"It's a monster! What kind of monster is that?!"
"Reporting to you, my lord, a monster is attacking the city!"
"Is it the enemy army?"
Inside Cyllage City, countless Commoners and soldiers looked up at the massive figure in the sky, their eyes filled with expressions of extreme terror.
Draconis landed slowly in this unfamiliar city.
Perhaps because it had just experienced a war not long ago, this city was far less prosperous than what Columbus had reported initially.
Broken walls and ruins could be vaguely seen throughout the city, and one could even see scattered specks of blood, likely caused by the invasion of the Galar army.
As Kyurem's body slowly touched the ground.
Before long, a Knights Order surrounded them completely.
These soldiers, clad in armor and wielding weapons, stared at the massive beast before them with faces full of fear.
"I am the King of the Unova Kingdom, Draconis, coming from the distant Unova region. I come with no malicious intent; I am merely here to discuss important matters with your king." Draconis scanned the crowd and spoke in a dignified tone.
"Unova Kingdom?"
The soldiers looked at each other, and soon, someone recalled that indeed, several months ago, a fleet had arrived from the Unova Kingdom.
"It seems... there was indeed such a thing..."
"They said they came across the sea from the east direction..."
Whispers gradually arose, and the atmosphere, which had been as tense as a drawn bowstring, quietly eased a little.
The captain of the Knights Order narrowed his eyes, suppressed the commotion among his subordinates, and stepped forward. He kept a tight grip on his spear, but his murderous aura had diminished slightly:
"Since you are an honored guest from the Unova Kingdom, why must you descend into the city riding such a massive monster? Cyllage City has just suffered through war, and the Commoners are terrified. If there is too much disturbance, the consequences could be unimaginable!"
Draconis's gaze was calm as he scanned the devastation in the city, his tone dropping slightly:
"If I intended to attack the city, with Kyurem's power, your entire city wouldn't last for half an hour."
As his voice fell, Kyurem seemed to sense it, exhaling a slight chill that instantly caused a thin layer of frost to form on the ground.
The soldiers stepped back in unison, their faces turning pale, but no one dared to shout a warning again.
"I have come here to join forces against Galar." Draconis's voice was dignified and unquestionable. "Wasting time will only cause the flames of war to spread here faster. Take me to see your king immediately; I have important matters to discuss."
The captain's expression shifted several times, and finally, he slowly lowered his spear.
"...Please wait a moment, my lord. I will go into the city to report this immediately."
The captain dared not delay, turning and rushing deep into the palace. Guards along the way saw his flustered expression and, just as they were about to question him, were pushed aside by him.
At this moment, the entire Cyllage City was caught in an intersection of war and an eerie calm; everyone was protecting themselves, and any slight disturbance was enough to make people jump with fear.
Draconis stood with his hands behind his back beside Kyurem. The ice-blue dragon stood quietly, but its biting cold silently enveloped the entire square, making the surrounding soldiers afraid to even breathe loudly.
Within half an hour, a burst of rapid footsteps came from the direction of the palace.
"My lord, please follow me!" the captain said.
Draconis nodded slightly, then recalled Kyurem into its Poké Ball.
The surrounding crowd showed looks of surprise at the sight, but they did not express it openly.
The two walked forward along the road and entered the castle.
From afar, Draconis saw a tall man ahead.
The man was draped in a dust-covered royal robe, his long hair disheveled over his shoulders. His eyes were as red as blood, and he was surrounded by a lingering air of sorrow and paranoia.
"King of Unova, I do not know why you have come to my Kalos." AZ's gaze fell upon the young figure.
"I have a way to resurrect Floette." Draconis was concise and to the point. To stop AZ from activating the ultimate weapon and causing those innocent Pokémon to lose their lives, this was the only way for now.
As a Trainer who had lived with Pokémon for a long time, Draconis knew that if he were in AZ's situation, he would likely make the same choice without hesitation.
Therefore, he could not stop AZ from wanting to resurrect Floette, but he could provide him with an alternative path without bloodshed and sacrifice.
Hearing this, AZ frowned on his throne. He stared directly at the man below, his tone filled with confusion.
"How do you know about this?"
Draconis shook his head: "You do not need to know. I just want to tell you that I can help you resurrect Floette. This path is more perfect than the method you chose."
"What method?" AZ pressed.
"I have heard that a Pokémon named Xerneas inhabits the Kalos region. That Pokémon is known as the God of Life, and it possesses the power to resurrect the dead."
"As long as you find it, Floette can be resurrected and return to your side," Draconis said.
Hearing this, AZ's gaze locked tightly onto Draconis, as if he were contemplating the truth of these words.
In those blood-red eyes, despair surged for a moment, and then a weak yet blinding flame ignited.
"God of Life... Xerneas?" AZ whispered.
But the next second, a hint of bitterness and self-mockery instantly twisted his face.
"Hahaha... Hahahaha!" AZ suddenly burst into wild laughter, his laughter shrill and sorrowful, causing dust from the ceiling to fall. "You dare use such legends to amuse me? Draconis!"
He slammed his hand onto the platform in front of him.
"Xerneas... the God of Life. If it is a god, then why did it not act to drive away the invaders of this land?"
AZ's voice suddenly rose, carrying a roar of near-collapse.
"When Galar's iron hooves crushed my city, where was the god? When my Floette fell in a pool of blood, where was the god then?!"
He staggered to his feet, his royal robe slipping off.
AZ's voice was as hoarse as an old bellows.
"Now I only want to save my only partner, yet you tell me to wait for a... god that doesn't exist at all?"
Draconis watched him quietly, not refuting him.
After a moment, he spoke, each word striking AZ's heart:
"Believe it or not, Xerneas truly exists, and only it can bring Floette back to life—truly, completely, with all her memories and emotions."
The hall instantly fell into a dead silence.
AZ's body trembled violently. He stared fixedly at Draconis, the madness in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex emotion mixed with hope, fear, and disbelief.
"Your Majesty AZ, please make your choice!"
"If you choose to sacrifice the innocent lives living on this land and activate the ultimate weapon, I will stop you."
"If you choose to trust me and borrow Xerneas's power, I will help you."
Draconis said in a calm tone.
Listening to these words, AZ fell into an eerie silence.
Should he gamble?
Gamble on the existence of Xerneas, gamble on the sincerity of the Unova Kingdom.
Choose to stain the throne red with blood and fall into an abyss of no return?
Or choose to trust a stranger, gamble the future of Kalos, and trade it for the resurrection of Floette?
AZ slowly closed his eyes, tears sliding down his deeply lined cheeks, dripping onto the broken stone platform and spreading into a small dark stain.
After a long time, he opened his eyes.
However, AZ did not make a decision immediately; instead, he looked at Draconis and said:
"The messenger named Columbus from last time told me many things about you."
"You gained the recognition of the legendary dragon, stopped the war single-handedly, and unified Unova."
"You led your people to live together with Pokémon, creating a new nation."
"If I am not mistaken, you also have many Pokémon partners by your side, right?"
"If they were to die, what choice would you make?"
Draconis remained silent.
"I will not let them die," he said.
AZ was slightly stunned. In those crimson eyes, only determination remained.
"Good."
His voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear.
"I will trust you this once."
"His Majesty Draconis, Kalos is willing to form an alliance with the Unova Kingdom."
"I will join you in countering Galar's ambition."
"I will join you in seeking the resurrection of Floette."
"But remember—" AZ suddenly looked up, a flash of ferocity in his eyes, "if you deceive me, I will drag all of Kalos down with me to perish with you!"
Draconis: "..."
In that case, the shot from the ultimate weapon would probably land on their Unova region, right?
Draconis bowed slightly.
"AZ, I, Draconis, swear here—"
His voice pierced through the gloom of this ancient palace and echoed across the sky:
"I will return Floette to you, and I will protect the peace of Kalos together with you."
Outside the hall, the night grew deeper.
A covenant that would change the fate of Kalos was thus concluded.
*
Late at night, Draconis and his Pokémon rested in the room that AZ had arranged for them.
Draconis looked at the sky outside the window, shrouded in gloom, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Should he not have intervened in the struggle between Kalos and Galar?
But he could not bring himself to watch as those innocent Pokémon were swallowed by the ultimate weapon.
Using the lives of millions of living beings to trade for the resurrection of one Pokémon—that was not redemption, but sin.
Perhaps that was the very reason why Floette chose to leave AZ after being resurrected.
But... Xerneas, where are you?
Perhaps Zygarde would know the answer to this question.
Draconis couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Zygarde was the guardian of the ecosystem, and it had always been maintaining the ecological order of the Kalos region.
And AZ's actions would undoubtedly bring great destruction to the Kalos region's ecosystem.
In this way, he could cooperate with Zygarde to find Xerneas and ask it to resurrect Floette.
Thinking of this, Draconis said to Kyurem: "Kyurem, can you find that green Pokémon from earlier today?"
Kyurem's voice soon echoed in Draconis's mind.
"It is outside."
Draconis was stunned, but he quickly realized.
Following Kyurem's guidance, he soon found Zygarde's figure in an inconspicuous flower bed within the castle.
Although it was only a tiny cell, Draconis knew that Zygarde could see and hear everything that this cell experienced.
There were countless such cells, scattered throughout Kalos, monitoring this land for Zygarde.
Draconis brought the cell back to his room.
He gently placed the slightly glowing green cell in his palm, his movements so soft as if he were afraid of disturbing a glimmer of light.
The cell lay motionless in his hand, like a dead object.
Draconis sat cross-legged. He looked at this cell, which represented the ecological will of Kalos, and spoke slowly:
"I know it is you, Zygarde."
His voice was not loud, but it clearly entered the other's consciousness.
The cell did not react.
Draconis continued: "The Kalos region is facing a major crisis that could affect the stability of the global ecosystem."
"The King of this country, having lost his most important Pokémon partner, wants to activate the ultimate weapon to forcibly reverse life and death at the cost of the lives of thousands of Pokémon."
"Such an act will only cause the vitality of this land to wither completely and ensure that the Pokémon nearby will never see the sun again. I believe that is an ending you would absolutely not want to see."
The green cell swayed slightly, as if it had heard his words.
Draconis continued:
"I have made a covenant with AZ: no use of the ultimate weapon, no sacrifice of innocent lives. We will only seek the God of Life, Xerneas, and ask it to use its pure life essence to truly bring Floette back."
"Once Floette is resurrected and the invaders are repelled, I will cooperate with AZ to guide the humans and Pokémon living on this land to integrate and live together, building a brand new nation where humans and Pokémon can coexist peacefully."
"So, Zygarde, I need your help—no, to be precise, your cooperation."
"Please tell me, where is Xerneas sleeping in Kalos?"
"And I will help you maintain the ecological order of this land, letting humans and Pokémon build a better world together."
As his voice fell, the room fell into silence.
The night wind blew gently outside the window, and moonlight pierced through the clouds, landing on that tiny cell.
After a moment, an ancient, vast, and emotionless consciousness slowly flowed into Draconis's mind.
There were no words, only images and will.
—A forest of towering trees, a sea of flowers that never withered for a thousand years. In that vibrant, lush land, the God of Life, Xerneas, slept in the form of a tree amidst the flowers.
Draconis closed his eyes, memorizing all the information. When he opened them again, his gaze was firm.
Zygarde had agreed to this cooperation.
"I understand."
He gently opened his palm, and the green cell slightly raised its head and moved, as if greeting him.
The next moment, it turned into a glimmer of light, quietly flying out the window and merging back into the night of Kalos.
Inside the distant Terminus Cave.
Zygarde, resembling a great serpent, suddenly opened its eyes.
Its gaze was cast into the distance.
This question did not require an answer from it.
Because Xerneas and Yveltal were already on their way there.
That foreign "dragon" possessed supreme power.
Its existence had already awakened Xerneas and Yveltal, causing a sense of crisis to rise in their hearts.
Therefore, they were preparing to go there to investigate, because this land was their territory.
....
Power Stones PLZZZZZ
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