That's right, that scene—that Tyranitar—was precisely the same Tyranitar from the memories that Cain and Slowking had witnessed before—the mother of Cain's current Pupitar.
What Cain wanted to show Pupitar was exactly what he had already seen, only with a more enriched and realistic environment and process.
He and Slowking had spent an entire afternoon sitting in silence, constructing this dream.
The battle continued, and Pupitar began to realize something.
That Tyranitar was weak, and yet managed to drive off the entire pack of Houndoom.
But the shockwave from the battle had damaged the Pokémon egg.
As they zoomed in, cracks could be seen on the surface of the egg.
Pupitar said nothing. He only stared at that Tyranitar and the egg. He was completely absorbed.
It was hard to imagine how such a damaged egg had even survived.
The battle ended.
The weakened Tyranitar held the egg in her arms and began a long journey in search of salvation.
She injected her energy into the egg without stopping.
"Puppp... Puppp...!" Pupitar couldn't help but cry out.
His voice grew louder and louder.
He was calling.
He was warning.
He was pleading.
But Tyranitar couldn't hear him.
Pupitar's heart was in knots.
Now he understood.
That Tyranitar was his mother.
And that cracked egg... was himself.
Tyranitar had crossed mountains, faced enemies. Little by little, her arrogance as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon faded away.
When she could avoid a fight, she did. She saved her strength only to keep the egg alive.
There was no dignity left in her as a Tyranitar.
Only a mother remained.
A pure mother.
A mother willing to give her life for her child.
Tears flowed uncontrollably from Pupitar's eyes.
His voice turned hoarse.
He could feel his mother's body weakening at a terrifying rate.
On the outside, she looked strong. Inside, she was falling apart.
Still, she never stopped searching for a way to save the egg.
Cain and Pupitar were at her side, but they could not intervene in her world.
Time accelerated.
Much time passed...
Until they finally arrived at the valley Cain knew so well.
Tyranitar finally showed an expression of relief. She had found a way to heal the egg.
She reached the source of the geocentric Cleansing Milk.
At that moment, if she had abandoned the egg, just drinking a little would have been enough to save herself.
But the amount was just right—barely enough to fully cover the egg, with none left over for herself.
"PUUUPPI!" Pupitar cried out in a heart-wrenching scream.
He had never felt such pain in his heart before.
A pain that cut to the bone.
Much worse than any battle wound.
He no longer tried to convince anyone.
He could only watch as Tyranitar submerged the egg in the geocentric Cleansing Milk, covered it with stones...
And then, with a look of satisfaction and relief, slowly fell to the ground.
Boom!
That sound struck Pupitar straight in the heart.
So heavy. So unbearable. That even breathing felt like an unreachable luxury.
Pupitar clenched his jaw. The tears flowed like a river.
He couldn't stop them. He didn't want to.
It was the only way to release his pain.
Even Cain, who had already seen this scene once, felt his soul being torn apart again.
How much more for Pupitar, who was the true protagonist?
A mother's love...
That was all Cain could say in the end.
Pupitar stood motionless.
No one could understand his sorrow.
If he could choose, he would have given his life in exchange for reviving that Tyranitar lying on the ground.
Time passed slowly.
Tyranitar's lifeless body turned to stone...
But even turned into rock, she continued to protect that spring. She continued to protect the egg.
"Puppp"
"Pup"
His cry faded, from heart-wrenching to a barely perceptible whisper.
The dream ended here.
The Pokémon returned to the valley.
Slowking and Gengar wore complex expressions.
Even they had been moved by Pupitar's mother's story.
Mismagius, like Pupitar, could not stop the tears.
And being a Ghost-type Pokémon, those tears were rarer than a mermaid's.
After waking from the dream, Pupitar was still crying, paralyzed, eyes fixed on the ground.
Cain knew this "medicine" had been strong.
But he also knew that this story had to be told.
Pupitar's life did not belong only to himself or Cain.
It also belonged to that extraordinary mother.
Cain sat down beside him, directly on the ground.
With his warm hand, he gently stroked Pupitar.
He felt that his body was still trembling.
"Pupitar, now... do you understand why you must grow, why you must become stronger?" Cain's voice was soft, laced with psychic power.
That power made his voice feel even closer.
Pupitar slowly turned his head toward Cain, eyes filled with confusion.
Cain, seeing that... smiled.
"Good..."
"Now it's not just for you. It's also for your mother—so grand that even I was moved by her, twice."
Cain considered himself cold enough, but this story shook him again.
Perhaps there was still some human warmth left in his heart.
A flaw, yes—but also proof that he still retained his humanity.
And in this cruel world, Cain was not willing to lose the last thing that made him human.
Pupitar, upon hearing those words, slowly regained the light in his eyes.
And that light turned resolute. More than ever.
That was the look Cain most wanted to see.
With that look—what was there to fear, even against Legendary Pokémon?
Face them without fear!
"Evolve, Pupitar!" Cain knew this was the perfect moment.
He took the two stones given by the leader Tyranitar and placed them before Pupitar.
With a resolute gaze, Pupitar summoned the power of earth and rock at the same time, levitating the stones.
The energy within them flowed like a torrent into his body.
Seeing this, Cain suddenly thought:
"Looks like I'll have to make Aggron and Carbink wait... Will Pupitar absorb it all?"
After all, they were the essences of at least two Four-Elite-level Pokémon.
"PUUUPPPP!" Pupitar roared, and his cry echoed throughout the valley.
(End of Chapter)