◉◉◉◉◉
The promise Kael made to Tapu Koko had not been spoken in a rush of emotion.
Before answering, he had already thought it through.
For a long time, Kael had defined his role in every Pokémon world as that of a traveler.
An observer.
With the System's reincarnation mechanics, that stance had once seemed perfectly reasonable.
Watch. Experience. Move on.
But as his strength grew, so did the contradictions.
Kael began to realize that even the smallest action taken by someone like him could trigger a chain reaction large enough to affect an entire world.
A butterfly effect.
And that clashed violently with the idea of being a detached observer.
The contradiction gnawed at him.
So he once considered two possible paths.
The first was restraint.
To strictly limit his actions, to behave exactly like an outsider passing through.
Minimal involvement. Minimal emotional investment.
The advantage was stability.
Cold clarity.
Every action would revolve around a single core objective: points.
That approach maximized efficiency and ensured optimal rewards when a reincarnation ended and he returned to the System space.
For a time, near the later stages of his life as an Ampharos, that was exactly how he lived.
But as experiences accumulated People he met.
Moments he witnessed—
He began to feel less like a living being and more like a machine.
A machine that existed solely to harvest points.
At one point, Kael genuinely feared that if he continued down that road, he would eventually lose the ability to feel anything at all.
So he considered the second path.
Ignore points entirely.
Act freely.
Follow his heart.
This approach let him truly experience the worlds he passed through, without constantly calculating value and efficiency.
But freedom did not guarantee good outcomes.
In this life, after reincarnating as a Machop, Kael had largely followed that philosophy early on.
Thanks to the powerful items and advantages he had earned in a previous life, along with several extraordinary encounters, he had built a foundation far stronger than most Pokémon of his level.
Yet with that freedom came anxiety.
If he continued acting purely on impulse, what would happen when the reincarnation ended?
The System's evaluation criteria were opaque.
He had no idea where the thresholds truly lay.
But one thing was certain.
If he relied forever on past advantages and made no meaningful contributions, the final point tally would be humiliating.
And a shortage of points did not affect just one life.
It created a cascade.
Weak starts.
Limited options.
Several future reincarnations are trapped in mediocrity.
Spiritual growth mattered But without points, even survival could become uncertain.
This life itself was proof.
Without the legendary-grade equipment and potential-enhancing items he had purchased earlier, Kael would have died long ago.
Maybe from failing to stabilize Ghost-type energy due to insufficient potential.
Maybe torn apart by enemies in the underground base.
There would have been no later journey.
No encounters in Ignis City.
No chance to stand where he stood now.
Points were not everything.
But they were indispensable.
And so, after proving that both extremes were flawed, Kael finally reached a conclusion here, in the ruins of this City.
A third path.
Participation.
Like a role-playing game from his past life.
He would immerse himself in the world, take part in its stories, care about its people But never forget that he was also a player.
Detached, but not indifferent.
Engaged, but not blind.
He would act according to his heart, while still planning his growth and point acquisition.
Enjoy the journey.
Accept responsibility when necessary and gain rewards worthy of the risks he chose to take.
The rules of this path were not sharply defined.
They were flexible.
Blurred.
But Kael trusted one thing.
Practice would refine it.
As long as he continued moving forward, this approach would evolve naturally until his actions no longer felt forced or conflicted.
Seen in that light, his promise to save the world was not reckless.
Yes, part of it came from being moved by Tapu Koko's unwavering resolve.
But it was also the first real test of this new path.
The old Kael acting purely on emotion might have agreed in the moment, only to waver later.
After all, in his human life, he had always avoided heavy responsibility. He preferred wandering freely, as a lone drifter unburdened, but unaccountable.
Now, however—
With his principles taking shape, and under the influence of Tapu Koko's sacrifice—
Kael had truly accepted the weight.
Not as a savior chosen by destiny.
But as someone willing to try.
To do what he could.
As far as he could go.
A balance of reason and emotion is intertwined perfectly.
He felt no regret.
Only anticipation.
At last, Kael had glimpsed a road that could guide him through countless future worlds.
To find one's direction by the third reincarnation was rare even across the multiverse.
"…Ha."
Kael let out a long breath.
Though his path was now clear, the sorrow left behind by Tapu Koko's passing still weighed heavily on his heart.
He steadied his mind, calming the turbulent inner sea.
There was no point in drowning in grief.
Life moved forward.
And his journey had only just begun.
To stagnate because of loss was the choice of the weak.
With that thought, Kael finally turned inward—
And began examining the changes left behind by the guardian's final gift.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!