Chapter 712: Call Me Master
After dinner, Kazuya and the three Pokémon followed Floette, strolling around the royal palace's backyard for several laps.
Of course.
It was mainly Floette and Diancie playing around in the flower fields.
Kazuya accompanied Volcanion, who refused to enter the flower fields, to the castle's rooftop to gaze at the night sky.
"Are we still going? To gather the mineral materials."
Volcanion turned to look at Kazuya beside Him.
His heart was somewhat conflicted.
"Do you want to go out and play?"
Kazuya smiled at Him.
Volcanion's inner thoughts naturally couldn't be hidden from Kazuya, who possessed Telepathy.
He didn't care about the mineral materials at all.
He was just looking forward to occasionally going to a further place to play with friends, rather than continuing to linger in the unchanging Allearth Forest and Nebel Plateau.
"Mhm."
Volcanion nodded frankly.
Actually, He was a tsundere kid.
But He also understood that in front of Kazuya, who could see through others' hearts, being tsundere was meaningless and would only make Himself embarrassed.
"Then let's go. We agreed to help AZ get that thing anyway."
"But, aren't you unwilling to let him forge that thing? What was it called... the Ultimate Weapon?"
Volcanion revealed a puzzled look.
Since he didn't want that thing to be forged, why help AZ gather the mineral materials needed for it?
"Naturally, it's best if the Ultimate Weapon isn't forged, but the Soul Heart needs to be created."
"Why?"
"Um... The Soul Heart is a great creation, and there is still a necessity to make it."
Kazuya pondered for a moment, but didn't explain too clearly.
Even setting aside Magearna, who would be born based on the Soul Heart in the future, a creation like the Soul Heart that can autonomously absorb natural energy to achieve "infinite energy" is indeed a great invention.
For example, Mauville City after being remodeled by Wattson.
If there was a Soul Heart as an energy source, the city wouldn't even need power plants or Electric-type Pokémon; the Soul Heart alone could make Mauville City a metropolis that operates forever.
It could even replace the twin gods of Alto Mare or Victini as the energy source to control Alto Mare or the Sword of the Vale.
In short.
It has many uses.
However.
The Soul Heart definitely couldn't be forged just by finding good materials. It required the combined efforts of grandmasters in mysterious science like AZ and XY to be created.
Missing this chance, he didn't know if there would be another opportunity to create the Soul Heart in the future.
Moreover.
Even if Kazuya didn't look for it.
AZ would still find ways to utilize the power of the Azoth Kingdom to locate those mineral materials. The Soul Heart was destined to be created.
Since that's the case.
It's better to just do AZ this small favor while out playing.
Consider it giving face to Floette, and also thanking them for their generous hospitality over the past half year.
"Oh, it's up to you to decide. When are we setting off?"
Anticipation showed in Volcanion's eyes.
"Tomorrow. Let's go back and tell everyone on the Nebel Plateau today."
"Okay."
With a word of agreement.
Kazuya and the three Pokémon headed back towards the Nebel Plateau under the night sky.
Both Diancie and Volcanion were quite looking forward to the upcoming journey.
So They stayed up all night.
Of course.
For these Mythical Pokémon, not sleeping for ten days or half a month wasn't a big problem.
The next day.
When Kazuya informed the plateau Pokémon about this matter.
Everyone gathered around him, rubbing their bodies against Kazuya to express their reluctance to part.
Having spent over half a year together.
Everyone's relationship was already very good.
"Di-lu-xi~"
Amaura looked at Kazuya with teary eyes, its short, chubby tail drooping behind it, looking as if it had lost all its vitality.
It was the most reluctant to let Kazuya go.
After all, in this life.
Kazuya and Amaura could be said to have grown up together.
The first Pokémon he saw upon opening his eyes in this life and the first Pokémon he met was this Amaura.
"I'll be back soon, 15 nights at most."
Kazuya reached out and rubbed the big, cool head on his stomach, comforting it.
The Nebel Plateau is located in the middle-eastern part of the Kalos region.
While Mt. Xiaoyao is in the westernmost part of the Kalos region.
This distance wasn't short.
Even with the stamina and speed of the three Pokémon, a round trip at full speed would take about five days.
And this journey was primarily to take Volcanion and Diancie out to play; gathering the mineral materials was just a side task.
So they couldn't possibly travel at full speed.
They had to spend some time letting them see the scenery and Pokémon along the way.
Let's call it ten days.
As for climbing Mt. Xiaoyao...
That wasn't considered a difficult task.
The reason it took so many days in his fifth life was because there were too many humans and young Pokémon traveling with him, and he needed to take care of their stamina and pace.
With the physical constitutions and abilities of the three of them.
Climbing Mt. Xiaoyao would actually be a piece of cake.
Perhaps it could be done in a day or two.
So the time Kazuya told Amaura was two weeks, which was already a relatively generous estimate.
"Hula~"
At this moment, Floette's voice came from above.
Kazuya and Amaura looked up, and immediately saw Floette, holding the little black flower, dropping from mid-air and landing right on Amaura's head.
"Di-lu-xi..."
Amaura blinked blankly.
The tears accumulated in its eye sockets instantly fell.
"Hula?"
Floette was stunned upon seeing this and quickly asked.
"Di-lu-xi..."
Amaura explained.
"Hula!"
Floette immediately patted her chest, indicating she wanted to go too.
"Ah? AZ probably doesn't know about this, right? Are you sure he'll let you go?"
"Hula!"
Floette hugged her flower and turned her head away, looking somewhat angry.
It seemed she had argued with AZ again, and might have even sneaked over here today.
"If you sneak away like this, he might get very worried."
"Hula!"
"..."
Kazuya looked at her helplessly.
You can't reason with a girl.
Especially when she's angry.
Floette was currently in a state where she wouldn't listen to anything.
"If you want to go, let's go together."
"Hula?"
Floette turned her head back and looked at Kazuya in some surprise.
She originally thought Kazuya would absolutely not let her tag along, and Floette had even planned to secretly follow them.
She didn't expect him to agree so easily.
"..."
Kazuya's cheek twitched.
It was precisely because he "heard" Floette's inner thoughts that he so easily decided to let her come along.
This way, at least Floette's safety was guaranteed.
If he let Floette secretly follow behind and she encountered some danger and lost her life halfway, wouldn't that be a huge problem?
This Princess of the Azoth Kingdom was different from the Princess of the Underground Ore Kingdom.
No matter how pathetic Diancie looked scurrying around with her head covered, at least the vast majority of Pokémon couldn't beat her to death.
But Floette's strength was very weak, and her body was fragile. Taking two punches might send her to the grave.
Perhaps the current AZ only wanted to forge the Ultimate Weapon.
But had no intention of activating it.
But if Floette kicked the bucket.
Then that would be another story.
"Hula~"
Floette happily hugged Kazuya's face, planted a kiss on his nose, extremely delighted.
Then she happily flew off to find Diancie.
Although the two little princesses had only known each other for a day, their relationship advanced by leaps and bounds, already developing to the level of besties.
"Di-lu-xi?"
Amaura looked enviously as Floette flew away, then stared at Kazuya with expectant eyes.
"No, you can't."
Kazuya pressed a hand on Amaura's face.
Suppressing it with one hand.
Floette could go.
Because she was willful and could fly.
The journey to climb Mt. Xiaoyao posed no threat to her life.
But Amaura was different.
With Amaura's body structure, trying to climb a high mountain of thousands of meters?
It would be a narrow escape from death.
In the end.
Under Amaura's somewhat unconvinced gaze.
The four Pokémon embarked on the journey to Mt. Xiaoyao.
The Kalos region three thousand years ago was still somewhat different from three thousand years later.
To put it bluntly.
The terrain wasn't as flat as it was later.
In the Kalos region three thousand years later, 70% of the land surface was an endless great plain.
Kazuya had even guessed in his previous life that the grassland where the Dragon Clan lived was actually the future Kalos region.
But looking at the current Kalos region.
That might not be the case.
The current Kalos region.
Every few hundred miles, there was a small mountain or high hill, and occasionally they would stumble upon small areas of sandy terrain.
In short, it definitely had nothing to do with a grassland.
At noon on the first day of departure.
The four Pokémon decided to take a short rest on a small hill.
"To the west is the territory of the Boulder Kingdom. Although I reckon those humans shouldn't dare to attack us, we should still be a bit careful and try to avoid human sight as much as possible, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble."
Kazuya instructed his traveling companions.
"Hula!"
"It's really true, the petals of this flower actually have three colors!"
The two little girls squatted on the grass nearby, observing a beautiful three-colored flower.
Even Volcanion couldn't help but stretch His neck upon hearing this, glancing from a distance and marveling inwardly.
Absolutely no one was listening to what Kazuya was saying.
"...Diancie, it's time for training!"
Kazuya's face turned stern, and he reached out, using Confusion to drag Diancie in front of him.
"Eh?!"
Diancie's pupils trembled violently, her face full of shock and reluctance.
Weren't they out to play?
Why did they still have to train?
"Eh what eh, from today on, you call me Master!"
Kazuya put his hands on his waist, reached out, and poked the pink jewel on Diancie's head.
Hard.
"But, Kazuya..."
Diancie immediately hugged her head with both hands, putting on a pitiful look.
"Call me Master!"
Kazuya glared.
"Master, I've caught a disease where I'll die if I train..."
Diancie feigned weakness and collapsed onto the ground.
This was what Floette taught her yesterday in the flower field to deal with Sachima. She didn't expect to use it to deal with Kazuya today.
"Hearing" this.
Kazuya narrowed his eyes and glanced at Floette, causing the latter to shiver.
"If you don't train properly, I'll send you back right now! I'll never take you out to play again!"
He remembered the words his parents said when he was a child, and directly copied them to throw at Diancie's head.
This trick is quite useful against children.
For the naive and innocent Diancie, it should also be effective.
Sure enough!
"Nooo! Master!"
Upon hearing this, Diancie immediately cried, hugging Kazuya's thigh and guaranteeing, "I will definitely train properly!"
"Mhm, teachable."
A satisfied smile appeared on Kazuya's face.
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