Chapter 0722: The Meaning of Trainer(Two-in-One)

Brackish Town, buffet.

Diancie sat gracefully on a dining chair, dabbing her mouth with a handkerchief.

Ash was beside her, wolfing down food at top speed.

Steven rested his hand against his cheek and asked, “So, Princess Diancie, you’re heading to Allearth Forest?”

“That’s right. As long as I can meet Xerneas, I’ll be able to master the strength to gather true diamonds—Master Diamond said so.” Diancie replied.

Bonnie, with Dedenne atop her head and both hands cupping her face, said, “Diancie really does have the air of a princess.”

“Thank you, Bonnie.” Diancie’s eyes curled up happily.

“I’m going to grab some Poké Puffs. Anyone want to join me?” Serena asked.

“Then, please let me go with you.” Diancie hopped down from her chair and followed after Serena.

Natsume glanced over at Gengar, who had already devoured a whole plate of cake in one bite: “Gengar~ (￣～￣)”

He then looked at the tall vagrant, silently spooning up his food.

Natsume spoke slowly: “King AZ…”

“Cough, cough!” AZ suddenly choked, looking up. “How… how do you know?”

Steven said wryly, “One look at your height is evidence enough, Your Majesty.”

AZ fell silent and muttered, “I am not a king… I am only a condemned man now, so there’s no need to ask further.”

Natsume had met quite a few kings: the King of Pokélantis cursed by Ho-Oh, Damos from Michina Town, Queen Ilene of Cameran Palace.

Among them, AZ’s achievements shone the brightest—Damos won Arceus’s friendship, but AZ bent both life and the god of death to his own will.

“Then… why are you traveling with Diancie?” Natsume asked.

AZ gave the black-haired young man a long, deep look.

This Messenger of Arceus carried the aura of many deities; though the two had never met, it was as if Natsume could see right through him.

“I…” AZ said hesitantly, “I need to go to Allearth Forest, and so does Diancie.”

After that, no matter how Natsume or Steven inquired about his reason for going, AZ simply kept spooning his food in silence.

His attire was clearly from another era: a green scarf, red cap, tattered and decayed, reeking with the scent of rot.

Steven suggested taking him to the fashion boutique, only for AZ to refuse vehemently.

Realizing they might be traveling together, Natsume’s expression turned odd as he said,

“Then at least hit the bathhouse, King AZ… Otherwise, maybe it’s better you act alone.”

AZ looked up in confusion. “Bathhouse?”

……

“This is the place.”

Natsume crossed his arms, gesturing upward. “We’ll meet at the Pokémon Center afterward.”

AZ looked up at the bathhouse shrouded in white steam, murmuring, “I’ve just been using public restrooms…”

“Cut the complaints, just use this card as much as you want, and get Machoke Master for a proper scrub, or else I’ll drag you to the barbershop!” Natsume threatened.

Steven: “……”

That seems to be the card I just handed over…

Can’t really blame Natsume-sensei for sounding so harsh—the smell really was overwhelming.

In the story, King AZ wandered for three thousand years… even if he kept clean out of habit, it couldn’t have been that effective.

As for the chance of AZ rampaging—

Natsume knew a bit about ancient era battle strength: the court sorcerer of Michina Town was likely Elite Four level at best.

But after wandering in pain for a thousand years, King AZ couldn’t possibly have “Battle Legend” strength.

“I am atoning for my sins,” AZ rasped.

Natsume: “Even modern prisons allow for hot baths. Go quickly and don’t wander off.”

AZ fell silent. If this man really was Arceus’ messenger, then he must have his reasons.

He’d heard that some messengers from deities carried all sorts of taboos.

There was no way he could take Diancie away; traveling together was best.

Besides, the day of my own release can’t be that far off now…

AZ closed his eyes.

Unlike Diancie, he was heading to Allearth Forest because of Yveltal.

The god of death, Yveltal, had fallen into slumber three thousand years ago and was only now about to awaken. For three thousand years, AZ had wandered, seeking an end to his pain.

Holding tight to that end-of-life conviction, AZ stepped into the steaming bathhouse.

“This feels more like heading to an execution,” Natsume muttered.

“Are we really going to travel with AZ, Natsume-sensei?”

Steven frowned. “I’m worried something unexpected could happen.”

Through his conversations with Diancie, Natsume already understood the connection between her and King AZ.

“Let King AZ come with us.”

Natsume said quietly, “For him… Diancie might be the only friend he has left.”

Steven gave a small nod.

An hour later.

The tall AZ, hunched over, appeared at the entrance of the Pokémon Center.

Diancie looked at him in surprise, hiding a smile behind her hand. “You look much better, AZ.”

For once, AZ felt a trace of awkwardness—his first in a hundred years.

He glanced at Natsume, then said gravely:

“Then, please allow me to travel with you, Messenger of Arceus…”

Natsume indicated the decision belonged to Diancie.

“I permit you to come with me, AZ.”

Princess Diancie smiled slightly, turning around. “And Ash, Steven, Natsume…”

Diancie named everyone present, as part of her etiquette.

“Are we heading out tonight?” Serena asked.

“Camping! Camping!” Bonnie cheered.

“We depart tonight. The drive takes about half a day. By tomorrow morning, we’ll transfer to the ferry and arrive at our destination,” Steven said with a smile.

Natsume thought of the trio likely still stranded in the attic.

Oh well… they’ll surely manage something on their own.

Night fell.

A rented, oversized Pikachu van left Brackish Town, headlights cutting through the night mist along the highway.

AZ sat in the open-air back row, hands on his knees, gaze searching unconsciously through the darkness.

The orange glow of streetlamps lined the road. On either side, the countryside was still; wind swept in from the wilderness zone, and nocturnal monsters began their nightly stir.

AZ missed the nights of three thousand years ago. Even though they were fraught with danger and the monsters were savage, back then, Floette was by his side, the two of them keeping watch from the tower until dawn.

“Messenger of Arceus…”

AZ rasped, “This thing you call a ‘Trainer’… what does it really mean?”

“Trainer…”

Natsume, sitting in the back and watching AZ, rested his cheek on his hand, black hair billowing in the night wind, and lazily replied:

“A group of humans who use Pokémon battles to express their convictions, form bonds with Pokémon, and trust each other.”

“Monsters—they’re just human slaves, aren’t they?” AZ’s eyes shone bright and sharp in the darkness.

“There’s a guy from Unova who even claims he’s a Pokémon, not a human.”

Natsume chuckled. “Besides, that’s not what you believe, King AZ.”

The black-haired young man’s eyes gleamed; fingers interlaced. “You see your Pokémon as your friends, maybe even… your family.”

A wave of indescribable sorrow rushed through AZ’s chest.

“Yes… but now she’s gone. She’ll never forgive me.”

“She will.”

Natsume stretched out. “Because a Trainer and their Pokémon share a relationship of mutual trust.”

“When you break free from sorrow, your Pokémon will trust you again.”

“Gengar~” Gengar’s grinning face suddenly floated from the darkness.

AZ was quiet for a long while, then changed topics: “…They all call you ‘sensei,’ Messenger of Arceus.”

“Did your era have teachers as a profession?” Natsume asked curiously.

“Yes.”

AZ nodded firmly. “And kings honored them.”

“I’ve visited your era once… a time of war and chaos, where Pokémon were called ‘monsters.’” Natsume recalled.

It was during Michina Town… Dialga had led Natsume-sensei through time, seeking Arceus’ forgiveness.

AZ looked at Natsume in surprise.

“But even then, there were Aura warriors like Sir Aaron and his Lucario. King AZ… and his Floette.”

Natsume’s gaze glowed. “In modern terms… they were Trainers.”

“I see… so that’s what a Trainer is…” AZ repeated dreamily. “I was once a Trainer myself.”

“When this journey ends, battle me, AZ.”

Natsume grinned and thrust out his fist.

“If your opponent is a Trainer, just a single battle is enough to grasp what kind of person they are, what convictions they hold. You don’t even need words—you’ll understand everything!”

AZ’s murky gaze flickered. Slowly, he extended his fist, bumping it lightly against Natsume’s.

“…Those are very wise words, N… Natsume.”

“Haha, that’s because they came from my beloved. Everything she says is wise!” Natsume laughed.

AZ’s wrinkled face curled into a slight smile.

It was, in all his memory, the happiest day AZ had known in hundreds of years.

He’d met Diancie, enjoyed a hot bath, and more or less understood what “Trainer” truly meant.

All that remained was to meet Yveltal—and finally be set free.

The van stopped in a grassy spot near Adjacent Streams.

“Let’s camp here!”

Steven hopped out, hand on the door, smiling. “First thing tomorrow, we take a ferry—the destination’s just ahead.”

“Great, camping!” Bonnie lifted Dedenne high. “I want to sleep with Diancie!”

“Of course, Bonnie.” Diancie smiled gently. “This is my first time trying camping.”

“Then I’ll sleep with Natsume-sensei—” Ash scratched his head.

“Denied. You’re in a sleeping bag by yourself, or with King AZ.” Natsume said coolly.

“Eh!?” Ash slumped his shoulders.

AZ gave him a wrinkled smile.

“Eek!” Ash tensed, then hurried off to help with the tents.

Natsume looked at AZ in surprise. “Were you just trying to scare him on purpose?”

AZ neither confirmed nor denied it.

Who would have thought AZ could be so lively.

Natsume sent out Gengar, who used Double Team to swiftly raise a tent.

Serena exclaimed, “A Gigantamax Gengar-shaped tent? How cute!”

“Brother, I want to sleep with Natsume-sensei!” Bonnie’s eyes sparkled.

Natsume: “Ahem, not allowed!”

“Hmm… Then let’s tell ghost stories tonight, Serena, want to join?”

“What’s a ghost story?” Diancie asked.

“A ghost story is when a bunch of Ghost-type Pokémon try to scare you,” Serena replied with a smile.

“Gengar!” Gengar quietly appeared behind Serena, levitating Will-O-Wisp at his side.

“Ah!” Serena shivered, her face turning pale.

“Haha, Gengar is adorable!” Bonnie wasn’t scared at all—she actually laughed.

“Gengar~” Gengar scratched his head sheepishly.

Steven, with a soft smile, leaned against his suit jacket and gazed out over the streams in the night breeze.

“Did you forget a tent?” Natsume asked, coming over.

“For me, a sleeping bag is enough,” Steven replied.

“Share mine. My tent is big.” Natsume offered.

Steven was surprised but nodded. “…Much appreciated.”

At 2 a.m., the forest was dark, silver moonlight falling onto river pebbles.

AZ leaned against a cold boulder and noticed Diancie hopping out of her tent, her eyes bright.

“Haven’t you slept yet, AZ?”

“And you?” AZ asked hoarsely.

“I’m just too excited about meeting Xerneas tomorrow. I can’t bring myself to sleep.” Diancie shook her head gently.

AZ gave a silent smile. “Me too.”

“Are you going to see Xerneas as well, AZ?”

“…Yes.”

AZ murmured, “You’ll surely master the strength to create diamonds and save your kingdom…Princess Diancie, you definitely will.”

“Thank you, AZ~” Diancie gave a gentle smile.

Moonlight spilled down as AZ and Diancie gazed upward in silence.

Inside the tent.

Natsume petted the Sylveon at his side, propping up his head, lost in thought.

“When I meet Xerneas… I’d better ask about the whereabouts of the Pixie Plate…”