Chapter 8: Chapter Eight: Forgetting the Past

The only reason he forced himself forward despite utter exhaustion.

It was the promise of a better future.

Baimu believed that at such moments, everything except the impending gain was an illusionary cake, so whenever Cheng Hong slowed, he would spur him with similar words.

As the number of such prods increased, Cheng Hong's expression clearly grew irritable, yet his steps became stronger.

Yet.

As if mocked by fate, their journey was always filled with hardship and suffering.

Just as they reached the fork where they had previously encountered Ronglongshi, danger struck again!

From the left cave entrance, a tank-like, earth-gray, four-legged Pokémon charged out, its back carrying a man screaming incessantly, his right arm twisted unnaturally.

When their eyes met, Baimu's brow instantly furrowed, Cheng Hong's eyes brimmed with despair, and Chai Tian's panic and pain swiftly transformed into delight and malice.

"Hahaha! Put on a mask and think I won't recognize you? Armored Rhino! Kill him!"

The man's roar echoed throughout the entire cave.

"Run! Keep running forward!"

Baimu barely freed one hand, quickly pulled a purple ball from his pocket, and hurled it to the ground.

Boom!

The ball exploded, and thick purple mist rapidly engulfed the entire fork.

【Smoke Ball】, a device that confuses Pokémon's vision and sense of smell, not cheap.

The fleeing Armored Rhino had never been interested in pursuit; now unable to locate its target, it grew even more sluggish.

Chai Tian, furious, shouted repeatedly.

Within the smoke.

Cheng Hong, who had been behind, swiftly overtook Baimu; though his strength had long been at its limit, he now erupted with fresh power, sprinting faster than before.

"Save your life first! Drop the person!"

Baimu whispered the reminder—there was no need to cling to saving others now; if you can't save yourself, how can you care for others?

"You drop too! You drop, I drop!" Cheng Hong refused decisively, not even turning his head, yet certain the other still carried two people.

Fool!

Is this really worth doing now? Just abandon them if you must!

Baimu gritted his teeth, sensing the vibrations behind him—he knew the Armored Rhino had already identified their escape direction.

There was no way around it; both of them reeked of sweat and blood—it was impossible not to smell them.

And this Pokémon ran with extreme speed on straight paths; even at full strength, he hadn't dared say he could outrun it, and now he carried two people…

"Run! Keep running! See how far you can get!"

Chai Tian's venomous voice echoed from afar.

He turned his pain into intense hatred, likely imagining some dramatic scenario—being targeted by such a person was sheer misfortune.

Too bad.

Baimu sighed inwardly, then decisively tossed the person he carried to the cave's edge; they were less than five hundred meters from the exit, and even with an upward slope, carrying two people would take no more than a minute and a half.

Too bad indeed.

May they fend for themselves.

Perhaps Chai Tian, in pursuit, would spare them—this might just grant them a sliver of chance.

"I'm letting go! Don't hesitate!"

He shouted, and with his other hand began untying the ropes on his back.

At that moment, a sudden scream came from behind.

"Ahh! What is that! Where did this thing come from!"

Baimu dropped the man on his back, kept running without slowing, and swiftly turned his head for a fleeting glance—he caught a flash of silver light exploding brilliantly!

The Pokémon's howl followed.

"Goo!!"

"Huuu!!"

—Cacnea!

Baimu would never forget that familiar sound—he'd been startled by it twice before in panic.

It had followed them again?

And now clashed with the Armored Rhino and Chai Tian?

Cacnea…

Rumble—!!

Violent shaking and falling rocks shattered Baimu's thoughts; when he turned again, he saw numerous boulders crashing down from above, blocking the path behind.

Chai Tian's shouts and the two Pokémon's cries were swallowed whole, completely severed from his sprinting form, like a gate slamming shut.

A gate called safety.

Baimu: "..."

His steps halted abruptly; with lightning speed, he spun around, rushed to the first person he'd dropped, snatched him up, then yanked the second person onto his back.

Cheng Hong, who had been ahead and was about to drop his burden, turned instinctively and saw Baimu's actions—stunned.

"You really dropped them? Wait, why pick them back up if you dropped them?"

"Shut up. Run."

Baimu said no more, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Cheng Hong had wanted to ask what was going on, but seeing Baimu's solemn eyes, he fell silent and followed.

Who knew the other would run faster and faster—clearly an uphill path of no small incline, yet in an instant he pulled over ten meters ahead, and the distance kept widening.

"Huh? Huh??"

Only now did Cheng Hong realize that if not for caring for him, Baimu might have already escaped.

—

"Aaaah! Where did this thing come from! Kill it quick!"

The human's furious, helpless roars echoed through the mine.

Cacodra looked up at the armored rhino, which snorted from its nostrils, seemingly enraged, its expression slightly wary.

But at this moment, it was thinking of something else.

Had the boy gotten out?

I hope so.

The moment it first saw the other, it was utterly astonished—had never imagined it could meet again. Later it realized it was only the eyes and hairstyle that resembled each other; their faces were completely different.

Right.

It had been abandoned, left behind on this strange land, beyond doubt.

How could it ever meet again?

It had fantasized that one day that person would come looking for it, but it was only a fragment from a dream; in the end, what remained deepest in memory was still that retreating back, fleeing without hesitation.

Hate?

Perhaps a little.

But what it felt more was confusion—after all… why?

What reason did it have to be abandoned?

Weakness? Slowness? Defiance?

That's not right.

It didn't remember being described by any such word.

Besides, "It's the trainer's duty to make weak Pokémon stronger"—you yourself said that!

So on what basis?

It just—doesn't understand!

"Guh!"

A flame rose in Cacodra's heart; it no longer chose to hold back. A silver halo enveloped its head, and it charged forward!

Unexpectedly, the armored rhino seemed to have been waiting, its eyes filled with ferocity; both front hooves suddenly lifted, then came crashing down.

"Hun!"

Boom!

The powerful stomp struck Cacodra's face precisely, like two heavy hammers hammering it into immobility.

The silver glow of 【Iron Head】 exploded, blasting a ring of dust, which quickly dispersed.

"Is it done? Damn thing wasted my time! Smash those rocks open!"

Chaitian screamed, face twisted, "Absolutely cannot let Baimu escape! Must kill him!"

The armored rhino ignored him, fixing its gaze on Cacodra beneath its hooves—the latter clearly trying to push its body up, but unable to resist its strength.

Where did this little thing come from? Daring to challenge it alone? Does it really think I'm vegetarian?

The armored rhino, holding back its fury, decided to teach Cacodra a lesson—but its hooves suddenly grew light.

Looking down, a small hole had appeared beneath it; Cacodra was already gone.

Playing me?!

"Hun!"

The armored rhino's rage surged; its legs were engulfed in brown-red light. Ignoring Chaitian's startled cries, it slammed down heavily!

Thud!

A thunderous crash!

The mine floor and abandoned tracks split open at once, forming a vast, jagged chasm. Rocks tumbled from above, countless shards flew everywhere, exposing Cacodra buried underground.

Its expression shifted rapidly from shock to panic.

The next instant.

Boom—!!

The chasm snapped shut; earth-yellow energy erupted from within, spewing Cacodra out like a volcanic eruption.

Plop.

Cacodra landed on the ground, multiple parts of its body sunken unnaturally, half its face charred black, its expression dazed.

It looked up at the approaching armored rhino; its dwindling strength blurred its awareness, thoughts flashing through its mind.

Like a life review.

How long had it held on? A minute? Had the boy gotten out? I truly hope he's safe now.

After this.

If it survives, even if it truly says farewell to the past, says goodbye.

In its dimming vision, Cacodra's eyes passed over the armored rhino—and faintly, from the darkness, saw a blurred figure.

He seemed to be waving to it.

But that already indistinct presence, as its mind dulled, grew ever fainter, ever fainter…

"Cacodra!! Where are you!!"

Blinding light suddenly flooded its vision; a roar echoed beside its ear. The figure shifted from vague to solid, and before the collapsed pile of rubble, became a bright headlamp.

And beneath the headlamp, a face that was unusually clear.

Ah.

How—how did you come back?

Coco Dora's eyes went wide, its limbs flailing wildly, and strength from some unknown source made it let out a shriek.

"Gyaa—!!"

Run! Why did you come back! Run!

It saw the Iron Armor Rhino slowly turn its body, saw the wild joy and ferocious expression on the rider's back, and struggled to stand up.

But it, having been struck by Fissure, no longer had that kind of strength.

The person and the Pokémon, separated by such a great distance, finally met each other's gaze, each displaying emotions too many to name.

Turbidity, clarity, unwillingness, and that faint trace of relief.

And all of these, in the end, became a single sentence.

"Don't worry, I've come to get you."

All Baimu ignored the Iron Armor Rhino and Shibata blocking the middle, and gripping the hammerhead in his hand, revealed a brilliantly radiant smile.

"Let's get out of here together."

'I've come to get you.'

What a weightlessly light sentence.

But Coco Dora, covered all over in wounds, just stood there in a daze, as if it had gone stupid, unable to cry out any longer.

In those pale-blue eyes, too, only a single figure remained.