Chapter 201: The Legend of the Aura
Rota City.
A city located in the mountains north of Pewter City and Mt. Moon. The city is filled with a medieval style, similar to the ancient cities of Europe. It is composed half of land and half of a lake. In the center of the lake is a small island, upon which sits a castle named "Cameran Palace," accessible only by a long bridge.
The main story of the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew takes place here. However, the two stories in that movie take place eight hundred years in the past and two hundred years in the future, respectively.
But to say it has nothing to do with Will's timeline isn't quite right. Eight hundred years ago, Rota City was one of the cities within the territory of the Dragonite Kingdom. The ruler at that time was Queen Rin, who lived in Cameran Palace, and her aide was the knight and Aura Guardian, Sir Aaron. This was during the period of the Three Kingdoms War. The Sinnoh region to the north was primarily attacking Kanto. As a large northern city, Rota was an unavoidable target.
But, by coincidence, the Tree of Beginning was also here.
"In the legend, it was the Aura Guardian, Sir Aaron, who sacrificed his own power to activate the power of the Tree of Beginning, thus ending the war," Will explained.
"Meow?" Meowscarada frowned and tilted her head. She had been alive for twenty years now, and she was very skeptical about whether such legends were true.
"I don't know about that," Will said, shaking his head. The movie had told it that way, but in the real history, the Three Kingdoms War had raged on until it angered Ho-Oh and Lugia. It was only under the might of those two gods that the war had ceased. What did that have to do with the Tree of Beginning?
But the history in the movie and the history of this world were different. In the movie's "past," Kanto and Sinnoh were still enslaving Pokémon, and the war was fought entirely by Pokémon armies. If that were the case, it's hard to say if the Tree could have stopped the war.
The Tree of Beginning is, in essence, a crystal life form that relies on light for energy, but it is also in a symbiotic relationship with Mew. And Mew is the "ancestor of all Pokémon." So, it's possible that the energy radiated by the Tree, when activated by Aura, could carry the properties of both Aura and Mew, thereby calming the Pokémon.
"Meow," Meowscarada glanced at the giant tree in the distant mountain forest, then looked away. "Meow?"
"Don't be in a hurry. Let's go check out the city center. Today is Rota's annual festival. It's very lively. Let's take a look," Will said with a grin, gently rubbing her head.
Including the time at sea, a year had passed since they had left Ever Grande City. But even after so long, Meowscarada would still often feel sad about Sola's passing. This was the first time she had experienced the pain of losing a family member, and it was difficult to move on. Will often took her to different places, hoping to distract her.
"Meow-meow?" Meowscarada looked around. She thought the people's clothes were strange, in a different style from other cities.
"It's because of the festival. During this time, the locals all wear royal-style clothing from the past. The main events are a battle tournament and a royal ball. The winner of the tournament gets the title of 'Aura Guardian' for the year."
...
They arrived at the city center.
"Meow!" Meowscarada suddenly pointed excitedly at the battleground. Will looked over and was stunned.
The two people on the field were none other than Shigeru and Nastina, now in their thirties.
"Mom! Go!"
"Go, Mom! Get the Aura Guardian title! Don't lose to Dad!"
"Yeah, yeah! Become the first female Aura Guardian in history!"
Below the stage, three young boys of different ages were jumping up and down, cheering for their mother.
"Meow?!" Meowscarada's face was one of pure shock.
"Whoa~ this is a surprise. It seems that after Nastina realized she couldn't beat Shigeru, she decided to marry him and have three sons as revenge. As expected of that vicious woman," Will marveled.
The battle on the field was between a Staraptor and a Toxicroak. Their levels were about the same. The Staraptor must have been raised by Shigeru on his journey, while Nastina's Toxicroak hadn't seen much battle and its level hadn't increased much.
But their battle styles... they had completely changed.
"Meow?!" Meowscarada was shocked. She was amazed that Nastina's style was now so direct and straightforward, a far cry from her past self. Meanwhile, Shigeru's style had become tricky and varied, completely different from his old, straightforward self.
Marriage is a terrifying thing. It can completely change two people, Will thought, shaking his head.
The battle ended. The winner, as in the past, was Shigeru.
"The winner is Shigeru and his Staraptor!"
"Whoa-oh-oh!"
"Looks like this year's Aura Guardian is born."
"Yeah, what a pity. I was hoping a girl would win for once."
"?! Isn't that Sceptile and Meowscarada?!"
Shigeru, who was thanking the crowd, saw Will standing head and shoulders above everyone else. He forgot all about his wife and kids and ran straight over.
"You've really changed," Will said, looking at the stubble and the few wrinkles on Shigeru's face. Human lifespans are just too short.
"It's been so long! It's so great to see you again! How have you two been?" Shigeru said, patting Will's arm.
"Meow," Meowscarada waved.
"Long time no see," Will smiled in response.
"Hehe, Torterra and I are really strong now. How about it? Let's have a battle! For the title of Aura Guardian!" Shigeru said, pulling out another Poké Ball.
"...Hmph. If you're asking for a beating, I don't mind obliging," Will said, a nostalgic grin on his face. In that moment, he looked just like the young Shigeru from all those years ago.
Sure enough, this is the life for me, Will thought.
Different people make different choices. For Will, a life of endless sleep was too boring. He would not avoid a deep bond just because he was afraid of the final goodbye. That kind of life was too dull. It was better to cherish everything, even if this life was short. It had to be a wonderful one.
~~~
Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter