Chapter 51: Conquer the little Fire Dragon that wants to fly
"Char? (Little brother?)" Charmander tilted his head in confusion. Having not been born long and living alone, he couldn't quite grasp such a concept. His mind was still in a hazy state, slowly accepting and understanding this world.
"Mhm, it means you'll have to listen to me and her from now on." Ryū nodded, then nudged Liz beside him with his head as a gesture.
"Char? (Can you fly?)" Charmander thought for a moment, then asked this question.
"Yes." Ryū didn't know why Charmander asked that, but he answered truthfully. At the same time, he controlled himself to float up, proving that what he said was true.
"Char! (So amazing! If I listen to you, can I fly in the future?)" Charmander's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Of course." Ryū grinned and nodded. He didn't feel like he was deceiving anyone. Although Charmander's final evolution, Charizard, could grow wings allowing him to fly. However, how could such a small and thin Charmander, without any backing, survive alone in this forest until he could evolve into a Charizard? And there was another problem.
Many Pokémon living in the forest were not very welcoming to Fire-type Pokémon. Especially Fire-type Pokémon like Charmander, whose bodies were constantly burning with flames. Once emotional excitement caused the flames to materialize, burning the forest and causing a huge disaster. In the future Alliance Era, he might not necessarily die, but in this Pokémon Era, the other Pokémon would absolutely not let Charmander off.
Therefore, only by following Ryū and Liz and accepting their protection could Charmander healthily grow into a Charizard capable of flying.
"Char! (Then I'll listen to you!)" As soon as Charmander heard this, he immediately nodded vigorously. Then, wagging his little tail, he rushed over and hugged Ryū. His reaction was as if he was afraid Ryū would go back on his word.
"Hehehe." 'Charmander, Get!' Ryū couldn't help but chuckle, and excitedly poked the bewildered Liz beside him with his tail.
"Aran, why is this child hugging you?" Liz couldn't understand what the Pokémon were saying, but she could see Ryū's happiness.
"Char!" As soon as Charmander heard Liz speak, he shifted his target, moved his body, and hugged one of Liz's thighs. At his current age and understanding, he couldn't quite understand Liz's words, and could only roughly guess the meaning based on her tone, like an animal.
"Whoa!" Liz was startled by Charmander's action. She quickly shook her thigh, trying to break free from Charmander's two paws, while also looking at Ryū beside her for help. However, after looking, she calmed down instead. Seeing Ryū smiling at her, Liz knew that the child hugging her leg probably wouldn't hurt her. Otherwise, Ryū definitely wouldn't let this little Pokémon get so close.
"Liz, pet him." Ryū raised his chin, signaling Liz to interact with Charmander.
"Oh... he's warm and snug! Completely the opposite of Aran!" Liz roughly understood Ryū's meaning and carefully placed her hand on Charmander's head. At that moment, she felt as if she had touched a cake that was still warm, and her entire palm felt warm. It was like in summer, facing her palm towards the sun and letting the sunlight shine on it.
While Ryū, whether as a Dratini or as a Dragonair, his natural body temperature was relatively low, like autumn rain. Every time they slept, Liz had to rub Ryū thoroughly with her hand to raise his body temperature before snuggling up to hug him. This situation would only be reversed when Ryū evolved into a Dragonite.
"Char~" Charmander wagged his tail contentedly after being petted on the head. It was the first time he had been petted on the head. It felt quite comfortable.
"The weather is getting cooler, we should head back." Ryū turned his head to look at the depths of the forest and said. He felt that some of the Pokémon moving around in the wilderness in this forest should be waking up by now.
Ryū used his tail to place Liz on his back, allowing Liz to hold onto his head or neck. Then he wrapped his tail around Charmander. Then he suddenly flew up, soaring above the forest to look for the campfire light of the camp.
"Char! Char!" Charmander suddenly flew into the air, and instead of being scared, he excitedly flapped his hands vigorously. As if he was really using his hands to make himself fly. His two round eyes were full of excitement.
"Pfft." Liz, who was in front, looked back and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly. She found this little guy quite interesting.
"Aran, are we going to take this child back? Like Magikarp?" Liz reached out and gently stroked the two small wing-like structures beside Ryū's head. At this time, she already understood Ryū's intention.
"Mhm." Ryū nodded. This Charmander must be taken back, and he needs to be specially trained. In the future, when Ryū goes out to level up or catch Pokémon, he will become Liz's most capable general, protecting Liz for him.
Although since he came to Liz's side in the past few months, Liz hasn't seemed to face any danger, nothing can be said with absolute certainty. They haven't entered the war phase yet; there have only been some skirmishes. Once the war begins, the Earth Kingdom might send some assassins over.
Ordinary Pokémon might find it difficult to break through the heavy defenses of the Royal Capital. But what if it's a Psychic-type Pokémon that can Teleport, a Ghost-type Pokémon that can turn invisible and pass through walls, or a Ground-type Pokémon that can Dig and camouflage itself? Therefore, the more close protection forces around Liz, the better. Even though he now had Magikarp and Charmander, Ryū was still not particularly at ease. It would be best to get 10 or 8 more Pokémon before feeling secure.
Back at the camp, the people in the camp immediately spotted Liz and Ryū in the sky. "Lord Liz and Lord Aran are back." At the same time, they couldn't help but feel some doubt. After all, they didn't remember Lord Liz taking a torch when she went out.
After Ryū landed, the group of guards and Charmander looked at each other and were stunned.
"Char!" Charmander reacted first, was startled, and quickly hid behind the massive Ryū. When it comes to feeling safe, it has to be the huge Ryū.
"Lord Liz, why did you catch another Pokémon? You already have two Pokémon by your side." A Pokémon Scholar on the team came up with a bitter face to complain. Before setting off, he had been specifically instructed by Hestia to keep an eye on Liz and prevent the Queen from causing any more trouble. Now look. Not only did she bring back another Pokémon, but it was also a Pokémon they had never seen or understood at all.
Although this Pokémon wasn't large in size, judging by the flame on its tail, it wouldn't be an ordinary Pokémon, and who knows what it might evolve into in the future.
"I caught it!" Ryū stepped forward. But the scholar couldn't understand what he was saying and just looked at Liz with distress.
"I think this child... has a lot of potential. If we train him, he will definitely become a powerful force for the Royal Dragon Kingdom in the future." Liz thought for a moment and came up with a reason. Anyway, she unconditionally trusted Ryū's choice.
"This isn't about whether he has potential, but whether his personality has flaws and whether he will go berserk and harm you in the future! There are many cases every year of Pokémon harming their masters; you cannot guarantee whether he will always be obedient and well-behaved."
"Hmph." Hearing such words, Ryū dismissively turned his head. Why those masters were harmed by their own Pokémon was something they knew best themselves. They must have done something despicable that they didn't even have the face to talk about themselves.