Chapter 103: Magearna’s Guard — Volcanion!
"H-hello, Magearna."
"My name is Korrina, I'm twelve years old."
Korrina crouched in front of Magearna, so excited that she was practically incoherent.
"I grew up listening to stories about you. I've always wanted to meet the real you."
"Could I maybe hug you?"
"Just once is enough."
With her hands clasped together, Korrina pleaded sincerely:
"Please, please…"
"Didi-doo."
Magearna didn't quite know how to respond.
She could tell this child meant no harm.
"Then…"
Magearna brought her hands together and suddenly produced a bouquet of flowers, offering it to Korrina.
"Th-this!"
Korrina looked overwhelmed by the gesture.
"Is this… for me?"
"Th-thank you!"
She carefully accepted the bouquet and took a gentle sniff.
A refreshing fragrance filled her senses.
She loved it.
Then, in the next instant—
Magearna pulled Korrina into a hug.
"Didoo~"
Pat pat.
Good child, good child.
"Mmm…"
Being patted on the head by Magearna made Korrina blush furiously.
Yet she absolutely didn't want to pull away.
No helping it—the fairy-tale doll princess was right beside her!
How could she possibly push her away?!
"Hmph."
"Where did this little brat come from?"
Seeing Magearna being "harassed," the self-appointed Magearna Guardian Volcanion immediately strode over, snorting two streams of white steam from his nostrils.
"Don't get so close. Can't you see Magearna is troubled?"
"S-she talked!!"
Korrina instantly sprang away from Magearna as though electrocuted.
But instead of fear, her face filled with pure shock.
"Telepathy?"
"N-no, wait, it feels different…"
"Anyway, this is amazing!!"
Meanwhile, beside Korrina, Lucario had gone into full stress response mode the moment Volcanion approached.
Her fur bristled all over.
Her pupils shrank sharply.
Without hesitation, she stepped in front of Korrina protectively.
"K-Lucario, what's wrong?"
"Luca!"
Danger.
Unprecedented danger!
Lucario didn't recognize Volcanion.
She had never seen a Pokémon like this before.
But the pressure radiating from him—
that overwhelming aura of a supreme being—
made every instinct in her body scream warnings.
Run!
Don't hesitate!
Turn around and flee immediately!
The creature before them existed on an entirely different level.
If they became enemies—
they would be annihilated instantly!
"M-monster…"
Lucario's reaction earned a disdainful glance from Volcanion.
What kind of Pokémon was this?
What was with that reaction?
Did she actually see him as an opponent?
A mere Trainer's Pokémon thought herself worthy of standing against Volcanion?
"How about calming down a little? You're scaring them, Volcanion."
Sora patted the giant's shoulder, signaling him to back off slightly.
To be fair, Sora understood Lucario's reaction.
Volcanion really did have overwhelming presence.
"Huh?"
But when Sora casually spoke Volcanion's name, Korrina's mind went completely blank.
"V-Volcanion?"
"The guardian deity of the Nebel Plateau?"
"The legendary Pokémon said to be capable of blasting apart an entire mountain in a single attack?!"
W-what exactly is going on here?!
Who was this man?!
First Magearna.
Now Volcanion.
Yet strangely enough, Korrina felt no fear whatsoever.
At this moment, her entire attention was locked onto Volcanion and Magearna.
She couldn't look away.
"So cool…"
"So this is the legendary Volcanion…"
"The massive body…"
"The majestic gaze…"
"The overwhelming presence…"
Korrina unconsciously voiced her admiration aloud.
Even Volcanion became slightly embarrassed from all the praise.
"Ahem."
"Well, since you clearly have excellent taste, I'll forgive your earlier rudeness."
Volcanion declared proudly:
"But you still aren't allowed to get close to Magearna, understand, human girl?!"
Magearna herself looked somewhat troubled by how protective he was acting.
Still, understanding that Volcanion meant well, she merely glared at him helplessly.
Only after Volcanion lowered his head in acknowledgment of his mistake did she forgive him.
Look at how badly he'd frightened the poor girl's Pokémon.
"Uh… okay… right…"
Korrina barely even noticed the interaction between Magearna and Volcanion.
Her eyes kept darting back and forth between the two Legendary Pokémon.
For a while, she genuinely couldn't decide which one she wanted to stare at more.
It was a luxurious kind of suffering.
"Alright, let's all calm down first."
Sora did his best to soothe both Korrina and Lucario.
As for Lucario, he sent out the team's social expert—Victini—to explain things to her.
"So… Magearna and Volcanion are both your Pokémon, Senior Sora?"
Eventually, Korrina finally understood the relationship between Sora and the Pokémon around him.
"And… Victini, right?"
"That's her name?"
"Strange… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before…"
"Where was it? I can't quite remember…"
Korrina frowned in thought.
The name Victini sounded oddly familiar.
"Victini… Vic… tini…"
Slowly, it felt as though she was grabbing hold of a thread in her memory.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Korrina's pupils contracted.
"Victini… isn't that the Victory Star?!"
"You've got to be kidding me?!"
Good lord.
This was already the third time.
The third time she'd been completely stunned today.
If Magearna was a fairy tale beloved by the people of Kalos—
and Volcanion was the legendary symbol of destruction and protection in northwestern Kalos—
then Victini…
Victini wasn't even a Kalos legend anymore.
Among Trainers, there was a famous saying:
Whoever earned the favor of the Victory Star would become invincible and rise as the strongest Trainer.
Of course, most people treated it more like a joke or a famous anecdote.
Something akin to:
"He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."
Except "the hearts of the people" wasn't a living being.
The Victory Star was similar.
After all, in all these years, nobody had ever seen the real Victory Star.
At most, Trainers would carry charms imported from the Unova region before competitions.
In fact—
compared to Victini herself, those charms fit the idea of the "Victory Star" far more closely.
Just a form of psychological comfort.
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Pat reon Advance Chapters: /YonkoSlayer