Chapter 145: The Hero of Flame

"I know how hard it has been for you. Forget about resting; you probably haven't even dared to relax your expression for a single second."

Zhusuichan gently patted the head of the Volcarona. "Since we've reached the Silver Plains, you can finally rest properly. Those little toys following behind you have already been dealt with by my partners."

Volcarona's tone relaxed a fraction: "Moth."

*Nasty things, but I couldn't hit them.*

Clearly, Volcarona was well aware of the strange objects trailing at the rear of the procession, but as the leader, it was impossible for him to turn back and deal with them.

What if he went off to handle the drone array, only for some force to take advantage of the opening and scatter his flock into chaos?

The distance was too great, and none of the other Pokémon possessed attacks with enough range to reach those drones.

"Modern technology really does have the advantage in that regard."

If it were a conflict between Pokémon and humans, a swarm of Bug-type Pokémon could have wrapped those drones up into little dumplings with string shots and knocked them down in no time. But technological creations were different; their range advantage was simply too overwhelming.

Volcarona's injuries were severe—to put it bluntly, there wasn't a single undamaged spot left on his body or his wings.

Once the creature completely suppressed the blazing flames on its body, the harsh light revealed the true extent of the damage.

He was covered in wounds.

"And here I was wondering why you insisted on keeping your lights and flames burning the whole time."

If he hadn't maintained the fire, everyone would have immediately realized that their leading monarch had suffered catastrophic injuries.

Lapras unleashed an Ice Beam to sculpt a large basin, instantly filling it with accumulated Life Dew.

Milcery rubbed her little hands together, and an aromatic mist permeated the air, providing Volcarona with a Special Defense boost to prevent his injuries from deteriorating further.

"Mil!"

*Not enough! The boost from the aromatic mist is still not enough!*

The level gap between Milcery and Volcarona was quite obvious, meaning the Special Defense enhancement wasn't as potent as it could be.

In that case, it was time to deploy an even more powerful domain skill!

"Mil!"

*Domain of the Great Emperor, open!*

A pink radiance illuminated the surroundings. Volcarona, already submerged within the makeshift bath, shifted his body slightly, clearly feeling the agonizing discomfort within him being beaten back.

Now, only the stinging pain of the open wounds remained, while the internal injuries were no longer as glaringly obvious.

*[Misty Terrain learned. Congratulations on mastering a new move.]*

Milcery took a deep breath, sustaining both the Aromatic Mist and Misty Terrain simultaneously to continuously provide vital support to Volcarona.

"Mil!"

*This Emperor is invincible!*

"Good job."

Zhusuichan began the process of disinfecting Volcarona. Fine scales still clung stubbornly to the wounds, making it look as though he had trudged through a blinding sandstorm. If these weren't cleared away, infection would set in rapidly.

"Moth."

*I... I'm not in pain!*

Volcarona stubbornly put on a brave face. In order to make things easier for Zhusuichan, he forcefully held back, even though the stinging agony made him want to fold his wings shut.

His trembling frame looked somewhat comical, yet it laid bare the sheer resilience of his character.

"With this many wounds, it seems whoever is targeting you isn't just after the migrating flock—they're after you specifically."

Volcarona, it had to be said, was a Pokémon whose rarity and value rivaled any legendary species, not to mention the layer of ancient myth that added to his allure.

That was precisely where the added value lay.

Imagine inviting guests to view your collection, only to reveal that among your treasures is the "sun" from ancient lore. The sheer prestige of such a collection skyrocketed instantly.

Much like the movie theater special seen in a past life, where a certain individual captured the Legendary Birds purely for the sake of collection.

Not to conquer the world, and not even to grow stronger.

"Moth."

*I could never recognize such a person.*

"Even if you don't recognize them, it doesn't change a thing. They don't want your recognition; they want *you*."

Zhusuichan tossed the debris picked from a wound to the side, washing the laceration clean with Life Dew.

"Besides, with modern science, there are plenty of methods to make you obediently fall in line. For instance, there's a piece of tech called a Dark Ball—though I happened to take care of that little gadget."

If the colossal, grotesque chimeric beast machines of the dark era represented an undisguised desire for conquest and rule, the psychological controllers of modern technology felt far more "civilized."

That civilized violence merely masked twisted obsessions and a desire for absolute possession.

Zhusuichan fed Volcarona an energy cube. "Judging by your reaction, you seem to recognize the power radiating from my skillet. Have you met Entei?"

"Moth."

*The legend of the sacred flame, the volcano king who gallops across the land wielding holy fire—tales of him are passed down everywhere.*

Volcarona looked up at Zhusuichan. "Moth."

*Have you met that volcano king, or have you met the supreme sovereign who truly commands the sacred fire?*

"Ah, I've met that volcano king. Don't look at him now; he looks all majestic and imposing, but back in the day, he was just a tiny ball of light shivering and hiding behind my back."

Volcarona: ?

What terrifying seniority.

"Moth."

*You seem to completely understand what I'm saying. The humans I've met in the past never seemed capable of that.*

"Spend more time running around the Unova region in the future, and you might just bump into a second one."

Zhusuichan patted Milcery on the head, signaling that she could withdraw her powers.

The disinfection and initial treatment phases were complete, so there was no need for Milcery to drain her energy maintaining those two moves any longer.

Milcery floated up to rest on top of Zhusuichan's head, placed her hands on her hips with an expression that screamed, *"I am immensely powerful!"* and then rapidly collapsed into the white hair, skillfully weaving herself a little nest.

"Mil~"

*Too lazy to move myself, so I'll just let my Trainer carry me back.*

The energy expenditure was nothing much to Milcery, but that didn't stop her from putting on an exhausted act so her Trainer would carry her the rest of the way.

Lapras looked at Volcarona. "Awoo?"

*Is it always you leading all the Pokémon back and forth every year?*

"Moth."

*Once this journey is finished, I will return alone. Every year, a different member of the flock takes turns leading everyone on this long trek.*

Mewtwo nodded: *It seems those people operating the drones also had the intention of locating an entire Volcarona population.*

Zhusuichan nodded, figuring this routine was probably similar to following aging elephants to find the elephant graveyard.

"Mil?"

*Why do you have to lead them?*

Volcarona fell silent for a moment, as if sifting through old memories.

"Moth."

*I don't know. But that is how the flock taught me.*

*Once I become the sun, this is the duty I must fulfill.*

Watching Zhusuichan wrap gauze around his body, Volcarona twitched his wings slightly as a wave of fatigue washed over him from the core of his being.

"Moth."

*I remember now.*

Volcarona looked toward Milcery. "Moth."

*This seems to be something I heard from very, very old members of the flock.*

*Many years ago, they noticed that fewer members were returning from the journey, and they assumed it was because they had found new homes.*

*But later on, the Pokémon who did make the return journey told the elders that humans and other Pokémon had joined forces to capture them, and even subjected them to horrifying torments.*

The flames on Volcarona's body flared and vanished: "Moth."

*So ever since that time, guiding everyone through this long voyage has become the sacred duty of our kind.*

*To lead everyone safely to the places where life continues, and to protect them from being harmed by wicked humans and Pokémon.*

Zhusuichan's eyes narrowed, and Mewtwo wore an expression of sudden realization.

If it involved elders who were "very, very old" to the Volcarona clan, that time period undoubtedly pointed back to the dark era.

Zhusuichan recalled a story from his past life about a migratory bird species that traveled back and forth between two regions, only to be hunted to near extinction due to the delectable taste of their meat.

From a time when one could simply fire a few random shots into the sky and reap a bountiful harvest, to the verge of total extinction, only a handful of years had passed.

Zhusuichan reached out and stroked Volcarona's head. "You are a formidable warrior, and so is your flock."

"Your injuries have been initially treated, but follow-up care requires you to come with me to the medical tent. I don't carry the kind of advanced machinery needed for further healing out here."

Volcarona shuddered his frame: "Moth."

*It is already enough. Thank you, I have completely recovered.*

Zhusuichan calmly pulled out his trusty skillet, the bottom adorned with flame patterns pointing squarely at Volcarona's head.

"Pardon me, the wind was a bit loud just now and I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it?"

*I'm quite sure you haven't tasted the full destructive power of a skillet forged in sacred fire!*

Mewtwo and Lapras exchanged glances, then looked at Milcery, who was tucked snugly inside her little blanket.

The three companions turned away simultaneously, signaling that they had witnessed precisely nothing.

*Nothing to see here. The little guy was doing fine, but why does this stubborn blockhead always manage to lose his senses again?*

Their resident white-haired rascal was a genuine sweet-looking black-hearted tyrant; when his temper flared, he was the kind of ruthless character who wouldn't hesitate to toss someone into a sea of fire for disciplinary action.

Then again, stubborn mules like this truly could only be handled by someone like Zhusuichan.

*Either you listen to me willingly, or you take a blow from my pan first and then listen to me!*

Volcarona: ...

"Moth."

*I understand.*

Zhusuichan used bug-silk gauze to wrap Volcarona up until he looked like an oversized mummy, leaving a bit of string tied to himself so he could carry the patient piggyback-style.

Given Volcarona's pride and unwavering tenacity, Zhusuichan felt that stuffing such a creature into a Poké Ball wasn't the right choice.

So carrying him on his back it was—consider it early practice for what it felt like to raise a child.

"I feel like you wouldn't even need secondary processing; if I threw you straight to a Cofagrigus right now, the poor thing would honestly have to compliment my craftsmanship as a master artisan."

Upon receiving Zhusuichan's call, Bugsy—who had already arranged the treatment equipment and supplies—felt his eyelid twitch violently.

"You had better not actually do that, kid."

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

Zhusuichan placed Volcarona inside the liquid healing chamber, closed the hatch, and began injecting the restorative serum concocted primarily from Life Dew.

To a certain extent, this was essentially a medicinal bath tailored specifically for Volcarona.

"I'm still amazed you managed to bring him here, though."

Bugsy marveled, "No one has ever been able to bring another Volcarona in for treatment before. At most, people only managed some crude first aid on-site to help them bounce back enough to move."

Zhusuichan tapped away at the control console. "I have a secret formula. Want to know?"

Bugsy's eyes lit up as his inner Bug-type Gym Leader devotion took over.

"Please, I'm begging you, share it."

"Simple. Threaten them with brute force."

Bugsy: ?