Chapter 102: Lan and Liz
The Dragonite Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Land were now engaged in an all-out war. The sky, which had been clear just a moment ago, was now covered in dark clouds, and a continuous rain, though gentle on the face, made Liz's heart sink.
"Lady Liz, Ares and Artemis are charging from the rear with their troops," one of her top generals, Drake of the Dragonite Clan, reported calmly, his voice unchanged. They were not panicked about being surrounded, because they had already seen that in a direct confrontation, the Land Kingdom was no match for them. To put it bluntly, as long as nothing else went wrong, they would win this battle sooner or later, encirclement or not.
At this point, General Drake's unit alone was enough to handle Hephaestus's army at the front.
"Send General Vulcan and General Stone to deal with them. The rest of the army, continue the advance. Defeat Hephaestus's unit first."
"Yes!"
General Drake immediately relayed the order.
"This annoying rain. It just won't stop," Liz said, looking up at the sky. She raised a hand to her chest plate, as if trying to calm her restless heart.
The war raged on. Blood stained the earth.
Liz rode her white horse across the Mt. Silver Road, her gaze falling on the distant battlefield, and her heart ached. The bodies of humans and Pokémon were scattered everywhere. Some people had used their own bodies to block spears meant for their Pokémon. Some Pokémon were protecting their Beast-Callers, fighting off seven or eight enemies at once. Some people knelt beside the corpses of their Pokémon, sobbing, their will to fight gone. Some Pokémon, covered in blood, stood guard over their fallen masters, refusing to retreat even in the face of death.
Many who saw this scene were struck with pain and anguish. Liz was no different. But even so, they had to grip their weapons and continue to fight. They fought so that their comrades would not die in vain, and so that true peace might one day come.
"Gliscor..." Scorp watched the Beast-Callers and their Pokémon, at a loss. He didn't know if what they were doing was right or wrong. He was confused.
"War... is necessary," Liz murmured, as if explaining it to Scorp, and perhaps to convince herself.
"As long as humans are in conflict, Pokémon will be endlessly dragged into war and die in great numbers, becoming sacrifices to human hatred. I must win this fight. Only when humans stop warring with each other will we have a chance to truly mend the relationship between our two peoples. Only then can that ideal of peace truly arrive."
Liz pursed her lips, gripping her spear tightly. Her gaze, fixed on the battlefield, no longer wavered.
"I will live in an age of peace, with Lan, and with all of you!"
Just then, a disturbance broke out on the front lines. A unit from the Dragonite Kingdom had suddenly charged out of the Viridian Forest.
"Is Lan here?!" Liz's face lit up with joy. But she was confused; she couldn't see his figure.
Before she could think any more, she led her remaining troops surging forward, pinching the enemy from both the front and the rear. Hephaestus's light cavalry unit had never expected an attack from behind. With their escape route cut off, they were quickly annihilated. Liz herself pierced Hephaestus's head with her spear.
"Where is Lan?!" Liz scanned the battlefield, but still saw no sign of him. She asked anxiously.
"Lady Liz, Lord Lan remained on the sea route..." the fleet commander quickly told her everything he knew.
"...You. Go and get General Drake for me."
For some reason, after hearing the commander's words, Liz's breathing became uneven. She leaned a hand on her horse for support.
"Lady Liz."
"From now on, you are in command. Take out Ares and Artemis, then continue the advance toward the Land Kingdom's capital. Do you hear me?" Liz commanded quickly, sliding off her horse.
The main battle was decided. The Kingdom of the Land had lost. But her heart was filled with an anxiety so great she felt like she had forgotten how to breathe.
"Blaze, quickly. Fly south," she said. Her body felt weak, but she still managed to run to Charizard's side.
"Lady Liz?"
"I'm going to find Lan."
With those words, she mounted her Charizard and flew south. The rest of her Pokémon, save the two Gyarados, followed close behind.
...
What did the ocean look like from below?
Unlike the sight he had seen before, the ocean in Will's eyes today was terrifying. It was lonely, silent, and filled with despair.
His body was still sinking, and with every moment, the warmth left it. It wasn't that deep here. He could still see the sunlight coming from the surface, but he could no longer feel its warmth. Any deeper... and he probably wouldn't be able to see the sun at all.
Liz... you will definitely become the ruler of this land. You will definitely bring a better future to the Pokémon here. You can do it, even without me.
But...
"I don't want to die."
Will moved his arms. He pushed away the ice-cold body of the Beedrill and used his hands to paddle at the surrounding seawater, wanting to return to the sunlight.
I can't die yet.
He used all his strength to kick his limbs, trying to swim back to shore. But what his mind perceived as "powerful strokes" were, in reality, just feeble twitches, floating uselessly in the current.
The figure of a Scyther appeared in his vision. Will's eyes could no longer see clearly, but he could make out his friend swimming to his side, carrying him up towards the surface.
Splash.
The old Scyther finally broke the surface with Will and brought him back to the shore. But what good did it do? The sky was still raining, a depressing sight. The Rain Dance hadn't continued; it was the sky itself that was crying.
Does the sky cry? And for whom was it crying?
"Scy...ther..."
The old Alpha lay on the beach beside Will. The other Scyther stood around them, despondent. He turned his head to look at the body next to him, which was already turning pale, and let out a long, helpless sigh. He had never thought that Will—so steady, so smart, so strong—would die before him. He just wanted to quietly accompany him on this final part of his journey.
The rise and fall of Will's body was becoming weaker and weaker. He tilted his head, his blurry vision fixed on the sky above Mt. Silver.
He wasn't afraid of death. What was there to be afraid of? He still had many "next times."
But... in this life, there were still so many things he hadn't done. What he was afraid of was... that he would never see her again.
That he would never have the chance.
"Lan, you have to stay by my side forever."
Okay.
"Lan, in the future, we'll travel the world together."
Okay.
"Lan, don't leave me for so long again."
Okay.
"Lan..."
Okay...
"Liz..."
I don't think I can keep my promises to you.
Will's throat moved slightly. His once bright, lively eyes were now gray and dim, and tears of regret streamed from them, flowing down his face and into the pool of blood beneath him.
"Scyther..."
Hearing Will's voice, the old Alpha got up and looked at him. Its own eyes began to moisten. It raised its scythe and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of Will's eye, then turned away and covered its own face.
The past scenes flashed before Will's eyes like a revolving lantern, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
[22 years ago.]
[A young Beedrill who had not yet become an Alpha met a dirt-covered little human girl who had wandered into Mt. Silver. He brought her home. She named him Goldie. He learned her name was Liz. In those days, he took care of her, feeding her berries, huddling with her for warmth, taking her for baths. Though it was only for a few days, it was as if he had raised her. Back then, he was 18. She was 8. He had made a mess of his first life. It was bitter and unhappy, to the point where he had begun to wish for death.]
[2 years ago.]
[A gentle, wise queen at the height of her power met a newly reincarnated infant Dratini. She brought him back to the palace and showered him with love. She named him Lan. He learned that she was Liz. Liz held him and refused to let go, insisting on doing everything for him herself: feeding him with a bottle, helping him molt, and cleaning up his messes at the academy. And the little Dratini grew and grew, becoming a beautiful creature famous throughout the nation. Lan took Liz flying into the sky, above the clouds, and into the sea. Snowflakes, clouds, and seawater were all delivered into her hands by him. He made her the happiest girl in the kingdom, and Liz, without reservation, gave all her tenderness and patience to the Lan she loved so dearly. Though it was only for half a year, it was as if Liz had raised him. That year, he was still 18. But she was 28. He felt that his second life was full of happiness. He didn't want to die at all. He wanted to live on. Lan, to protect Liz, to realize their ideal, forced himself to become stronger, running off to the perilous Mt. Silver to train alone for two years, and even found many new partners for her.]
[Two years later.]
[Lan returned to the palace. The queen, usually so composed, threw all grace and decorum to the wind, running barefoot across the lawn and leaping into his arms. They promised never to be separated again. When the war was over, they would travel the world together and build an age of peace.]
[They had set out for different battlefields. But... it seemed Lan was about to break his promise.]
I want to see you one more time. One last time. From south to north. From beginning to end.
"LAN!!!"
A piercing, grief-stricken cry echoed from the sky above the Mt. Silver range, along with the calls of several other Pokémon.
But whether it was Goldie or Lan... he could no longer hear it.
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