Chapter 708: "Psyshock"
Kazuya and the others didn't need to specifically look for the Carbink.
As long as they stayed where they were.
Soon, a passing Carbink would spot Diancie and run over.
Therefore.
Kazuya ate this dinner very slowly.
He was deliberately waiting for the Carbink.
On his lap.
Diancie was happily gnawing on a piece of roasted meat: "What a delicacy this is, we have never had such delicious food in the Underground Ore Kingdom."
If her mouth wasn't too small.
Kazuya guessed she would stuff the entire piece of roasted meat into her mouth at once.
"Huh? You call this delicious? I think you've never eaten anything good. I'll take you to eat something even better later."
Volcanion gave Diancie a speechless look.
Food roasted directly over fire is truly hard to swallow.
Even if Kazuya added some juice and grass leaves as seasoning, it was hard to conceal the slight gamey smell.
Anyway, for Volcanion, who had eaten meals in Azoth.
Tonight's experience could only be described as average.
"Really? Thank you! Big Brother Volcanion!"
Diancie quickly waved her small hands gratefully at Volcanion.
"Wahahaha! It's nothing, it's nothing."
Volcanion grinned widely, His voice like thunder.
Kazuya could hear many footsteps receding in the surrounding area, probably small animals or Pokémon nearby scared off by Volcanion's laughter.
He couldn't blame Him though.
It was Volcanion's first time being called 'Big Brother'.
It was completely normal that He couldn't contain His emotions.
Thud!
Suddenly, there was the sound of some creature falling to the ground nearby.
Immediately after, the three Pokémon heard a cry: "Me-shii..."
This sound was like a soul-summoning demon to Diancie.
Upon hearing this cry.
Diancie immediately threw the food she was just praising aside, jumped down from Kazuya's lap, lifted his skirt, and hid underneath.
"..."
Kazuya raised an eyebrow.
Before he could speak.
He felt a pair of greasy little hands grab his legs.
Nearby.
Rustle~
A Carbink jumped out of a patch of grass.
This Carbink narrowed its eyes and looked around, its ears twitching, seeming to have noticed something.
However, because Kazuya and Volcanion, these two behemoths, were present, this Carbink didn't dare act rashly.
"Me-shii."
The Carbink tried to communicate.
"Go ahead."
Kazuya smiled at it.
Meanwhile, Volcanion stared motionless at Kazuya's skirt.
He was guessing if Diancie had fainted from fright.
"Me-shii."
The Carbink nodded, its mood improving slightly.
It was its first time encountering such friendly Pokémon!
The Carbink didn't doubt them, nor did it consider whether it would be tricked and ambushed, it just lowered its head and began to carefully observe the ground around it.
Soon it caught sight of the small holes on the ground one after another!
So you've noticed. This Carbink isn't an ordinary character.
While swinging his crossed legs, Kazuya leisurely gnawed on the roasted meat, while simultaneously observing the Carbink's behavior.
As everyone knows.
Carbink basically move in groups.
If one encounters a lone Carbink in the wild, there are no more than two possibilities.
First.
This Carbink fell behind.
Second...
This Carbink has the strength and authority to act alone.
Although Kazuya hadn't trained his Aura power much in this life, unable to specifically sense the strength of the Carbink's Aura to judge its power.
But at least his eyesight was still there, and the knowledge in his mind was rich enough.
[Carbink can shoot high-energy light rays from the jewel buried in its body.]
This means that.
The jewel on a Carbink's body is the external manifestation of their energy intensity.
The darker and purer the color of the jewel on its surface, the more extraordinary its strength and status.
The Carbink in front of him.
The jewel on its body was almost aquamarine, nearly forming a complementary color to Diancie's pink.
This was enough to prove that this Carbink's strength was extraordinary.
Kazuya estimated that he probably couldn't defeat this Carbink, but he wasn't worried or afraid.
Carbink don't actively attack other Pokémon.
If you don't provoke it, of course, you won't be attacked.
Moreover, there was Volcanion nearby, and under his skirt was the Carbink's precious Princess Diancie.
With two trump cards in hand.
Even if you hold four Twos (a strong hand in some card games), don't even think about hurting me a bit.
"Me-shii..."
The Carbink didn't know what Kazuya was thinking.
It followed the footprints, circling Kazuya, and finally stopped by his leg, looking up at him.
Hello~
Kazuya smiled and reached out to rub the little rabbit's head.
"Me-shii me-shii?"
Facing such a gentle Kazuya, the Carbink didn't even dare to speak loudly, afraid of startling this heavenly being, so it could only speak softly and ask politely.
It could be sure.
Those holes just now were Her Highness Diancie's footprints.
Both Diancie and Carbink move by hopping, and since their lower half is cone-shaped, they leave small holes in the ground when they move.
An ordinary Carbink certainly wouldn't be able to tell from these holes whether they were Diancie's footprints or another Carbink's footprints.
But this Carbink was precisely unusual.
It was the current Minister and Chief Steward of the Underground Ore Kingdom, as well as the personal bodyguard and life mentor of the Princess since she was young.
Simply put.
The status of this Carbink.
Was equivalent to Dace's status in the Underground Ore Kingdom three thousand years later.
It's just that.
Dace was a relatively weak Carbink, its strength not outstanding. Its strong point was its knowledge, making it a "civil official" or "prime minister" of the Underground Ore Kingdom.
While the Carbink in front of them had relatively strong combat power, probably a role similar to a "military general" or "commander."
However.
Perhaps precisely because of this difference.
The personalities of the two generations of Diancie were quite different.
The princess raised by a civil official was incredibly bold, while the princess raised by a military general was as timid as a mouse?
How strange, how strange.
"Hehe..."
Hearing the Carbink's question, Kazuya covered his mouth and chuckled, then pointed to his skirt.
"..."
The Carbink narrowed its eyes, its gaze sweeping under Kazuya's skirt.
It had understood Kazuya's meaning.
Her Highness Diancie was right under there!
It wanted to see how long this Princess could hide!
The Carbink didn't make a sound, nor did it burrow under Kazuya's skirt. It just stood outside and waited, to see when Diancie would pop her head out.
But it could afford to wait, and Diancie could afford to stall.
Kazuya and Volcanion didn't have that much time.
The sky had already turned dark.
The winter nights in the Allearth Forest were extremely cold.
If they didn't hurry back to the Nebel Plateau to huddle for warmth, Kazuya might catch a cold and get a fever.
The dignified Guardian Dragon of the Nation, God of Konoha, God of the Sea, Ace of the Sinnoh Champion, Ancient Dragon God, catching a cold from freezing?
It would be the biggest joke in the world!
Moreover.
Leaving that aside.
If they didn't go back, the other Pokémon on the plateau would be worried.
Luxray, Amaura, Pangoro, Pyroar...
They would all anxiously run into the forest to look for Kazuya and Volcanion, and who knows what danger they might encounter.
So they still had to hurry back.
There was no time to waste here with Diancie and Carbink.
If there was anything to say...
They could talk slowly after returning to the plateau.
Consequently.
Kazuya stood up.
And lifted his skirt with both hands right in front of the Carbink.
The Carbink was shocked!!
It suffered a powerful Psyshock!
It couldn't even care about its own princess anymore.
Its body went stiff, it fell backward, and soon lay on the ground with swirly eyes, looking exactly like it had lost its ability to battle.
A critical hit!
It's super effective!
"Sachima!"
Diancie was shocked seeing this and hurriedly pounced on it!
She was originally thinking of hurrying to run away.
But now, how could she have the heart to run? Although Sachima was very strict with her and often forced her to train, how could she not feel Sachima's care?
Sachima was her most important family!
"..."
Kazuya looked at the Carbink on the ground with a dark face.
What do you mean?
Just lifting a skirt can cause psychological damage?
"Pfft!"
Volcanion beside him couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, spit flying.
Feeling Kazuya's sharp glare, He quickly put on a serious face, as determined as if going into battle.
Not even a dozen seconds passed.
"...Me-shii?"
The Carbink named Sachima groggily got up from the ground.
It felt dizzy.
Seemed like a part of its memory was missing?
What was it again?
Sachima shook its ears but couldn't remember no matter how hard it tried.
However, seeing the princess it had been searching for all day right in front of its eyes, it couldn't care less about anything else.
"Lu-shii!"
Sachima glared at Diancie.
"I don't want to go back... It's my first time coming out to play..."
Diancie lowered her head, twiddling her small hands, and responded timidly.
If it were the future Diancie, she would have just shouted at Dace: No!
"Lu-shii!"
Sachima was a very strict person.
It wasn't as easy to talk to as Dace, but it also wasn't as stubborn as Dace.
Dace belonged to the old-fashioned type, sticking to rules and inflexible.
In the eyes of Dace, who had traveled outside.
The surface world was full of deceit and danger for Diancie.
So no matter how strong Diancie was, it didn't want Her Highness to go to the surface.
But Sachima was different.
It allowed Diancie to come to the surface to play.
With only one prerequisite.
To become strong!
In Sachima's eyes, although Diancie possessed powerful strength innately, she was still a weakling.
Because Diancie's heart was too fragile. She possessed powerful strength but didn't dare to use it. Even when beaten by Pokémon weaker than her, she only knew how to run.
How is this any different from being weak?
So Sachima often forced Diancie to battle it, even forcing Diancie to attack it with all her might.
It had been waiting for that day.
Waiting for the day Diancie could defeat it fiercely.
That wouldn't just be proof of strength.
It would be a testament to inner growth.
Before Diancie's heart grew strong, Sachima wouldn't allow her to run up to the surface.
"I... I..."
Diancie blinked, on the verge of crying.
Her pitiful look had clearly been scolded by Sachima a lot, making both Kazuya and Volcanion's hearts soften.
~~~
Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter