Chapter 147: We Had Two Promises
"By the way, do you know where the first queen of the Dragonite Clan went in the end?"
"You know?" Will asked, looking at the old Dragonite curiously. This was one of the original reasons he had wanted to come here, though he had only just remembered it.
"I heard it from an old Gliscor Alpha. In her 38th year, the queen left the Dragonite Kingdom and headed north, to travel the world," she said.
Will's gaze flickered, but he didn't respond. Because he had already guessed it. From the moment he had read Sola's history book, he had guessed.
"She traveled north on her own two feet. In that harsh era, a thousand years ago, she spent sixty years walking, covering at least 40,000 kilometers, and then walked all the way back here. By that time, she was 98 years old and needed a cane to walk."
Will lowered his head. He didn't know what kind of expression was on his face. It probably wasn't a pleasant one. Forty thousand kilometers. That was the circumference of the Earth.
"I heard she set out to fulfill a certain important promise," the old Dragonite added. "You should go in and see for yourself. I'll go get a drink of water."
"Okay," Will nodded gently and stepped into the small flower garden alone. He really needed a moment to himself.
Flowers of various colors were interwoven in the garden. Red as fire, yellow as gold, purple as a sunset. The air was filled with their fragrance. It was like a fairy tale. And yet, in this picturesque scene, Will felt that the garden wasn't actually that beautiful. Instead, it exuded an unspeakable sense of desolation.
Because in the center of the garden stood two tombstones.
The inscriptions were worn with age, but Will could still make out the words: "Liz" and "Lan." These were two of the very few words in this world that he knew how to read and write, because Liz had held him and taught him, long, long ago.
The two names seemed to carry a history sealed by the years, as if telling a story from a distant past.
Will turned, remembering the old Dragonite's words, but she was gone. The entire valley seemed empty, leaving only him and these flowers. There was no sound at all. It was utterly silent.
He turned back to the two tombstones, and his emotions began to stir.
Ten years, life and death, a boundless distance. Without thinking, it's unforgettable.
In an instant, a tremor went through his chest. Ripples spread through his vision, as if a stone had been gently dropped into a lake. The scene before his eyes began to change.
"...Liz?"
Will saw Liz walk past him, but she paid him no mind. He reached out to touch her arm, but he watched as his hand passed right through her.
An illusion.
The Time Ripple? Am I seeing a scene from a thousand years ago?
He immediately realized what was happening. The power of the ripple, dwelling within the Miracle Seed, was activating for the first time. But it only allowed his eyes to break free from the shackles of time and capture a few random, fragmented images. He had the privilege of an observer but could not truly step in and make any changes.
In his vision, Liz walked to Lan's tombstone. She gently raised a hand, her fingertips tracing the inscription, and then sat down on the grass. The sunlight, filtering through the sparse clouds, fell on the garden, dappling both his and her bodies in light.
Her hair now had many streaks of white, and her face was haggard, having lost its former radiance. Will couldn't tell how old she was in this vision. He moved closer and quietly sat down behind her.
She slowly opened her mouth to speak, but he couldn't hear. He turned to look at her. Under the fading light of the sun, she looked somewhat sad and lonely. Her pink lips parted and moved slowly. He instinctively leaned his head closer, but still couldn't hear a thing. He tried to read her lips, but the illusion was sometimes clear, sometimes transparent, shrouded in a mist that made it impossible to see.
Will pursed his lips, a little unwilling to give up. He mobilized the Grass-type energy within him with all his might, a stream full of life and vitality, and poured it towards the source of the ripple in his heart. His senses were gradually amplified, and the power of the Time Ripple grew stronger.
He heard it.
"I wanted him to be free, to be happy, to live for himself."
Liz's voice echoed in his ears. Every word was like a heavy hammer striking his heart. Will turned his head to look at her, his gaze crossing a thousand years, and landed steadily upon her. This time, his eyes were firm yet serene, as if his once-confused life had suddenly found a clear purpose.
Liz hugged her knees, pulling the cape tight around her. The sun was hot and warm, but she seemed completely unable to feel it.
Will did not hesitate. He got up, walked behind her, knelt down, and wrapped his arms around her ghostly form.
"Lan, I miss you again," Liz whispered, as if in a daze, and buried her head in her knees.
"I know. Me too," Will replied softly. He knew she couldn't hear him, but he had to respond.
In that moment, the emotions in his heart were like a suppressed volcano. They didn't erupt, but they were scorching and torrential. Emotion is an incomparable energy. It may not be obvious in humans, but in Pokémon, it is a different story. The Grass-type energy in his body surged, constantly stimulating and strengthening the ripple power in the Miracle Seed.
Will looked at his own hands, which had suddenly begun to glow with a verdant green light, his eyes full of confusion.
Suddenly, he saw a single tear fall from Liz's face. He subconsciously reached out to catch it. But the tear passed through the palm of his hand and landed on a small, inconspicuous flower below. Will's gaze paused. He sighed and turned his hand over, gently caressing the flower.
But then, an astonishing scene occurred. Liz, as if seeing the small flower, reached out a hand towards it. In that moment, Will and Liz's hands unintentionally overlapped.
Liz looked up, stunned. As if sensing something, she subconsciously looked behind her. Will was overjoyed, thinking she could see him. But he quickly understood from her empty eyes. No. She couldn't see him.
But she had sensed his presence.
"I'm here," Will said, looking at her and breaking into a foolish grin.
Liz blinked. Crystal tears fell from her eyes, and a gentle smile appeared on her face in response. Just like a thousand years ago. Exactly the same. It had never changed.
Liz would always show her gentlest smile to Lan.
"You remember, don't you? We had two promises," Liz said, gradually raising her head, squinting at the boundless clear sky above.
"Yes. To always be with you," Will nodded, also looking up. The sun on his side was a little dazzling.
"And to travel the world together."
As his words fell, the Time Ripple within his body gradually subsided, as if their promise had been sealed by the power of time, a seal that would never be broken, no matter how much time passed. The illusion before his eyes vanished like a reflection of the moon in the water. But his heart was crystal clear.
"By the way, here's something for you."
Will took out the ugly, crudely made Poké Ball from his backpack and placed it gently in front of Liz's tombstone. "I owed you a Poké Ball in my last life. I'm giving it back to you in this one."
He pursed his lips and turned to walk out of the garden. A gentle breeze blew from behind, carrying the fragrance of the flowers, like a slender, soft hand gently pushing his back.
Just as he was about to step out, he stopped. "On my way here, I met a friend. I'll never forget something he said."
"A man's promise must be kept, loud and proud."
Outside the flower garden, the old Dragonite had reappeared. She watched as Will walked out of the garden into the bright sunlight, a gentle smile on her face.
"It's a nice place, isn't it?"
"It's very nice," Will nodded gently, looking back. This garden was like a place that had broken free from the turbulent river of time. No matter how much time passed, it would probably never change.
"Have you decided what you're going to do next?"
Will turned his head to the north, his mind made up, and he whispered, "I'm going to fulfill two important promises."
"...I wish you a safe journey," the old Dragonite said, watching him and nodding heavily.
This was the spirited Dragonite from a thousand years ago. This was the handsome dragon she had stubbornly loved for nearly a millennium.
The Dragonite had lived for a very long time. She knew that there were incredible beings in this world, and incredible powers. And among them, there must be some power that could allow him to come back again. Although the probability was small, it was because of this possibility that she had always stayed in Dragonite Valley, holding onto that small, insignificant feeling, hoping that one day, their fate could continue.
"When will you leave?"
"Hmm, I'm not in a hurry."
"Then can you stay here a little longer? I'd like to chat with you."
"Of course!" Will nodded vigorously.
Whether it was for the fate that had crossed a thousand years, for helping him recall his moves, or for bringing him to this important place—for any of these reasons, he would not refuse her request.
"Thank you."
"No. I'm the one who should be thanking you."
"Hehe," a simple and happy smile appeared on the old Dragonite's face.
The thousand years of waiting had definitely not been meaningless. Even if, in the end, Will did not stay by her side, she would not feel it wasn't worth it. There is a saying in human society: "I love you, and it has nothing to do with you."
This feeling, no matter how much time passed, would never waver. She just wanted to use this time to confirm one thing: if her feelings were worthy of being called love.
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