Chapter 197: The Belated Anniversary Gift
"Do you recognize the people in the photo? It's a coincidence, but that was taken over fifty years ago," Niven said, his spirits lifting slightly. He needed a distraction right now, and he didn't mind telling Will the story.
"Fifty years ago?" Will paused. If he remembered correctly, that was around the time Granny Sola's husband had traveled to the Unova region. So... was this man really her husband?
"That man's name was Wilheim. He was my father's senior apprentice. A truly... remarkable man," Niven's eyes brightened, as if recalling an incredible memory.
"I want to know his story," Will said, taking the Never-Melt Ice Crystal from his bag.
"That's..." Niven frowned at the shining, shattered flower inside. "Have you... met a woman named Sola?"
"Yes. This flower was a gift from her," Will nodded. He had taken it out for this very reason. If the man said Sola's name, it would prove that the "Wilheim" he spoke of was indeed her husband.
"...It seems fate really is a real thing in this world," Niven murmured, glancing down at the amulet in his own hand. He then pointed to the sofa. "Sit. I'll tell you about Wilheim."
"I'm all ears."
Niven's butler brought him a pure white jade flower and a pink, heart-shaped card. Under the curious gazes of Will and Meowscarada, Niven began his story.
...
"A 'thud' sounded at the door. My father, Nym, groggily opened it, wondering which hateful person was disturbing his sleep. The moment he did, a big palm slapped his face. My father's eyes widened, and he puffed out his stomach, sending the visitor flying back two meters."
"'What kind of move is that?!' Wilheim laughed, looking at my father's big belly. 'Nym, long time no see! How did you get so fat?'"
"...'Senior Brother?!' My father, Nym, rubbed his eyes, and when he saw who it was, he pounced on him. The two forty-something-year-old men hugged and laughed."
"Wilheim had studied martial arts in Unova, and my father was his junior. Their master adored them both. They were so strong they could even fight wild Pokémon. But then, a group of bandit trainers invaded, and their master's family was killed. To get revenge, the two young men split up. Wilheim went to Hoenn, and my father stayed in Unova. They never saw each other again. Both assumed the other had died."
"It was only when Wilheim and Sola were traveling in Unova by chance that they heard news of my father. He didn't have time to look for him then, but now, he had come back."
"...'Hisss?' A terrifying sound came from inside the house, and a frightening Pokémon flew out. A Cofagrigus."
"'Oh~ Cofagrigus, long time no see. You've evolved,' Wilheim smiled, patting the creature. He remembered when it was just a pitiful little Yamask. That Cofagrigus was also one of their martial arts apprentices. A Ghost-type learning karate... he hadn't learned anything, so he had just left with my father."
"Wilheim and my father chatted. My father introduced him to my mother, and to me—I was just a boy then. He invited Wilheim to stay. When Wilheim heard that my father was in the jewelry business, he immediately agreed. He wanted my father to craft a pure white jade flower for him... as a twentieth-anniversary gift for Sola. He said Sola would definitely cry tears of joy."
"To get the right materials, they had to go to a special place: the Abundant Shrine. But just as they got there, a war broke out among the local humans over the 'Reverent Gracedia' flowers that grew there. In their fighting, they destroyed the shrines on the other two islands, which summoned Tornadus and Thundurus. The two gods, after punishing the humans, started fighting each other."
"My father and Wilheim were separated by the resulting storm. My father was swept out to sea and never knew what happened afterward."
"According to the news reports, several powerful Pokémon fought and destroyed most of the islands. And Wilheim's body... was found under a pile of rubble."
Niven sighed, but he didn't know what Will had already guessed.
The black beast... Will's breathing hitched. He remembered what AZ had told him in the museum.
"The jade flower was made later. The card... he wrote it himself before he left for the shrine," Niven said, handing the items to Will. "I don't know where Sola lives, or if she's even still alive. But if you see her again, please give these to her."
After handing them over, Niven seemed to let out a sigh of relief. His father had been haunted by this undelivered gift until his dying day, feeling that he had been the one to cause his Senior Brother's death.
Will took the jade flower and the card, and his eyes instantly rippled. The scene before him changed. He was seeing the past from fifty years ago. His perspective was strange, as if he were the jade stone, held tightly in a human hand. He looked up. The hand belonged to Wilheim.
...
Tornadus and Thundurus's battle had awakened Landorus. He appeared and stopped their fighting. Wilheim, who had been hiding in a cave, thought it was all over. But in an instant, the sky went dark.
From the dark clouds above, a giant shadow emerged. It was a pure black, giant bird-like Pokémon, hundreds of meters long. Its eyes were scarlet, full of rage and greed. It dove from the sky. The three "Forces of Nature" turned to face it.
Wilheim, clutching the jade, looked up at the sky and whispered: "Sola, I love you... Was I the reason you came to love flowers?"
...
The vision stopped. But AZ's words had already provided the ending.
The battle had attracted the black beast... Shadow Lugia. The main boss from the game Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.
"Heh. To think that Shadow Lugia... was the black beast..." Will thought, his mind reeling.
This meant that the evil organization, Cipher, also existed in this world. And their methods were far more despicable than any of the other regional teams. But Will couldn't worry about that now. He only knew he had one more thing he wanted to do: kill that Shadow Lugia. Not for any great hatred, but because it had targeted him. And now... to avenge Sola.
"Thank you for telling me all this," Will said, nodding to Niven. It truly was fate. Sola had helped him; he had helped Nico and Niven; and Niven had, in turn, told him Wilheim's story.
"No... I should be thanking you. At least now... I'm not afraid of death anymore," Niven sighed, then coughed. "I'm sorry, I need to rest."
...
That night, in his guest room, Will looked at the photo on the wall—the one of the man holding the glass-framed flower.
The next morning, Will and Meowscarada set out, heading north again. But this time, Meowscarada could feel that Will was in a hurry. He was no longer the leisurely traveler he had been.
"Meow?"
"We're going to the Hoenn region," Will said, his voice firm.
According to Liz's phantom's route, she would have gone through Alola first, then to Hoenn, and finally back to Johto. But he didn't have time for Alola. It had been nine years since he had left Ever Grande City. Granny Sola had been eighty years old back then. He didn't know how much longer she would live. He was afraid that by the time he arrived, she would already be gone.
He had to get to Hoenn as fast as possible, to deliver Wilheim's anniversary gift, which was fifty years late.
And... he had to prepare for Shadow Lugia.
First, go to Hoenn and see Granny Sola. Then, go to the Tree of Beginning in Kanto and find Mew. After that, he would stay there and train, and research how to achieve a permanent Mega Evolution... until Shadow Lugia came for him. Then, he would team up with Mew and kill it.
"Meow?"
"Yes. I'll take you to see Granny Sola, and another little cat."
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