Chapter 214: You Must Live On, and Be Happy
"Skree..."
Lugia's weak voice sounded. It said the Tree of Beginning had lost too much life energy. Its basic physiological functions had ceased, and it could no longer absorb energy from the sun.
Will ignored it. Panting heavily, he forced himself to his feet and staggered toward the Tree. His steps were incredibly heavy, each one leaving a scorching footprint on the earth.
"Mew..."
Mew looked at the approaching Will, its face filled with sorrow. It wasn't sad for itself or the Tree. It was sad because it could see Will's condition. It knew Will was dying, too.
"Take me to the heart of the Tree," Will panted, saying no more.
Rather than everyone dying, he would use what little life energy he had left to see if he could save the Tree of Beginning and Mew.
"Mew."
Mew didn't know what Will planned to do, but it still flew up with all its strength, wobbling as it led the way.
"Mrow?"
Meowscarada wanted to climb onto Will's shoulder to ask how he was. But he looked so, so tired. She was afraid that her tiny weight would be the last straw that made him collapse.
She could only follow close behind him, step by step. Even as the scalding steam rolling off his body burned her eyes, she refused to leave his side.
By now, the Tree of Beginning was burning everywhere. Inside and out, the crystals had turned into red-hot embers. Black smoke billowed, shrouding the entire Tree in a haze.
In the distant sky, several people on flying Pokémon were rushing to the scene. They were the rescue team from the Indigo League. But as they looked upon the burning Tree of Beginning, they too were at a loss.
A situation like this...
How could they save it?
They had no idea what to do and could only blindly order their Pokémon to use Water-type moves to douse the flames.
On the plains outside the Tree, Lugia pushed itself up. It used Recover to regain some mobility, then beat its wings and flew high into the sky. It felt the flow of the air, fixed on a direction, and sped away.
Deep inside the Tree of Beginning, Will and the others finally arrived in an orange-red space with an impossibly high temperature.
In the very center of the space was a massive, crimson crystal.
That was the heart of the Tree of Beginning.
Normally, the Tree's heart was a cyan-blue. Its current color was proof that it couldn't hold on any longer. Its heart was failing and could no longer draw energy from the sun to save itself.
"Mew..."
Mew's eyes closed, and it fell into Meowscarada's arms. Tears dropped from its large, adorable eyes. It didn't want the Tree to die. And it didn't want Will to die. But it was helpless to save even itself.
"Mrow..."
Meowscarada looked at Mew, her own eyes brimming with tears, and then looked up at Will, her lip trembling. What was she supposed to do?
Scizor stood silently, looking up to meet Will's eyes. Ever since becoming a leader, he had come to understand responsibility. If his own clan were in peril, he would step forward without hesitation, even if it meant his life.
He understood Will's resolve.
And he understood Meowscarada's despair.
"Leave it to me." Will looked down, managing a gentle smile for Meowscarada.
He walked to the Tree's heart and placed his hands on it.
The next moment, a green seed appeared above his head. It began to draw verdant green energy from his body and pour it into the heart of the Tree.
The Tree's heart began to lighten, slowly shifting toward a cyan-green.
But Will's body began to change.
His thirty-meter-tall form was shriveling, and his vibrant green skin was turning a dull, dark color.
"Mrow?!"
Meowscarada's ears shot up. She ran to Will's side, pawing at him. Only now did she finally, agonizingly, understand what he was doing.
Will's high temperature burned her paws red and singed her fur, but she didn't let go.
Will didn't look at her. He just forced the energy out faster.
His body was weakening at an alarming rate. If this energy was going to fade and die anyway, he might as well transfer it all now.
At least the Tree and Mew would be saved.
At least... he could leave Meowscarada with a world that was still intact.
"Mrrow! (Will, no!)" Meowscarada shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She tried to push him away with all her strength.
Scizor stood frozen, his head bowed, not knowing what to do.
"Scizor..." Will whispered.
His body had now shrunk to only ten meters. His skin was a deep, sickly green, and his black pupils were fading to gray.
"Scyther?" Scizor looked up, stunned.
"Meowscarada... I'll have to ask you to look after her. When you have time, take her to Ever Grande Forest. The only family she has left is you and Skitty."
"...Scyther." Scizor's eyes trembled. He nodded heavily.
He stepped forward to pull Meowscarada away, but she shoved him to the ground.
Will's body grew smaller and smaller. Now only four or five meters tall, his skin had turned a withered yellow, and the leaves on his tail were falling off, one by one.
"MRROW!" Meowscarada grabbed Will's arms and bit down hard on his shoulder.
Tears and snot streamed down her face. Conflicted, she released her bite, sadly licking the mark she'd left.
But Will still didn't let go.
"MRROW! (Don't leave me!!)"
Meowscarada collapsed in despair, tilting her head back and wailing.
Will's eyes had turned completely gray. He was losing his sight. Realizing this, he turned his head, trying to look at Meowscarada.
He wanted to see her one last time.
He had more he wanted to say.
Memories of her growing up flashed before his eyes.
(On a sea rock, a little Sprigatito learns a strange sea shanty from Tom and Corphish.)
"You have to do what you love. Chase your dreams."
(On the Orange Academy ship, Sprigatito resolutely chooses to leave with Will.)
"Visit the Orange Academy when you can. Maybe you can still find your birth parents."
(At Auntie Myra's house in Azalea Town, a jealous Sprigatito refuses to eat, and Will makes her stand in the corner as she secretly cries.)
"Remember to eat on time. Don't be a picky eater. Granny and I would worry."
(On Gligar Island, bathing in the lake, Will spanks her for complaining the water is too cold.)
"Learn to bathe yourself properly. Don't just splash around. And remember to brush your fur."
(In Cherrygrove City, a Floragato is always worried about what others think, anxious about her own weakness.)
"Be more confident. You're cute, and you're strong. You're perfect in my eyes."
(In the Dragonite territory, Floragato makes so many friends. Even though it was for a short time, she was so happy every day.)
"Make lots of friends. It's okay if you don't have many, just a few you can really trust."
(In Jubilife City, Rowan and his Turtwig teach her to stay up late, and she starts to learn how to be rebellious.)
"Get enough sleep every day. Don't learn bad habits from others."
(Celestia... Regice... Platane... Skitty...)
"Remember to visit your old friends."
(His little cat, growing up, one memory at a time...)
Will's vision blurred completely. He didn't know if it was from blindness or from tears. He looked down at the wailing Meowscarada and squinted.
He wanted so badly to reach out and pat her head, to tell her to stop crying. Such a big cat, still acting like a kitten.
But in the end... Will just gave her a pained smile.
"You're going to face more hardships in the future... but no matter what, you have to keep going. As long as you're alive, you'll find happiness one day."
"Mrow... (Dad...)"
Meowscarada's voice trembled. She looked at Will, who was now as small as she was, and stood up.
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him.
This feeling... it was the first time.
Will was no longer huge. He was withered, yellow, and wrinkled.
But in her eyes, he was still the most handsome hero.
The Tree's heart had returned to its normal color. The orange-red space slowly faded back to a healthy cyan-green. The red flush on Mew's body was gone.
Will let his hands fall from the Tree's heart, and he used his last strength to hold Meowscarada close.
"And most important of all... you must live on, and be happy."
His voice grew faint.
And then, even his breathing stopped.
Meowscarada sat on the ground, holding Will's body. She stared blankly at his closed eyes, lost in a long, stunned silence.
Scizor stood behind her, wiping a hand across his face.
Just then, Mew woke up. It saw Will's lifeless form and opened its mouth to cry, but it suddenly heard something.
It stopped short.
Mew pressed itself against the Tree's heart, listening.
"Mew."
Mew nodded, its face grave. It plunged its small hands into the Tree's heart and pulled out a deep, sea-blue orb of energy.
This energy was nothing compared to the life force Will had given, but it felt more... righteous and mysterious.
Mew flew over, carrying the blue orb.
And stuffed it straight into Will's body.
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