the troops from now on. Eliminate Ares and Artemis, then continue to the capital."
The battle on the front line was decided, but her heart was filled with so much unease she felt she had forgotten how to breathe.
"Little Flame, quick, fly south," she commanded, running to Charizard's side.
"My Queen?"
"I'm going to find Alan."
With those words, she mounted Charizard and headed south, her other Pokémon following close behind.
Under the sea, the world was lonely, quiet, and despair-inducing. Alan's body continued to sink. He could still see the sunlight from the surface, but he could no longer feel its warmth.
'Liz... you will definitely become the Queen of this land. Even without me, you can do it.'
'But... I don't want to die.'
He tried to move his arms, to throw away the cold Beedrill corpse and swim back to the sunlight. But his 'large movements' were nothing more than powerless drifts.
Scyther's figure appeared in his blurry vision, pulling him towards the surface. He broke through the water and was dragged ashore, but it made no difference. The sky was still overcast and weeping.
"Scyther..." his friend lay beside him, letting out a long, powerless sigh. He had never thought that the steady, strong Alan would die before him.
Alan's breathing grew weaker. He tilted his head, his hazy vision fixed on the sky above the mountains. He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of never seeing her again.
[Alan, you have to stay by my side forever.]
Okay.
[Alan, later we will travel all over the world together.]
Okay.
[Alan, don't leave me for so long again.]
Okay...
"Liz... I seem unable to fulfill the promises I made to you." A single, unwilling tear flowed from his now-gray eye.
Scene after scene from his two lives flashed before him like a revolving lantern.
22 years ago, a young Beedrill named "A Huang" met a little human girl in Mt. Silver. He was 18, she was 8. He raised her, cared for her, and for a few short days, he felt a purpose in a miserable first life.
2 years ago, a gentle Queen met a newly reincarnated Dratini pup. She named him Alan. He was 18, she was 28. She raised him, pampered him, and gave all her tenderness to her most beloved companion. They flew through the sky and into the ocean together. In his second life, he was truly happy.
"Alan!!!"
A mournful, painful cry echoed from above the mountains, but whether it was A Huang or Alan... he could no longer hear it.
[Inorin Note:
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