Chapter 715: Returning to the Ore Kingdom, Target: Sacred Diamond
For every child born inland.
Yearning for the seaside is always an indispensable part of the journey of growing up.
For playful Pokémon.
This is even more true.
When Volcanion and Diancie personally felt the soft, moist sand with their feet, they realized that the sea and the beach were even more charming than they had imagined.
The beach at night was also relatively cold.
The land currently beneath the feet of the four Pokémon was exactly the Ambrette Town beach that Kazuya, Cynthia, and Diancie had once set foot on.
It was just that.
At this time.
Ambrette Town had not yet been established.
This was a place that had not yet been noticed by humans.
"How does it feel~"
Kazuya stretched lazily towards the sea.
Because of Lorelei, his love for the sea was countless times higher than when he was human.
Of course.
The factor that the oceans of the Pokémon world are more beautiful couldn't be ruled out either.
This ocean was simply worthy of people's affection.
For example...
Standing on this beach.
At least you couldn't smell any stench.
Whereas that ocean on Earth, polluted by humans, was simply like a homeless person's foot-washing water; even recalling it made one want to throw up.
"Master, why is the temperature of the seawater higher than the sand?"
Diancie reached out and tugged at Kazuya's skirt.
"Um... this involves the concept of 'specific heat capacity.' Specific heat capacity can be understood as..."
"Never mind, Master, it sounds too troublesome, I don't want to know anymore."
Diancie let go of Kazuya's skirt, turned, and walked away.
"..."
Kazuya's words came to an abrupt halt, suddenly feeling dull.
He had rarely gotten into the mood to show off his knowledge to his female disciple.
Unfortunately, this little thing had no emotional intelligence at all, didn't listen to him speak, and didn't give her old master any face.
Because it was getting late.
And since it was Volcanion and the others' first time seeing the ocean, they didn't really want to leave so early.
So they temporarily stayed in the forest near the ocean.
"Hula..."
Floette huddled under Volcanion's head, staring blankly at the campfire in front of her.
"Missing AZ?"
Kazuya grinned.
Even without the Telepathy ability, he could see through Floette's thoughts at a glance.
"Hula."
"We'll be back soon."
Kazuya reached out and patted her little head, comforting her a bit.
The night passed silently.
The next day.
Volcanion and the other three Pokémon had fun on the beach for a while longer, and then set off on their journey back.
Because they had already played to their heart's content on the way here.
They didn't waste much time on the way back.
Both Volcanion and Floette wanted to go home quickly.
As for Diancie, she didn't care.
Going anywhere was fine, as long as it wasn't going home.
Five days passed.
When passing by Azoth.
Kazuya and the others left Floette and the gathered crystals behind, and then continued towards the Nebel Plateau.
When the three Pokémon stepped onto the Nebel Plateau.
They immediately felt their bodies relax and found a comfortable spot to lie down.
"Home is still the most comfortable."
Volcanion lay on His stomach on the ground, a happy and content smile on His face.
Sure enough.
He was still better suited to be a shut-in.
"Di-lu-xi~"
Kazuya had just lain down and closed his eyes, and before he could reply to Volcanion, he heard Amaura's voice coming from afar.
Along with it came a series of noisy footsteps.
"Everyone's here. You're really popular, our Princess of the Nebel Plateau."
A teasing expression appeared on Volcanion's face.
But unfortunately.
Kazuya didn't kick Him.
He was gradually building up resistance to these words.
This made Volcanion a bit disappointed and feel very bored, so He simply closed His eyes to sleep soundly.
In a short while.
Kazuya felt a large, cold head resting on his belly.
He reached out to stroke it.
Even without opening his eyes, he knew it was Amaura lying on his stomach.
"Let's hug and sleep for a while."
Kazuya muttered, directly wrapping his arms around the big head and falling asleep.
When he woke up again, it was already evening.
Kazuya slowly sat up. Seeing that the Amaura in his arms seemed a bit tired, he quickly let go.
This child had been acting as a body pillow the whole time.
"Di-lu-xi~"
Amaura lifted its head and rubbed it against Kazuya's cheek.
"Mhm, we're back. Did you have fun these past two weeks?"
Kazuya smiled and stroked its face.
After chatting for a few words.
Kazuya saw Diancie chatting with a Carbink under a distant tree hollow.
Although face-blind.
Kazuya still recognized it was Sachima.
"Hm? Sachima actually came over. Is it here to take Diancie back?"
Kazuya looked up twice but didn't go over.
Diancie had been on the surface for half a month now.
Sachima would definitely be worried, and it was entirely normal for it to come over and take Diancie back.
One must know that Dace would make three phone calls a day asking Diancie to go home; Sachima was already considered very lenient.
However, in reality.
Sachima was even more lenient than Kazuya imagined.
Just as Kazuya was about to take Amaura to get some water nearby, Sachima led Diancie to them, blocking their way.
"Lord Elder! Thank you for taking care of Her Highness the Princess these past few days!"
Sachima bowed towards Kazuya's direction.
This was considered a bow.
"Not at all, you're too polite. By the way, when did I become an elder of the Underground Ore Kingdom?"
Kazuya waved his hand, then asked in confusion.
Anyway, three thousand years later.
He and Cynthia, as Diancie's friends, were indeed treated as guests of honor by the Underground Ore Kingdom and held the position of honorary elders.
Volcanion, Magearna.
They were also elders of the Underground Ore Kingdom, and the two sides seemed to interact quite frequently.
"You are Her Highness the Princess's Master, of course you are an elder of our Underground Ore Kingdom."
Sachima nodded and said matter-of-factly.
"Uh."
Kazuya raised his hand to scratch his cheek, forgetting about this matter.
At first, he and Diancie were just calling it for fun.
Including Big Brother Volcanion, Little Brother Amaura, and Big Sister Floette.
These were all just playful titles Diancie used at the beginning.
It was just that.
Diancie, who longed for family.
Seemed to have gradually been influenced by these titles.
And truly placed their identities in the positions corresponding to these titles.
In other words.
Regardless of how it started.
At least in the current Diancie's eyes, Kazuya really was her Master.
But Kazuya hadn't really treated Diancie as a disciple. At most, she was a half-disciple, which couldn't compare to the direct disciples he truly put effort into teaching, like Lami and Kazan.
"It's like this, Elder. Her Highness the Princess has been away from the Ore Kingdom for quite a long time, and everyone is very uneasy."
Sachima spoke to Kazuya in a "negotiating" tone.
It seemed.
The other party immersed themselves in the role faster than Kazuya himself.
It really treated Kazuya as an elder of the Underground Ore Kingdom all at once.
"Oh, are you taking her back? Go ahead."
Kazuya nodded and waved his hand.
He had expected this.
"Mhm, that is true. Besides that, I also hope you and the other several elders can go together."
"...Ah?"
Kazuya was stunned for a moment, looking at Sachima in confusion. "What are we going over there for?"
"To let the subjects of the Ore Kingdom recognize you, so as to avoid not recognizing each other when meeting in the future. After all, there will inevitably be situations where mutual help is needed."
The reason Sachima gave made Kazuya feel a bit familiar.
Recalling the memories of his fifth life slightly.
Kazuya finally remembered that when he became an elder of the Ore Kingdom, Dace also hurriedly had the Carbink of the Underground Ore Kingdom recognize him.
It was both convenient for the elders to ask the Ore Kingdom subjects for help, and convenient for the Carbink to come to the surface to ask the elders for help.
"And the other few are?"
Kazuya frowned, then asked a question.
"Volcanion, Floette, Amaura!"
Diancie excitedly waved her small hands beside him and replied.
"Amaura can't go."
"Why?"
"The Underground Ore Kingdom is too hot. He can't stay there for a long time, he will die."
Kazuya shook his head.
He had been to the Underground Ore Kingdom in his fifth life.
Although the power of the Sacred Diamond enveloped the entire Underground Ore Kingdom, forming a special space, the temperature there was still very high.
When first stepping into it.
Amaura might only feel very uncomfortable.
If the time was slightly longer.
Then he would probably gradually become unable to catch his breath.
Moreover.
Even without considering the temperature issue.
It would be very difficult for Amaura to run all the way underground with them.
"Eh?!"
Hearing this, Diancie's face turned a bit pale.
She didn't want her little brother to die!
"Also, Floette most likely can't go either. She probably wouldn't be able to adapt to that environment, and the main point is that she will probably be grounded for a period of time next."
Kazuya raised his hand to pinch his chin, analyzing the situation a bit.
Floette sneaked out with them for half a month.
AZ would most likely fly into a rage for a moment.
A severe punishment was impossible.
But a minor reprimand couldn't be avoided.
Barring any surprises, Floette would be grounded for about half a month.
"Then.. then.. what about Master and Big Brother?"
Diancie clasped her hands together, looking at Kazuya nervously.
Sachima also seemed to have a headache over this matter.
There were only these four elders in total.
Half of them couldn't go.
"For the two of us, there shouldn't be any problem. We can accompany you on this trip."
Kazuya reached out and rubbed Diancie's small ears.
Actually.
He wasn't very heat-resistant in this life either, only slightly better than Amaura and Floette.
In his previous life, he wasn't afraid at all.
But with Volcanion around, it shouldn't be a problem.
Volcanion is a Water-type Pokémon.
The crucial point is that He can release Ice-type Haze to lower the temperature, enough to temporarily cool down the surrounding environment.
The main point was.
Kazuya had a reason for wanting to go.
He remembered in his fifth life, he used Aura power to mobilize the natural energy within the Sacred Diamond, causing it to generate the Mega Stone for Lucario.
According to what Dace said at the time, he was the only existence besides Diancie who could mobilize the energy of the Sacred Diamond.
It sounded as if it was because Kazuya was special.
But in reality, it couldn't really be counted like that.
After all.
The creatures that could come into contact with the Sacred Diamond.
Besides Diancie, there were probably no more than five.
Among them, the one possessing Aura power was likely only Kazuya.
It wasn't necessarily that only he could mobilize the energy in the Sacred Diamond.
Perhaps it was just that too few creatures had tried.
Kazuya wanted to clarify.
Whether his ability to mobilize the energy in the later Sacred Diamond...
Was because of Aura power.
Or because of Diancie.
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