Chapter 803: You Are My First Friend
["You're going to put this inside your body?! Do you know how much damage this thing will do to you?"]
Heatran looked at the foolish pillar in front of It in astonishment.
If It absorbed this Plate, the powerful force would merge with the Fire-type energy inside It, causing It to lose its mind and go berserk.
But.
At least it wouldn't endanger Its life.
But for Regice to absorb this thing, how was it any different from seeking death?
Even if It didn't die from the corruption of shadow energy someday in the future, It would eventually die from the damage caused by the Flame Plate.
["I know... but I have already made my resolve..."]
Regice held the Flame Plate, Its will becoming ever firmer. ["This is one of the few things I can do. I will protect this Plate until he arrives."]
I am willing to pave the way for him with my life.
With that said.
Regice no longer hesitated.
It controlled Its body, absorbing the scorching Plate inside.
Steam and meltwater simultaneously surged from Regice's body. It was enduring unparalleled agony, yet even so, It didn't intend to stop what It was doing.
["You..."]
Heatran's eyes widened, looking at this scene in incomprehension.
["Heatran, believe me, Kazuya will definitely save this world. Help me."]
Regice reached out and placed a hand on Heatran's shoulder, speaking word by word with Its life.
["...Alright! Just hide deep within the magma. My presence and the magma will help you conceal the aura of the Flame Plate."]
["Thank you."]
["It's nothing. After all, you are my only friend."]
...
Whoosh—!!
An Ice Beam shot towards Kazuya.
He easily twisted away from it.
Logically speaking.
This was an excellent opportunity to attack.
But after dodging the Ice Beam, Kazuya didn't make a next move. He simply hovered in mid-air, quietly looking up at the sky.
Snowflakes fell.
Landing on Kazuya's shoulder.
As if trying to press him back to the Alabaster Icelands of three hundred years ago.
The aura of danger made Kazuya's hair stand on end, bringing him back to his senses.
He turned his head to look at Regice below.
The latter had raised Its hands and already "locked on" to him.
The level difference between the two was minimal.
This next attack.
Kazuya probably couldn't dodge it.
"Regice... The Flame Plate is very important to me. I might... have to kill You."
Kazuya murmured, swooping down towards Regice.
["Do you know the price behind those words?"]
["I am already prepared to bear any price."]
Including killing my best friend with my own hands.
A flash of pain and determination crossed Kazuya's blue pupil. Facing the incoming Zap Cannon, he charged right into it headfirst.
The power of the Zap Plate fully erupted at this moment.
The crackling electric current.
Failed to cause even the slightest bit of damage to Kazuya.
This was the power of the Plate.
A pitch-black figure darted out from the blinding golden light, and Kazuya slammed a rapidly spinning Focus Blast right onto Regice's head with one hand.
"Regi..."
Regice let out an unconscious cry of pain.
Kazuya gritted his teeth.
Immediately, he raised his other hand and pressed it against Regice's face. Pink light instantly manifested before Its eyes.
Hypnosis.
He watched as the red dots of light on Regice's body flickered incessantly, finally falling silent.
This meant Regice had shut down.
Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief: "Nightmare Corridor."
Dying in a dream wouldn't be as painful.
Inside the dream.
A vast, white snowy plain reflected before his eyes. The scene below left Kazuya stunned.
He saw Regice standing in front of the ruins of an igloo.
Beside Him stood a giant Sceptile and Meowscarada.
At this moment, the Sceptile fell silent as he looked at the shattered flower specimen in his backpack.
Auras of guilt and panic surfaced within the corrupted Regice. It raised Its hands blankly, waving them in mid-air. At this moment, the originally red dots of light on Its body actually reverted to their normal yellow color.
"Is this Regice's... nightmare?"
Kazuya tilted his head in confusion.
He hadn't controlled Regice's dream, so this was the nightmare within the big ice pillar's heart.
But this...
Wasn't this exactly what happened three hundred years ago?
Did that incident back then cause Regice so much pain?
Kazuya watched as the Sceptile below smiled and comforted the guilty Regice, and then he and Meowscarada split up and walked into the small forest in the distance.
Seeing this, Kazuya in the sky scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly.
He remembered that he felt very sad at the time, so he made an excuse and ran off alone into the woods to cry secretly.
Regice stood frozen on the spot for a long time, seemingly forgetting what It was supposed to do.
A few minutes later.
It blankly headed in the direction the Sceptile had left.
Kazuya in the sky was stunned for a moment, not quite registering what was happening: "So, Regice followed me back then? I remember telling Him to rest up right there."
He didn't attack Regice in the dream.
Instead, he quietly followed.
Finally.
He saw Regice hiding behind a boulder, quietly staring at the Sceptile under a tree in the distance.
That Sceptile was carefully trying to reassemble the shattered flower specimen, but no matter what, it couldn't be restored to its original appearance.
"I'm sorry, Granny... I broke it."
A guilty and sorrowful murmur reached Regice's ears.
The big ice pillar hiding behind the rock trembled, and left despondently, returning to where It was.
A few minutes later.
Sceptile and Meowscarada returned with gathered herbs and berries.
Regice sat there as if It had lost Its soul. After lying down as Sceptile instructed, It didn't get up again, letting Kazuya and Meowscarada apply medicinal sap to It.
Late at night.
Regice got up alone.
It personally chipped off the sharp horn on top of Its head, carefully dug out the shattered specimen pieces, pieced them together with clumsy arms, and then fashioned them into a beautiful ice crystal plate.
Looking at the ice crystal plate in Its hand.
Regice slipped it back into Sceptile's backpack, and then headed towards the mountain peak alone in the blizzard.
Kazuya watched helplessly as Regice walked back to the peak step by step, and then crouched there pretending to sleep. Until the next day when Sceptile and Meowscarada came to say goodbye, It didn't wake up again.
It wasn't until the two friends set off again, heading north.
That Regice opened Its eyes, sending them off with snow drifting for miles.
"Did that incident stay with You for so long?"
Kazuya appeared behind Regice and let out a heavy sigh.
"Regi..."
Regice's body trembled.
It suddenly turned around, swinging Its arm to smash towards Kazuya.
Looking closely now.
Regice's eyes had reverted back to crimson red.
The battle broke out once again.
Lasting for a very, very long time.
In reality.
Kazuya and Regice opened their eyes simultaneously.
Regice dying in the dream caused It to jolt awake, and the damage from the Nightmare Corridor was directly calculated.
"Regi..."
Upon waking up, Regice realized Its condition was already extremely poor.
It decisively prepared to use "Explosion" to take Kazuya down with It.
"Regice, just sleep like this."
Kazuya raised his hand, pressed a black energy sphere against Regice's face, and slowly said, "Please."
A tide-like drowsiness surged in.
Along with it, a gentleness blossomed within Regice's heart.
Regice's eyes flickered continuously, and the intense white light glowing from Its body gradually subsided.
["...Are you okay?"]
"What a gentle voice..."
["That guy must have been really hard for you to deal with. Look at you, all red. But, as long as there are no major problems, it's fine."]
It felt like I've heard this somewhere before.
["Regice, be good and wait here, okay? Oh, and keep an eye on the bag for me."]
"Who is that?"
["Regice, thank you. Next time, don't hurt yourself anymore."]
Regice groggily raised Its hand, reaching towards the empty air in front of It.
Its arm fell limply.
Falling into a warm palm.
Regice tried hard to look forward. It was an unfamiliar figure.
However.
That flame-like blue pupil.
"..."
Truly nostalgic.
Someone once looked at me with such gentle eyes too.
That was the first time I was treated with gentleness.
"You're here... Kazuya..."
Regice asked with the little strength It had left, Its voice filled with anticipation and joy.
"Mm, I'm here, Regice."
Kazuya nodded gently, raising a hand to stroke Its cold head.
"Kazuya, I've waited for you for a long time."
"I know."
"I'm sorry, Kazuya, I hurt myself again..."
Regice's voice was tinged with guilt, like a child who had made a mistake, "Kazuya..."
"Go ahead."
"I'm sorry, I broke your precious flower..."
"..."
Hearing these words, Kazuya lowered his head, tears uncontrollably sliding down his face and dripping onto Regice. "...Idiot, You already gave me something even more precious."
Regice wiggled Its legs.
It seemed a bit happy.
It knew what Kazuya was referring to: "You are my first friend, and my friend forever."
"You are my forever friend too."
Kazuya placed the big ice pillar on the ground, then slowly stood up.
Gazing at the Flame Plate inside Regice.
Kazuya raised his right arm.
Swoosh—!!
A giant fireball glowing with rainbow-colored light materialized in the palm of his right hand.
Gazing at the blurry rainbow light in Its vision.
Regice groggily recalled the past.
It remembered that day.
When Kazuya and Meowscarada left.
A rainbow had also hung in the sky.
"Truly nostalgic, isn't it..."
Regice sighed with emotion in Its heart, and then closed Its eyes forever.
Beside It.
"Hah... hah..."
Heavy panting sounded from the Darkrai's mouth.
He was sweating profusely.
Seemingly bearing something even heavier than friendship.
Kazuya looked up blankly at the sky.
The snowflakes had stopped falling.
His hand trembled slightly, and the Sacred Fire descended, incinerating everything to ashes.
The only thing left behind...
Was a cold Flame Plate.
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