Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Chapter 135 Growth and Gratitude

As night fell, a group of people lit a campfire in a clearing in the center of the Oruans Forest.

The flames flickered in the night wind, dispelling the chill of early winter and illuminating the weary yet relieved faces of the crowd. The lingering smell of gunpowder had dissipated with the wind, replaced by the fresh scent of trees and earth, and the distant, revitalized murmur of flowing water.

Having already treated Gardevoir, Zhang Jianying was squatting by the campfire, carefully tending to the minor scratches left by the battle on Urgot. The little guy sat quietly, letting its trainer gently apply medicine with a cotton swab, occasionally making a "pop" sound from the stinging medicine, but quickly returning to its obedient state.

Cynthia sat beside him, a makeshift medical kit spread out on her lap, intently applying the final bandages to Garchomp's wounds. Her movements were practiced and gentle, her golden ponytail gleaming warmly in the firelight.

Karuni stayed with Diancie and the three little diamond servants, gently comforting the little ones who had just experienced the great battle. The Diamond Princess sat on a flat rock, holding a cup of warm tree sap in her small hands, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the divine tree in the distance that emitted a soft, seven-colored light.

Steven leaned against his Metagross, holding a portable mineral analyzer in one hand and a crystal given to him by Xerneas in the other, recording something.

Despite the thrilling battle, the former champion and avid mineral enthusiast has clearly not forgotten his "main job".

Ash, Dawn, and Brock sat around the other side of the campfire. Brock, wearing an apron, was skillfully stirring in a portable slow cooker, preparing a nutritious dinner for all the Pokémon participating in the battle. The aroma was already filling the camp.

"Pikachu, just a little longer, it'll be ready soon," Brock said gently to Pikachu, who was perched by the pot, gazing longingly at him.

"Pikachu~ Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded vigorously, its tail wagging expectantly.

Piplup and Eggicatcher also gathered around, the three Pokémon sitting in a row, waiting for their meal.

In this peaceful and serene atmosphere, a rustling sound suddenly came from deep within the forest.

Xiao Gang was the first to notice the unusual activity. He stopped stirring, listened intently, and squinted his eyes slightly. As a Pokémon breeder who had spent a lot of time traveling in the wild, he was particularly sensitive to any sounds coming from the forest.

"What's wrong, Xiaogang?" Xiaoguang noticed his unusual behavior.

"There's a sound—" Xiao Gang whispered, "lots of them, getting closer."

He stood up, ladled several steaming portions of food from the stew pot, and arranged them on plates. He assumed they were wild Pokémon attracted by the aroma of the food.

This is a common occurrence during his travels; he always prepares extra food for the wild creatures he encounters.

However, when Xiao Gang turned around with the plate in his hand, preparing to walk towards the direction from which the sound came, he froze.

At the edge of the forest, the first wild Pokémon emerged from the shadows.

It was an old mountain goat, its back covered in withered plant fur, but its steps were slow yet firm.

It didn't look at the food in Xiao Gang's hand, nor at the humans in the camp, but instead looked directly at the divine tree in the center of the open space that emitted a seven-colored light.

Then, the second one, the third one—

Digging Rabbit, Riding Sheep, Pumpkin Spirit, Colorful Butterfly —

All sorts of wild Pokémon appeared from the forest, walking, flying, climbing, and jumping, converging from all directions.

Within minutes, hundreds of wild Pokémon had gathered on the open space, and their numbers were still increasing.

Xiao Gang stood frozen, holding the plate. His usually squinty eyes were wide open at that moment.

Zhang Jianying, who also witnessed this scene, swears to God that he definitely saw Xiao Gang's eyeballs for that very instant!

"This, this is—" Xiao Guang covered his mouth in surprise.

Ash stood up, and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, watching the scene with curiosity.

Not only them, but everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing and watched this incredible sight in silence.

The wild Pokémon gathered orderly around the sacred tree, forming a huge circle. They didn't make any noise; they just stood there quietly, gazing up at the giant tree that had been formed from the god of life.

Then, something even more astonishing happened.

Several leading wild Pokémon, along with their mounts Goat and Lady Fluttershy, slowly stepped forward and gently placed their belongings at the foot of the Divine Tree.

Lady Flower lay down a few plump tree fruits; her steed goat laid down a few bunches of tender green grass; Digging Rabbit laid down a few pretty minerals; the butterfly hovered and sprinkled shimmering powder; even little Flower Bud clumsily dragged over a small bunch of beautiful flower wreaths.

The offerings increased: ripe berries, smooth stones, colorful feathers, and even a few small fragments of evolution stones.

None of the items were particularly valuable, but they were the best that these wild Pokémon could offer.

Everyone understood that they were expressing their sincerest gratitude and reverence to Xerneas, thanking the god of life for dispelling death and for bringing life back to the forest.

Not a single Pokémon glanced at the human camp beside them, nor were they distracted by the aroma of food. They were completely absorbed, their expressions devout, as if they were performing a sacred ritual.

Zhang Jianying silently raised the illustrated guide, activated the video recording function, and quietly recorded this sacred and awe-inspiring scene.

In the scene, the seven-colored sacred tree sways gently in the night breeze, its leaves rustling as if responding to the reverence of its people. Soft light emanates from the tree, illuminating the mountain of offerings below and the devout faces of every wild Pokémon.

Life and gratitude flowed silently in this moment.

Daigo had already put away the analyzer at some point.

He stood at the edge of the crowd, his shirt draped over his arm, wearing only a simple white T-shirt, reverting to his usual elegant and noble demeanor. But his inner light did not linger on the sacred tree or the offerings; instead, it shone upon the dim, black cocoon beside the sacred tree.

More accurately, it was directed at those few unusual figures beside the giant cocoon.

Those were three Goodra, but unlike the vibrant wild Pokémon around them that were offering their blessings to the god of life, these three Goodra appeared exceptionally old.

Their skin was covered with cracks and moss from the passage of time, their eyes were cloudy yet calm, and their movements were slow and labored. One of them was even unable to stand and could only lie on its side next to the giant cocoon with the help of its kin, its chest rising and falling slightly.

The three elderly Goomy dragons neither looked at the sacred tree nor participated in the offering. They simply lay quietly beside the cocoon of destruction formed by Yveltal, their eyes closed, as if waiting for something.

Daigo sighed regretfully. He knew these sticky dragons—

They have reached the end of their lives. They come here not to say goodbye to life, but to pay tribute to death.

-

Just then, the body of the lying-on-side sticky dragon trembled slightly, exhaled its last breath, and then remained completely still.

Then, the second one, the third one—

Three elderly Goodra peacefully passed away beside the Cocoon of Destruction.

The giant black cocoon seemed to sense something, trembled slightly, and then fell silent again.

Daigo held his breath with some worry.

He expected to see sadness, panic, or at least unrest.

But the reaction of the wild Pokémon around him who were offering gifts to Xerneas was beyond his expectations.

There was no panic, no attempt to flee, not even the slightest sense of unease.

Two Lady Flower, leading the Flower Bebes of their tribe, gracefully stepped forward. They circled the three deceased Sticky Dragons, gently waving their hands.

Pale pink light spilled from Lady Flower's hands and fell on the ground beside the sticky dragons.

Immediately afterwards, tender green grass sprouts broke through the soil, grew and bloomed rapidly, and a few pure white flowers quietly bloomed in the night, with glistening dewdrops on their petals.

That is the tenderness of life blooming beside death.

A particularly large, sticky dragon was clearly the leader of this group.

Sticky Dragon slowly walked forward. Behind it followed several Sticky Girls and Sticky Treasures, the young creatures looking at the departed elder with confusion and bewilderment.

The leader, Nianmeilong, lowered its head and gently touched the body of its deceased companion with the tip of its nose. Then it raised its head and let out a long, deep cry.

"Waaah!"

The sound was not like sorrow, but more like a solemn farewell, a natural acceptance of the cycle of life.

Sticky Meadow and the Sticky Babies also raised their heads and joined in with their tender chirping. The sounds echoed in the night sky, mingling with the nightingale calls from the distant forest.

Daigo watched all of this quietly.

Suddenly, he spoke softly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of everyone around him: "Xernias is right."

Everyone looked at him.

Daigo's gaze remained fixed on the three deceased Goodra and the small white flower beside them, his eyes deep: "Life and death, creation and destruction, are two sides of the same coin. Without life, death is meaningless; without death, life cannot continue. They are not enemies, but two manifestations of order."

He paused, then continued softly, "You see, these Pokémon understand this principle. They don't fear death, nor do they run away from the end. They offer thanks to the god of life and bid farewell to their companions beside the cocoon of death. This is nature, this is balance."

Zhang Jianying raised an eyebrow, looking at Daigo's profile, and suddenly felt that this seemingly otherworldly winner in life, who was usually obsessed with minerals, was actually speaking words full of wisdom.

Cynthia nodded gently: "Death is not the end, but part of the cycle. Xerneas brought new life, and Yveltal took away old age. This forest is thus made eternal."

Karuni crossed her arms, her gaze gentle: "That's why those Flower Ladies urge flowers to bloom. It's not mourning, but blessing. Blessing the departed lives to continue existing in another form."

Ash listened, seemingly understanding but not quite. The Pikachu in his arms quieted down, while Dawn's eyes reddened.

Brock had already put down the plate, clasped his hands together, and bowed slightly to the deceased Goodra. This was his final respect for life as a Pokémon breeder.

As night deepened, the moon rose high in the sky.

Wild Pokémon began to leave one after another.

They glanced one last time at the sacred tree, slowly turned, and disappeared into the depths of the forest. Their riding goats led the herd away, the sound of their hooves fading into the distance. Swarms of white butterflies took flight, scattering a final, shimmering dust in the moonlight.

They did not take the offerings with them; the fruits, grass, stones, and feathers—all remained at the foot of the sacred tree as proof of their gratitude.

The forest returned to the stillness of the night, but unlike the deathly silence before, this tranquility was now teeming with life: the chirping of insects, the calls of birds, and the distant sounds of Water-type Pokémon splashing in the water.

Life has truly returned.

Diancie stood quietly at the edge of the camp, gazing in the direction the Pokémon had gone.

Tonight, Diancie seems exceptionally different.

She is no longer the innocent and carefree little princess she was when we first met, full of curiosity about everything, nor is she the resolute and brave guardian of the kingdom during battle.

At this moment, its eyes held a newfound calmness, a newfound understanding, and a newfound maturity.

It witnessed and participated in a legendary battle, saw the clash between life and death, felt the gifts of Xerneas, and understood the true meaning of protection.

Overnight, it seemed to have grown a lot.

In the distance, a playful panda peeked out from behind a tree in the woods and waved timidly in this direction.

When Diancie saw it, a gentle smile appeared on its small, diamond-like face. It raised its hand and waved gracefully, as if to say goodbye.

Zhang Jianying also saw the mischievous panda and felt it looked very familiar. He then realized that it was the same mischievous panda he had petted on the road earlier.

The mischievous panda behind the tree seemed to recognize him, jumped up and down happily, waved to him, then turned and ran into the forest, disappearing into the night.

At this moment, Diancie turned around and faced everyone in the camp.

Three little diamond servants immediately followed, awkwardly standing behind the princess, trying their best to imitate her posture.

Princess Diamond took a deep breath, and then solemnly and deeply bowed, performing a standard courtly salute.

The three little diamonds quickly bent down as well, but because their movements were not coordinated, they almost bumped into each other.

Daigo was the first to react. He stepped forward, gently helped Diancie up, and said in a mild tone, "There's no need for that, Your Highness."

Diancie looked up, her eyes sparkling like diamonds in the moonlight and campfire.

A clear and gentle telepathic message resonated simultaneously in everyone's heart: "Thank you all for your help and support for me and the Diamond Kingdom. Thank you for everything from finding me to protecting this forest, and for the final battle—you will always be the most honored guests of the Diamond Kingdom."

Cynthia and Karune exchanged a smile, then stepped forward and knelt down in front of Diancie.

Cynthia reached out and gently touched the small crown on Diancie's head, her voice soft: "No need to be so polite, Your Highness. We are honored to be your friend."

Karuni smiled and nodded, "Yes, it's our good fortune to know such an elegant and lovely little princess like you."

The calm and maturity on Tianxi's face gradually faded, and the innocence and joy of their first meeting reappeared.

Its eyes crinkled into crescents, and it smiled happily.

The telepathic connection rang out again, this time with a lighthearted tone: "Okay~ Let's go reinforce the sacred diamond together tomorrow! I'm all ready!"

Zhang Jianying looked at the lively Diancie and her tired but smiling companions, and finally gazed at the divine tree in the distance that emitted a soft, seven-colored light under the moonlight, and the quiet, giant black cocoon beside the divine tree.

Life and death, gratitude and growth —

This forest witnessed too much on this day.

The campfire crackled in the night wind, and sparks rose into the night sky, merging with the stars.