Chapter 34. Annex Them
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Ryū comforted Liz, seeing her worried expression. His words weren't just empty talk. The Dragon Tamer Clan is living well in the Johto Region 1,000 years later, so what major issues could there be? At worst, a seed for continuation will remain for the Royal Dragon Kingdom.
As for Liz, when he evolves into a Dragonite, or even just a Dragonair, he will be able to take her away from various battlefields, so she definitely won't be in danger. "I'm not worried about my own safety, it's just, sigh..." Liz wore a bitter expression, but in the end, she didn't voice her worries to Aran. In her opinion, he was just a baby over a month old, and still a Pokémon. How could he understand her feelings?
As a transmigrator, however, Ryū knew exactly what Liz was thinking. He hadn't been a king, so he couldn't empathize with Liz's current feelings, but he had seen many such cases. The outcome of war is nothing more than 2 possibilities: either one side is annexed, or politicians from both sides eventually shake hands and make peace. After that, merchants return with full loads, and mothers weep at graves.
Given the evenly matched national strength of the Royal Dragon Kingdom and the Gaia Kingdom, the outcome is basically clear. It would be a fight for a few or 12 years, then the kings of both sides would sign a truce treaty, recuperate their national strength, and decades later, a new great war would begin. Liz didn't want to start a war, but she was helpless. If the King of the Gaia Kingdom was determined to invade, the Royal Dragon Kingdom could not sit and wait for death.
"The policy implemented by the Gaia Kingdom is slavery. The people at the bottom have no human rights at all, and I cannot let the citizens of the Royal Dragon Kingdom fall into that situation." "So, what do you want to do?" Ryū shifted his gaze to stare at Liz. This question was very important, as Liz's answer would determine his plans for the future.
"Seeing how determined they are to start a war, Aran, what do you think?" Liz tilted her head slightly, meeting Ryū's gaze. "Since they're rushing to their deaths, let's just annex them." A subtle, fierce glint appeared in Ryū's large black eyes, making him look somewhat demonic. He hadn't been a king, nor did he care whether the people of the Royal Dragon Kingdom were doing well. He just felt that if others attacked, it would be one thing if he had no strength, but if he did, he wasn't going to swallow his anger.
"It seems this is the only way." Liz's deep red pupils became resolute. If she had to make the decision by herself, she might have hesitated for a few more days. But since even Aran thought the same, there was nothing more to hesitate about. "Only by annexing the Gaia Kingdom can we usher in a longer-lasting peace." Liz nodded, then reached out and patted Ryū's head. "You go to sleep first; I need to think more tonight."
"No need, I'll stay with you." Ryū got off Liz. He placed most of his body on the ground, only resting his head on her lap. There was nothing he could do; things were different now. Ryū weighed 7 kg, not too heavy, but constantly clinging to Liz would put considerable pressure on her.
'I need to speed up my leveling, and also, I need to improve the safety factor of Liz's defenses,' Ryū thought to himself. He didn't want to think too much about matters concerning the entire Royal Dragon Kingdom, nor did he need to; that was something Liz should consider. He only needed to consider how to protect her well.
As for annexing the Gaia Kingdom, which he just mentioned, he wasn't just saying it casually. It's hard for one Pokémon to withstand a million troops, unless it's a Legendary Pokémon that possesses the power of laws and can control rules. But in the early period of the Pokémon Era, on the battlefield of a war between 2 kingdoms, there would be at most a hundred thousand people, and the number of Pokémon would only be fewer. So Ryū also didn't need to reach the level of a Legendary Pokémon.
'Having Champion... no, even just the strength of an Elite Level Pokémon would be enough for the Royal Dragon Kingdom to win,' Ryū opened his panel and thought for a moment. Elite strength means his level needs to reach Lv. 70 or above. 'I wonder if I can reach it within 5 years...'
Ryū wasn't very optimistic about this timeframe. In the anime, it seems like you can go from Lv. 5 to Lv. 80 and then challenge the Champion in just a few months, but that's for the sake of the anime. In reality, there are also plenty of characters who spend 50, 60, or even 70 or 80 years and still can't reach Elite or Champion level.
Therefore, Ryū felt that it would be really tough for him to reach the level of an Elite Pokémon within 5 years. He also couldn't figure out how many years the war between the Royal Dragon Kingdom and the Gaia Kingdom would last. In the history of his previous life on Blue Star, there were wars that lasted as long as 10 centuries (over 1,000 years), and as short as half an hour, so it was hard for him to judge. He could only do it as quickly as possible.
'I can't be the only Pokémon by Liz's side. When I'm on the battlefield or training outside, Liz can't be left unprotected,' Ryū remembered when he first met Liz, there were several large Beedrill by her side. However, he later learned that the relationship between Liz and the Beedrill was not that of a Trainer and Pokémon. They were more like a cooperative relationship. Liz provided the Beedrill with enough food and an environment where they could safely expand their family, while the Beedrill served as guards or warriors when necessary.
In extremely critical moments, the Beedrill would also abandon Liz and escape on their own. 'I need to guide Liz onto the path of a Trainer and find her a few suitable Pokémon to raise,' Ryū finalized his plan. Most people thought raising Pokémon was risky; after all, no one knew if a Pokémon would suddenly go berserk and kill its master.
So, unless someone was bold enough, no one would keep multiple Pokémon by their side. However, Ryū felt they were overly cautious. Pokémon aren't some demonic cultivators practicing dark arts, nor are they wild beasts. How could they suddenly go berserk for no reason? Even if there was something wrong with their bodies, they would immediately stay away from their Trainer to avoid hurting them, as seen in Ash's Pikachu's behavior during its static period.
Besides, wasn't he still here? Therefore, raising multiple Pokémon would definitely be entirely beneficial for Liz with no harm. With the resources Liz possessed, raising multiple Pokémon would be easy. And with himself, a transmigrator, guiding them, the speed at which these Pokémon level up definitely wouldn't be slow.
'Once I evolve into a Dragonair, I'll go to Mt. Silver and catch a few Pokémon for Liz,' Ryū nodded, feeling incredibly clever. When the king of the Gaia Kingdom pulls out a Pokémon on the final full-scale battlefield, Liz's side will suddenly pull out 10 high-level Pokémon. And it would be a comprehensive combat Pokémon team with various battle roles and types. Just ask if you're scared or not.
Thinking of this, Ryū happily nudged Liz's thigh with his soft, large nose. "Hmm? What's wrong?" "Sss~ (I will protect you well.)" "Heh heh, mm, I know, I will also protect Aran well."