Being looked at wouldn't make a piece of flesh fall off.
If Ogerpon were truly that sensitive, she wouldn't have endured centuries of mistreatnt from the villagers of Kitakami.
"I…"
Gardevoir hadn't expected to be seen through so easily.
She hesitated.
Before she could respond, Princess Kimia arrived, piloting her flying device and rushing forward.
"Please wait!"
"Please don't hurt Gardevoir."
Kimia cared deeply about Pokémon.
She had no intention of letting Gardevoir get injured.
With no other choice, she revealed herself to clear up the misunderstanding.
Besides, Ogerpon didn't look like a vicious Pokémon at all.
Kimia believed that if she explained things honestly, she could earn forgiveness.
That kind of thinking might seem naïve in other worlds.
But this was the Pokémon world.
And Ogerpon was a Pokémon.
"Ponii…"
After sensing Kimia's goodwill, Ogerpon's earlier domineering presence vanished, replaced by visible awkwardness.
Fortunately, she had her strategist—Buneary.
Through communication between Buneary and Gardevoir, and then telepathy to Kimia, the princess quickly learned what had happened.
The two small Pokémon didn't hide anything.
They simply didn't understand the concept of human deceit.
Pure and kindhearted, they openly told Kimia that they were heading to challenge Volcanion.
However—
They did not reveal anything about Magearna.
They might be innocent, but they still knew how to protect what belonged to their trainer.
Sora had set his sights on Magearna.
He intended to recruit her.
Volcanion, on the other hand, was more of an attempt—no guarantees.
Ogerpon worried that if Kimia learned about Magearna, she might try to take her away.
"That would be unacceptable."
Magearna belonged to Sora.
Volcanion too—at least potentially.
They couldn't fight desperately only for soone else to swoop in and claim the reward after Volcanion was exhausted.
If that happened, Ogerpon felt she might as well label herself a failure.
"You… actually have a trainer?!"
Kimia's reaction was far more shocked than Ogerpon and Buneary had expected.
The princess of the kingdom had never imagined that a trainer could raise a Pokémon as powerful as Ogerpon.
A single Pokémon capable of sweeping across the entire Nebel Plateau.
And now—
She was on her way to challenge the legendary guardian, Volcanion.
"Wait, so Volcanion really exists?"
"I always thought it was just a legend."
Kimia had never seen Volcanion before and had never paid much attention to the story.
But hearing about his existence now filled her with curiosity.
"May I co along and watch?"
She quickly added:
"Don't worry. I won't interfere in the battle, and I won't try to take Volcanion."
Taking a Pokémon soone else desired was sothing no respectable trainer would do.
Especially not a royal princess.
Her dignity and honor wouldn't allow it.
"Ponii…"
And just like that, the group witnessing Ogerpon's challenge gained several new spectators.
Kimia released her own Pokémon.
Among them was a Sylveon, which imdiately caught Buneary's attention and sparked excitent.
The Azoth Kingdom had been researching Fairy-type Pokémon for over 500 years.
Back then, they might not have fully understood what "Fairy type" was.
They knew how to achieve results, but not necessarily why it worked.
Just like Kimia's Sylveon.
She didn't know the exact evolution conditions.
She simply followed ancient royal breeding records— specific foods, specific training thods— and through that tradition, Eevee evolved into Sylveon.
If Sora had been present, he would likely have marveled at the wisdom of the ancients.
The Pokémon League had existed for barely a century.
Many old families and institutions still possessed hidden knowledge passed down through generations.
That was one reason ordinary trainers struggled to match family-trained elites.
The gap was real—and often enormous.
"Is it over there?"
From the distant plateau, Sora could already see the massive gathering of Pokémon—a vast moving crowd that was visually striking.
"Vini-vini!"
"It's fine. We still have ti."
He estimated the distance.
Before Ogerpon started her challenge against Volcanion, he should be able to catch up.
Just then, he noticed an aircraft approaching in the sky.
"So the commotion attracted the attention of the Azoth Kingdom."
Sora felt a hint of trouble brewing.
In terms of raw combat power, the kingdom didn't possess anyone capable of truly stopping him.
But that wasn't the real issue.
Magearna had been created 500 years ago by the mysterious scientist Eliphas, who presented her as a gift to the princess of that era.
From that perspective, Magearna could be considered a Pokémon belonging to the Azoth Kingdom.
Victini's situation had been similar.
But Victini's original owner—the old king—had died a thousand years ago.
So Victini was effectively ownerless, with no disputes.
"Five hundred years…"
Sora shook his head.
"Pokémon aren't objects. And it's been five centuries."
If ownership could be inherited indefinitely, that would an treating Pokémon like property without autonomy.
If the royal family tried to make that argunt, Sora felt he wouldn't need to be polite.
He would simply rely on strength.
Still—
If Magearna genuinely believed staying in the Azoth Kingdom was better…
"Then so be it."
He had no intention of forcing her.
"If Azoth treats Magearna well, the decision should be hers."
That point mattered.
Magearna should stay not because she belonged to the kingdom—
but because she wanted to.
The royal family couldn't rely on a five-hundred-year-old claim to control her.
If Princess Kimia and Prince Raleigh could win Magearna's trust through their own character, Sora would respect her choice.
"Hey!"
Lost in thought while riding Ursaluna across the plateau, Sora suddenly saw the aircraft stop directly in front of him.
A figure leaned out from the cockpit—
looking down at him from above.
—------------------------------
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