Chapter 729: I'm Not That Brave
Kazuya didn't dawdle.
He directly reached out, intending to pry the Soul-Heart out.
However, with his mid-Elite Four level strength, he unexpectedly couldn't budge this Soul-Heart in the slightest.
Kazuya also didn't have the time to carefully study why it couldn't be pried out.
He immediately tried other methods.
He attempted to use Teleport to transfer the Soul-Heart away.
As a result, the moment his Confusion touched it, it was instantly absorbed by the Soul-Heart!
Soft methods wouldn't work.
He could only use force.
He prepared to use physical means to forcibly destroy the Ultimate Weapon!
A stomp of Earthquake took the lead, crashing down on the Ultimate Weapon.
Bang!
A massive sound erupted.
But the Ultimate Weapon remained completely motionless.
It looked as if the Ultimate Weapon was indestructible.
In reality, the Soul-Heart had completely absorbed the Ground-type energy from Kazuya's foot, resulting in Kazuya's kick on the surface of the Ultimate Weapon not being Earthquake, but merely an ordinary kick.
Kazuya's eyes widened.
He found that he was actually completely helpless against this activating Ultimate Weapon?!
In this situation, the only one who could destroy the Ultimate Weapon through sheer physical brute force...
Seemed to only be Regigigas in His fully activated state.
That guy achieved godhood through the flesh; a casual punch from Him was comparable to many Pokémon using Mega Punch.
He closed his eyes in deep thought.
One second later.
Kazuya teleported away in the direction of Azoth.
In his memory, AZ and Floette came from this direction.
If he originally had to go find AZ, just the process of searching would probably take some time.
Now, as long as he proceeded along this direction, he would eventually run into him, saving a lot of search time. Then, bringing them over himself, it should be faster than before.
In the forest.
AZ and Floette didn't know what state the Ultimate Weapon was currently in.
They rode a horse swiftly towards the southeast while dodging the Magical Beasts they encountered on the road.
They had no time to fight these Magical Beasts.
With Floette's strength, she might not necessarily be able to defeat those Magical Beasts anyway.
"Hula..."
Floette nestled in AZ's embrace, sighing with a bit of a headache.
This journey had truly exhausted her.
Although she didn't do anything.
But the constant bumping and the fear and anxiety along the way also left Floette feeling mentally and physically drained.
She wasn't that great Florges from the underground world.
She was just an ordinary little flower.
"Since you are so tired, why did you still come over? Actually, you could have stayed in Azoth, and I also hoped you would stay there."
AZ looked at Floette with some heartache.
He knew that what he was going to do today was extremely dangerous.
Therefore.
He didn't want Floette to brave the danger with him.
"Hula."
Floette curled her lip, too lazy to respond to AZ.
She recalled the earnest oath that young boy made standing by the flower field decades ago.
[Flabébé and I, whether it's ten years or twenty years, will always be together.]
Back then, when she was still a Flabébé, it was precisely because of this sentence that she voluntarily flew out of the flower field, followed the First Prince of the Azoth Kingdom, and returned to the royal palace with him.
Of course.
Back then, how would Floette know what a prince was?
She had no idea she had latched onto someone powerful.
There was no such concept as "wealthy and powerful" in the Pokémon world, especially in this cruel era of Magical Beasts.
When they first returned to the palace.
A bunch of soldiers pointed their swords, spears, and halberds at her.
Floette actually thought those people were going to hunt AZ, and protected him like a cat whose fur stood on end.
Who would have thought.
The one those people wanted to stab was actually herself.
Recalling past events.
Floette couldn't help but cover her mouth and snicker.
She remembered when she first appeared, she even scared the young XY-kun into crying out loud.
It was only a guy like AZ, who could easily accept anything, that would so readily accept a Magical Beast like Flabébé.
"What are you laughing at?"
AZ looked at Floette's secretly delighted appearance, not knowing what she had thought of, but simply chuckled along with her.
However, Floette's current appearance.
Reminded him of the day he received the scepter from his Royal Father.
Floette didn't know what that meant.
She just kept lying on his head snickering, laughing so much that he felt somewhat awkward at the time.
And the reason Floette was snickering back then was also very simple—it was only because the scepter, which symbolized the royal power of the Azoth Kingdom, looked very ugly, like a rolling pin.
Floette also wouldn't know.
That the reason he could become his Royal Father's favored heir to the throne.
Was also because of her.
His father and Jax's ancestors came from the same tribe.
Any descendant from this tribe highly revered the Ancient Dragon Clan, superstitious to the point of making a man of science like AZ feel a chill down his spine.
And in the records left behind by those ancient totems.
For the Ancient Dragon God to become the supreme deity that dominated the world, the assistance of a Floette holding a black flower was indispensable, as was the help of a biological brother.
Yes, very coincidentally.
AZ had a biological younger brother, and he had also become partners with an Eternal Flower form Floette.
Furthermore.
In the contents unknown to humans.
That dragon father of the Ancient Dragon God was also once the overlord of the Fire Dragon Mountain Range, corresponding to AZ's father, the Emperor of the Azoth Kingdom.
Everything was so similar to what the totems had passed down.
Therefore.
AZ's father believed.
That AZ, who could hold Floette in his hands, was definitely the destined next Emperor.
Even if.
His second son, XY, displayed even more outstanding talent and temperament.
He still resolutely chose AZ.
Except.
AZ had always wanted to correct one point:
It wasn't that he controlled Floette; it was Floette who chose him.
"Hula."
Floette turned her head away, not answering, but the corners of her mouth remained turned up, looking extremely cute.
"..."
AZ grinned and shook his head helplessly.
Floette was always like this, not saying a word, making it impossible for him to guess what this child was thinking.
But actually, thinking about it now.
He didn't need to figure out what Floette was thinking.
As long as she was happy.
Then nothing else mattered.
He looked up at the deep forest ahead that looked as if it wanted to devour people.
His smiling expression gradually became serious.
Even if just for Floette.
He absolutely had to stop the Ultimate Weapon from destroying Kalos.
Moreover, that was his own fault to begin with, so it should be him who made amends for it.
Rustle~
The tree canopy ahead shook violently.
AZ's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on the reins, preparing to bring the horse to a halt.
But the next moment, when he saw that tall, elegant figure appear before his eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief again.
"Kazuya?"
AZ called out tentatively.
Although some changes had occurred in his appearance, AZ felt that the Magical Beast appearing before him was Kazuya.
"Hula!"
Floette, on the other hand, recognized Kazuya at a glance.
After all, Pokémon recognize faces.
Although Kazuya had evolved.
But his face was still that face; in Floette's eyes, it hadn't changed, at most he was just a bit more mature and elegant.
"Mhm, it's me. No time for nonsense, come with me."
Kazuya stepped forward, grabbed the two of them, and instantly disappeared from the spot.
The poor horse looked around, then immediately bolted, preparing to flee this dangerous forest.
AZ only felt the scenery before him constantly shifting, his stomach churning violently.
But before he could throw up.
The three had already arrived at their destination.
When AZ clearly saw the giant bronze device beside him.
His eyes immediately widened, completely ignoring the feeling in his stomach, he threw himself directly at it: "...Is this the Ultimate Weapon built by Jax?!"
"Mhm, that's right. The Soul-Heart has already been loaded inside. I can't take it out. I tried to destroy it, but the energy just gets absorbed."
"Good thing you didn't do that."
AZ breathed a sigh of relief, took off the bundle on his back, and took out the tools inside one by one, beginning to operate them. "The Soul-Heart's energy has already finished accumulating, and is now being blocked by the Ultimate Weapon. Once you destroy the Ultimate Weapon, its energy will lose its blockage and instantly explode."
Hearing this.
A drop of cold sweat instantly rolled down Kazuya's forehead.
It seemed he had still been too reckless earlier.
But it couldn't be helped.
Even if he waited, the Ultimate Weapon would still activate.
Might as well give it a try.
"Can it be resolved?"
Kazuya looked at the dragon's mouth that was already half open, his gaze shifting to AZ.
"..."
AZ's lips moved. Along with the movements of his hands, his gaze grew increasingly dark. After a long while, he finally nodded at Kazuya, "Leave it to me."
"..."
Kazuya didn't speak, just quietly stared at AZ's back.
He had telepathy...
The Soul-Heart could no longer be dismantled.
When Jax designed this Ultimate Weapon, he never intended for the Soul-Heart to be taken out.
Probably worried that someone might secretly dismantle and steal the Soul-Heart just like he did, he made some slight modifications when designing this Ultimate Weapon, making it impossible to remove the Soul-Heart.
Therefore.
The Ultimate Weapon.
Can it really still be resolved?
Kazuya quietly muttered in his heart.
It was his first time encountering such a difficult problem where he was completely helpless.
"Fortunately, I didn't think I would be able to dismantle the Soul-Heart again from the start, so I modified this."
AZ pulled out a "Soul-Heart" from his bundle.
"You made another Soul-Heart in such a short time?"
Kazuya took a glance and asked.
"This is not a Soul-Heart... This is something my brother and I modified using a failed prototype of the Soul-Heart. We can tentatively call it... the Moment-Heart."
AZ gripped the metal ball in his hands tightly, his gaze becoming increasingly calm.
"What is the use of this?"
Kazuya immediately asked.
"It can seize highly concentrated natural energy in a short amount of time, and then... delay the time until the energy detonates."
AZ pressed the Moment-Heart against the Soul-Heart.
The neon-colored light permeating the Soul-Heart was rapidly sucked into the Moment-Heart at a speed visible to the naked eye.
But due to the special structure of the Ultimate Weapon.
AZ had to keep holding the Moment-Heart to ensure the two remained in contact and conducted the energy transfer; otherwise, the Moment-Heart would drop to the ground.
"What if the energy inside the Soul-Heart exceeds what the Moment-Heart can absorb?"
Kazuya glanced at the neon-colored natural energy and probed further.
"The excess energy naturally won't be absorbed and will still be fired by the Ultimate Weapon. But presumably, the excess won't be too much, at least not enough to destroy the Allearth Forest. I can't be sure either..."
"But that's fine too. I want to use that burst of energy to shoot the Moment-Heart beyond the sky, to prevent it from detonating on the surface and ruining all our previous efforts."
AZ sat beside the Ultimate Weapon, glanced at Floette, who looked somewhat lost, and then looked at Kazuya. "I want to ask a favor of you."
"Actually, you can let me do this. Perhaps I have a chance..."
"This disaster was born because of me, and it must be ended by me. I have already implicated too many, and I don't want anyone else to die because of me."
AZ shook his head firmly, informing Kazuya of his resolve. "Perhaps I am not a qualified King, but at the very least, I must be a qualified man. Leave this matter to me."
At the same time.
He was also waiting for Kazuya's response.
"...I understand."
Kazuya took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
"Thank you."
AZ smiled at him, then picked up Floette, reaching out to wipe her dusty little face.
"Hula?"
Floette tilted her small head in confusion.
She couldn't quite understand the words Kazuya and AZ were saying.
But this feeling in her heart, she could clearly understand it was "unease".
"Floette, meeting you was truly wonderful."
AZ kissed Floette's small head and whispered softly in her ear.
With his words finished.
He personally handed Floette into Kazuya's arms, his tone full of reluctance: "Please take care of Floette for me."
"Alright."
"Also, help me tell XY something: I'm sorry I took his throne."
"Mhm."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye..."
Kazuya held Floette and said goodbye to AZ. His feet shifted slightly, and he instantly disappeared from the spot.
But having only used Teleport once.
He felt a sharp pain in the arm holding Floette.
Looking down.
It was actually Floette biting his arm.
"Hula!"
"No, I promised AZ to keep you alive."
Kazuya shook his head.
"Hula!"
Floette bit him again, crystal-clear teardrops constantly falling from her two eyes.
She had already realized what was about to happen.
So she was truly heartbroken.
Floette didn't know what she should do, nor did she know what she could do, but she wanted to return to AZ's side.
She had heard about Florges from Diancie.
She really admired that Florges could make such a choice.
However.
Floette respected her, but didn't want to become her.
She wasn't that brave.
To be able to continue living strongly alone in this world after losing her beloved family and friends.
Therefore...
"I beg you, Kazuya... Just let me return to his side..."
Floette hugged Kazuya's arm, looking at him with teary eyes, wailing loudly, her tiny body trembling non-stop.
[AZ and I, whether in life or in death, will always be together.]
"..."
Kazuya's pupils trembled, and his lips moved slightly.
He wanted to say some words of persuasion.
But the image of Florges holding him and his younger brother, wailing loudly in his previous life, floated before his eyes. Kazuya instantly felt a lump in his throat, unable to utter a single word.
In the end.
He still let go of his grip.
He had clearly promised AZ, yet he still couldn't do it.
The promise made by a man.
Was ultimately broken by himself.
Uncle Tom, Corphish, am I still a man like this...
"Hula!"
Floette thanked Kazuya, placed the precious Eternal Flower she was holding into Kazuya's hand, and then desperately turned around, flying towards the direction where AZ was.
Kazuya lowered his head.
Looking at the gently swaying Eternal Flower in his hand.
His heart was speechless for a long time.
"You are very brave."
He whispered to the empty forest, not knowing who he was saying it to.
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