Chapter 20: The Queen's Favor
When Liz brought Ryū into the Royal Dragon Kingdom, he had to admit he had underestimated the speed of human development during the Monster Era. Ryū had thought the so-called kingdom was just a large fortress made of ugly gray stones.
But he was wrong. The Royal Dragon Kingdom's development hadn't reached the advanced luxury of the future, but it was far from the rigid cities Ryū had imagined. It was more like a town from the Western Middle Ages. The streets and alleys were kept relatively clean, and there were basically no dirty or foul places visible.
And Liz, this Queen, was not as aloof as depicted in various films and anime, keeping a great distance from the common people. She could walk freely on the streets holding Ryū, casually greeting the commoners along the way.
When those commoners saw Liz, they didn't show excessive fanaticism, or rush up to ask for autographs. They just warmly greeted Liz. It was Ryū, this little Pokémon who could be held in the arms by the Queen herself, who attracted everyone's attention, successfully achieving a 100% return rate.
"First time seeing a Dratini, right? Hahaha~" Ryū felt quite pleased being watched by these gazes. Because the vast majority of Dratini hide in the dark water depths, quietly trying to survive, only appearing after evolving into Dragonair, gaining flying ability and self-preservation skills.
So, a Pokémon like Dratini, let alone in the Monster Era... Even in the much more peaceful Alliance Era, it was a rare existence, often referred to as a 'Mythical Pokémon.'
But in reality, Ryū misunderstood. For the commoners living in the Royal Dragon Kingdom, there were far too many Pokémon they had never seen before. So they didn't realize Ryū's rarity like Liz did at all.
The reason they paid so much attention to Ryū was simply because it was the first time they had seen the Queen so close to a Pokémon. One must know that ever since 20 years ago, Liz had never come into contact with any Pokémon other than those of the Beedrill family. She basically left their training to her close ministers and subordinates.
Ryū was the first Pokémon that could be this close to Liz. Continuing on their way, Ryū soon saw the castle where he would live for a long time. The castle looked luxurious and beautiful; its entire exterior was pure white, and the tops of the buildings were formed by yellow spires.
"Queen?! Why are you holding a Pokémon?! Quickly put it down, be careful it attacks you!"
Soon after entering the castle, a tall, black-haired older sister wearing a traditional French maid outfit quickly approached, her expression stern. "Hestia, it's okay, Aran is very gentle."
Liz smiled, not too concerned, and even reached out to pinch Ryū's tail. Seeing Liz's action, Hestia's eyebrows twitched. Anxiously, she jumped in front of Liz, snatched Ryū away, and then dropped him on the ground.
"W-C.." Ryū, who was dropped on the ground, felt dizzy and lightheaded. After regaining his senses, he glared angrily at Hestia.
"Hestia! How could you do that to him! Aran is still a baby!" Liz's face darkened. She quickly ran over, picked Ryū up, and carefully examined him.
She was no longer the young girl who knew nothing about Pokémon. She knew that Pokémon had a juvenile period.
During this period, Pokémon were very fragile, with so little strength that even a full-force attack felt like a tickle or a charm. However, once they left the juvenile period, even if only for 5 seconds, these Pokémon would possess great power.
When Liz picked Ryū up by the lake earlier and felt the little guy's struggling strength, she knew that Ryū was still a juvenile Pokémon. This was also why she dared to hold Ryū in her arms so recklessly without worrying about being attacked.
"Queen?!"
"Say no more! I have decided to train Aran. When Aran grows up, he will be my most important partner, just as important as Kikō!" Liz's attitude was very firm.
She always believed that her encounter with this little Pokémon was not accidental. The moment she first saw this little guy, the flutter in her heart had already told her that this child was definitely a Pokémon partner she could trust.
It was a feeling no other Pokémon could give her; it had been like this for 20 years. She didn't know where this feeling came from, but she trusted her intuition.
"This... alright, but please be very careful!" Hearing this, Hestia could only nod helplessly.
When she heard Liz bring up 'Kikō', she knew there was no room for negotiation on this matter. Kikō was a name that held extraordinary significance throughout the Royal Dragon Kingdom.
It was a name recorded in the annals of the Dragon Tamer Clan family, a significant stroke in the Queen's growth history, and the finishing touch in the founding of the Royal Dragon Kingdom. Hestia's subsequent actions were also decisive and efficient.
Since the Queen had decided to fully train this Pokémon, they naturally had to provide the most perfect training methods. For a whole day, the maids in the entire Royal Palace couldn't rest.
There were many things they needed to prepare and research. For example: what kind of living quarters does Aran like? What flavor of food does Aran like? What kind of toys does Aran like? What elements does Aran fear? These were all things they had to research and observe bit by bit, all in order to cultivate the Queen's personal Pokémon into a powerful partner capable of standing on its own as quickly as possible.
"This child should like living in water. Move a large tank to my bedroom, and remember to change the water to clear water every day," Liz said while holding Ryū.
She remembered picking up Aran by the lake, and he was still very wet, obviously having just come out of the water not long ago. So she guessed that Aran would like places with water.
"Oh my, how wonderful my life is going to be from now on." Ryū lay quietly in Liz's arms, leisurely watching the beautiful maids bustling about for him. He could already imagine the luxurious and happy life he would live in the future. Finally, he wouldn't have to live such a hard life like in his first life.
And it didn't even take until the next day. On the very night Ryū entered the Royal Palace, news that the Queen had a beloved pet had already spread throughout the major taverns in the capital of the Royal Dragon Kingdom.
It wouldn't take long for it to spread throughout the entire Royal Dragon Kingdom and even the entire Johto Region. But Ryū didn't care about any of this at the moment.
Because night had fallen. Ryū was already lying on the Queen's large bed.
"So, what was the point of preparing that large tank for me?" Ryū looked at Liz, who was holding him tightly, almost strangling him, and asked speechlessly.
At the same time, he eyed the large glass tank by the bed with longing. Under the moonlight, the crystal-clear glass tank shimmered beautifully, and the rippling water within looked so inviting.
Ryū couldn't even imagine how comfortable his skin would feel swimming around in it. This was his first time being a Dratini, so he didn't know what would happen if he stayed out of the water for too long, but it certainly wouldn't be an experience he liked.
But... "Aran, sleep well, don't move around~ Good night~"
Liz didn't know why, but she just wanted to sleep holding Ryū. This feeling made her feel a little nostalgic. It was like how she felt 20 years ago when she slept holding Kikō. Except back then, sleeping on a hard tree trunk was very uncomfortable, while the soft and comfortable big bed now felt much better.
"Mew~ (Good night...)"