Chapter 214:The Carbink Minister's Past, An Immortal?

"Princess Diancie, let's go."

"I'm ready."

After finishing Calm Mind, the Carbink Minister looked at Diancie with confidence.

The Carbink Minister's plan was to immediately display his immense strength upon arriving at the farm, ensuring he could take control of the conversation.

Diancie sighed. "Minister, everyone at the farm is very kind. You don’t need to act this way."

The Carbink Minister replied, "This is for safety."

"Alright, then follow me."

Diancie walked toward the Teleportation Portal.

The Carbink Minister didn’t trust humans.

When It was younger, It had traveled to many places, met all kinds of people, and experienced numerous stories.

Because of this, the Carbink Minister understood humans well and knew what they were capable of when driven by their desires.

After watching Diancie step into the Teleportation Portal, the Carbink Minister took a deep breath and followed.

Whoosh~

The scene shifted.

As soon as the Carbink Minister opened Its eyes, It raised Its head and declared loudly, "I am the Minister of the Diamond Kingdom—"

Its voice trailed off as Its head slowly tilted upward, Its prepared speech faltering.

Before It stood Tyranitar, towering like a small mountain, curiously staring at It.

Tyranitar's Pressure was overwhelming.

As a fellow Rock-type Pokémon, the Carbink could feel the terrifying presence of this Sandstorm monarch.

Tyranitar had come here because of the commotion caused earlier by Arcanine and the others.

Curious, Tyranitar had decided to investigate.

"Larvitar~"

Larvitar and Zorua were climbing up Tyranitar's massive legs.

Natsume, who was standing nearby, explained to Diancie, "You haven’t met Tyranitar yet, have you?"

"It is Larvitar's mother and usually stays in the hills near Miltank Valley."

Diancie politely greeted, "Hello, my name is Diancie."

"Tyranitar~"

Tyranitar responded with a low grumble.

Seeing that It was being ignored for the moment, the Carbink Minister quietly glanced around.

The environment here was different from what the Carbink had imagined.

It felt... too peaceful.

Just then, Serperior's crimson eyes turned toward the Carbink Minister.

Meeting Serperior's gaze, the Carbink Minister instinctively shivered and quickly looked away.

"Serperior~"

Serperior, seemingly bored, shifted Its gaze elsewhere.

On the other side, Sirfetch'd and Infernape were sizing up the Carbink Minister.

The Carbink Minister's strength was notable, and Natsume had already reviewed Its data.

The Carbink Minister was level 65, which was quite high for a Pokémon in the wilderness.

Diancie introduced, "Minister, this is Natsume."

The Carbink Minister, trying to maintain composure, loudly declared, "Tell me, what is your purpose for keeping our Princess Diancie here?"

Natsume looked at the Carbink Minister with a hint of exasperation. "What purpose do you think I could have?"

"Of course, you must be after Princess Diancie's abilities!"

The Carbink Minister quickly retorted. "You must know, don’t you?"

"You know that Princess Diancie has the ability to create eternal diamonds."

"That’s your goal, isn’t it?"

Diancie, visibly annoyed, said, "That’s rude! Natsume would never think that way."

"Besides, I don’t even have the ability to create diamonds yet."

The Carbink Minister immediately countered, "Please don’t say that, Princess Diancie. You could have mastered the Sacred Diamond long ago."

Natsume sighed, looking at the Carbink Minister.

Was this the stubbornness of Rock-type Pokémon?

"Manaphy."

Manaphy, who had been playing with Wartortle and the others, suddenly approached and patted the Carbink Minister.

Manaphy explained that Natsume, who owned the sea, would never be interested in their treasures.

The Carbink Minister stared at Manaphy in shock.

"You’re the Prince of the Sea? The legendary Pokémon?"

"Manaphy~"

Diancie, noticing the Carbink Minister's sudden change in expression, asked curiously, "Do you know Manaphy?"

The Carbink Minister replied, "When I was traveling with humans, I heard legends about Manaphy, so I know about It."

"But Manaphy is supposed to live in the sea, right?"

"Why is It here?"

"Manaphy."

Manaphy pointed to the teleportation array behind the Carbink Minister.

The Carbink Minister nodded in realization. "I see. How incredible."

"Still, that doesn’t change anything. Humans can be unpredictable."

Manaphy's presence didn’t seem to sway the Carbink Minister's opinion.

"Even if you truly don’t intend to exploit Princess Diancie, what about other humans?"

The Carbink Minister continued, "If They find out Princess Diancie is here, They will surely attack this place."

Natsume interjected, "If you’re worried about safety, you don’t need to be."

"The companions here at the farm are very strong. Diancie will be perfectly safe."

Diancie added, "That’s right. Everyone here is incredibly strong."

"So, Minister, you don’t need to worry about me."

"I’ll learn how to create Sacred Diamonds here and then return to the Diamond Kingdom."

The Carbink Minister looked around.

The Pokémon at the farm had gathered around.

Various species of Pokémon lived here together.

Their relaxed demeanor suggested they were living quite comfortably.

The Carbink Minister also noticed Audino and Chansey treating the injured Carbinks.

Even the ever-suspicious Carbink Minister couldn’t help but feel that this place was... nice.

But despite that, the Carbink Minister still couldn’t bring Itself to let Diancie stay.

After a moment of silence, the Carbink Minister suddenly looked at Natsume and said, "If you believe you can protect Princess Diancie, then challenge me to a duel!"

Natsume looked at the Carbink Minister speechlessly. "You're really troublesome, aren't you?"

"Who do you want to fight?"

"Dragonite."

Dragonite pointed at itself.

The Carbink Minister shook his head.

"No, not you."

"Awooo~"

Arcanine raised its paw.

"Not you either."

The Carbink Minister then stared directly at Natsume.

Natsume pointed at himself. "You want to battle me?"

"Exactly. Prove your strength!"

Natsume looked at the Carbink Minister in confusion. "Well, if you insist, I suppose it's fine."

"Perfect, I wanted to try out a move anyway."

Natsume planned to test the power of Origin Pulse and, in the process, make the Carbink Minister fully understand the gap in their strength.

"But before the battle starts, can you answer one question?"

The Carbink Minister nodded. "Go ahead."

Natsume asked, "I want to know why you have such deep distrust towards me, or rather, towards humans?"

The Carbink Minister was silent for a moment before speaking. "Because I once met a very kind person."

"In human time, that would have been eight hundred years ago."

Natsume was surprised. "That long ago?"

The Carbink Minister said with a hint of pride, "For humans, of course, it's a long time. But for us Carbinks, eight hundred years is just a few naps."

The Carbink are a long-lived Pokémon species.

They are born in the high-temperature, high-pressure depths of the earth and spend most of their time sleeping in mines or veins.

The Carbink Minister continued, "Back then, the Pokémon League hadn't been established, and the regions were in chaos."

As the Carbink Minister spoke, the surroundings grew quieter.

Natsume also showed interest.

"I yearned for the outside world, so I set out on a journey."

"Because I knew nothing, I accidentally wandered into a human battle zone and was unfortunately severely injured."

"Luckily, I was saved by a human."

"He was a very powerful and wealthy Trainer who had taken in many Pokémon like me."

"He had an estate, much like this place, where many Pokémon lived."

"I thought most humans were like him."

The Carbink Minister's expression turned sorrowful. "But I never expected him to do something so terrible later!"

"Humans, driven by their desires, are truly frightening."

Natsume couldn't help but ask, "So, what did he do?"

The Carbink Minister didn't answer directly but continued his recollection. "Because my journey wasn't over, I left that place after I recovered."

"Before I left, I made a promise with him that I would return to visit at this time next year."

The Carbink Minister looked at Natsume. "He, in order to live forever, absorbed the life force of all the Pokémon he had taken in and used it for himself."

The Carbink Minister slowly closed his eyes, and the scenes that had once filled him with fear and anger resurfaced in his mind.

The broken walls, the withered fruit trees, and the Pokémon lying motionless on the ground.

Their bodies had even begun to decay.

The air was filled with a foul stench.

In such an environment, a middle-aged man sat there, lifeless.

"Everyone, what happened to everyone?"

The young Carbink rushed toward the man in desperation.

"Lord Link, what... what happened here?"

"Why is everyone like this?"

Link looked up at the Carbink Minister, dazed. "It's you."

"Ah, it's been a year already."

"Long time no see, Carbink. You've grown a lot."

The Carbink said urgently, "That doesn't matter, Lord Link. What happened here?"

"Why... why is everyone..."

"I took their life force."

Link slowly stood up. "Life is so fragile, but now, I no longer have to worry about my lifespan."

"Carbink, do you want to come with me?"

The Carbink looked at Link in disbelief. "What... what are you saying?"

"You don't understand?"

"Fine, let me explain."

"It's actually quite simple."

"Pokémon are filled with various energies, and these energies can be extracted."

"While exploring a secret realm, I discovered a weapon called the Ultimate Weapon. It can extract the life force of Pokémon."

The Carbink, hearing this, said angrily, "So you used their lives to achieve immortality?"

"Lord Link, you've gone too far!"

Link said calmly, "That's your answer, then. It seems you plan to leave me too."

After saying this, Link slowly walked away.

Later, the Carbink buried the Pokémon alone, and the Trainer named Link was never heard from again.

It was because of this incident that the Carbink Minister lost all trust in humans.

The Carbink Minister opened his eyes and looked at Natsume. "Let's battle, human!"

"Alright."

As Natsume spoke, a powerful Inner Focus instantly enveloped the Carbink Minister.

Its body was swiftly transported high into the air.

Natsume raised his hand, a faint blue light flickering at his fingertips.

"Natsume."

Diancie's voice, tinged with nervousness, suddenly rang out.

Seeing Diancie's expression, Natsume hesitated for a moment before sighing. "What a hassle."

Natsume's own level had already reached Elite rank.

Therefore, under Natsume's mental pressure, the Carbink Minister had almost no ability to resist.

A faint glow lit up Natsume's eyes, and under his gaze, the Carbink Minister's struggling movements gradually ceased.

The Carbink Minister fell into a state of sleep.

Natsume averted his gaze, and the Carbink Minister landed smoothly, now sound asleep.

Diancie let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Natsume."

Natsume shook his head slightly. "No problem. But what will you do next?"

Diancie thought for a moment, then looked at the Carbinks still gathered here. "Everyone, please take the Minister back."

"Please tell the Minister that I will continue to study here."

The Carbinks exchanged glances, still hesitant for a moment.

Natsume then spoke up. "Don't worry, this isn't a farewell."

"If you want, you can come back anytime."

"Carbink."

The Carbinks looked at Natsume, then at Diancie, before stepping forward to lift the Carbink Minister. They then lined up and, through a teleportation array, returned to the underground passage.

Natsume looked at the Pokémon gathered here. "Everyone, it's getting late. Go back and rest."

"Awooo~"

After watching the Pokémon disperse, Diancie looked apologetically at Natsume. "Natsume, I feel like I've caused trouble for everyone."

Natsume patted Diancie's head. "Between people, and between people and Pokémon, the initial way of interacting is always about taking care of each other. So, you haven't caused any trouble."

"After all, we're companions now."

"Yes, Natsume."

Natsume smiled. "Let's head back to the room. Rest well today, and we'll continue working hard tomorrow."

"Yes, Natsume~"

This is a world where humans and Pokémon coexist.

Pokémon have all sorts of personalities and preferences.

Just like how the Carbink Minister enjoys traveling around like a human.

It is precisely because of this, because of the constant meetings and partings, that this world has so many stories.

Natsume was deeply interested in the past the Carbink Minister had recounted.

It reminded him of another figure who had absorbed the life force of Pokémon.

He was a former king of the Kalos Region, someone who only existed in Natsume's memories.

After returning to his room, Natsume searched the official database for information about Trainers seeking immortality.

However, there were no relevant reports.

There were, though, quite a few Pokémon movies on the theme of immortality.

"Everyone."

Natsume looked at Gardevoir, Lopunny, Indeedee, and Diancie in the room. "Let's watch a movie together."

Diancie asked, puzzled, "But Natsume, don't we have to wake up early for training tomorrow?"

Natsume replied casually, "Always worrying about tomorrow is exhausting."

"It's still today, after all."

"Lopunny~"

The Lopunnies, however, were quite excited.

One sat beside Natsume, while the other climbed directly into his lap.

Natsume patted the Lopunny's little head. "Stop squirming around."

"Lopunny~"

Tonight, the lights in the farm cabin remained on.

Back in the underground world, the Carbink Minister soon woke up.

"Carbink."

The Carbinks relayed Diancie's words to the Carbink Minister.

After listening, the Carbink Minister remained silent for a long time before speaking. "No matter what, we must continue searching for Lord Xerneas."

"We can't place all our hopes on humans."

In the underground world, that one...