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Tapu Koko sensed the shift in Kael's breathing.
"…What is it?" Kael asked carefully, already aware that something was hidden beneath Tapu Koko's calm words.
"Myself."
Tapu Koko turned fully to face him.
Its sharp, obsidian claw lifted and pressed lightly against its own chest.
Hundreds of years ago, during the first great outbreak of Ultra Beasts, Tapu Koko had burned through an enormous portion of its fundamental life force to repel the invasion and protect its homeland.
That loss should not have been permanent.
Under normal circumstances, a legendary Pokémon could recover such damage through extended hibernation.
But Tapu Koko never had that luxury.
Guarding more than a dozen Ultra Wormholes scattered across the ruined city left no opportunity for rest.
New incursions appeared without warning.
And all the while, the Nightmare Seed continued to burrow deeper into its consciousness.
Each battle, each year of wakefulness, shaved away more of its core.
Until now.
After centuries of solitary vigilance, Tapu Koko had reached the end of what even a guardian deity could endure.
The fact that it still lived—
That it still retained consciousness under constant corruption—
That it had even managed to drive Guzzlord away—
Was not the result of remaining strength.
It was willpower.
Nothing more than a single breath stubbornly held.
Compared to its prime, Tapu Koko's current strength was a shadow.
In the past, an Ultra Beast like Guzzlord would have been erased instantly by its lightning.
Now, it could only rely on accumulated authority and intimidation to keep such threats confined within the ruins.
Ultra Wormholes were not new phenomena.
Even in ancient eras before human civilization, such spatial ruptures had appeared from time to time.
Most collapsed naturally.
A rare few stabilized.
And for those rare cases, countermeasures had been passed down among legendary Pokémon through generations.
Tapu Koko had inherited that knowledge.
As a guardian not particularly gifted in spatial manipulation, the only way for it to close a stabilized Ultra Wormhole was to burn away a portion of its own origin essence.
For a healthy Tapu Koko, that cost would have been manageable.
Years of rest would restore the loss.
But for the Tapu Koko standing here now—
It was a death sentence.
In other words, to seal the final Ultra Wormhole—
It would have to give up its life.
"No… no," Kael said quickly, shaking his head in panic.
"There has to be another way. Don't—"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
They had only met today.
And yet, in that short time, Tapu Koko's selflessness, restraint, and quiet devotion had carved a deep impression into Kael's heart.
A guardian who had endured centuries of solitude, standing watch like a monk of thunder, protecting a dead land—
And this same guardian had saved Kael's life.
No matter how he looked at it, Tapu Koko did not deserve this end.
"Ha…"
Tapu Koko chuckled softly at Kael's distress.
There was relief in that sound.
Then it raised its head slightly, allowing Kael to see its eyes clearly.
Those eyes were no longer blue.
They were completely submerged in murky darkness.
"Do you see it?"
"The roots of the Nightmare Seed have already reached the deepest layer of my mental domain."
"Even my origin has been tainted."
"I do not have much time left."
Kael froze.
Tapu Koko continued, its voice steady but tired.
"Rather than losing myself one day and becoming a creature that devours fresh blood without reason…"
"It is better to end things now."
"To let my essence disperse and collapse the Ultra Wormhole completely."
"I am… very tired."
Even the strongest will erodes eventually.
Centuries of corruption.
Endless invasions.
Unbroken vigilance.
For this lone guardian, self-sacrifice was not only a duty.
It was release.
A way to preserve dignity.
A way to end its watch on its own terms.
Kael stood there, speechless.
His mouth opened, but no words came.
Tapu Koko lowered its claw and looked at him quietly, a faint smile touching its expression.
"Are you not curious," it asked gently,
"why I have told you all of this?"
Kael hesitated.
Then nodded.
In the end, he was just a Pokémon Tapu Koko had rescued by chance.
Even if he was somewhat unusual, even if his foundation was solid—
In strength, experience, and status, he was nowhere close to a guardian deity.
So why him?
Why bring him here?
Why entrust him with this truth?
Was it simply a need to speak?
In part—
Yes.
Before the Nightmare Seed spread, this city had already been largely abandoned by humans.
Tapu Koko could only occasionally speak with environmental wardens or the few Pokémon resilient enough to survive here.
After the Nightmare Seed's arrival, even that vanished.
Humans disappeared.
Pokémon became mindless thralls.
The ruins of City became a true dead zone.
Kael dragged here by an accident of fate—
Was the first outsider in centuries.
Even for someone as aloof as Tapu Koko, the desire to speak to be heard was unavoidable.
But that was only part of the reason.
The deeper reason—
Why Tapu Koko trusted him.
Why it spoke as if delivering final words—
Came from something far more subtle.
A premonition.
Something felt in the depths of its fading consciousness.
Something that told it—
This strange Pokémon before it mattered.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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