"W-what?! Your Highness, you want to raise Pokémon?"
Hearing Raven's plan, Butler Aelif was utterly shocked.
"No need to be so nervous, Aelif. It's just an experiment." Raven said calmly, eating breakfast from his tray.
Magikarp had incredible vitality. All they needed was someone to look after them—tossing a few berries into their pond each day was enough to keep them alive.
It wouldn't consume much time or resources.
And if one of them happened to evolve into a Gyarados, then they'd have struck gold.
Magikarp itself might be useless, but Gyarados was an extremely powerful Pokémon.
Rain Dance could water the fields, Hydro Pump could repel enemies, and it could defend the territory.
Truly a Pokémon suited for both daily life and battle.
"O-okay…" Aelif couldn't help wiping sweat from his forehead.
At Raven's request, Aelif quickly found a girl suited for the job and brought her before him.
"This is Megan, fourteen years old. Back in the royal city, she once had experience caring for beasts," Aelif explained.
That surprised Raven. So there was talent like this in his territory?
He looked over the freckled girl and asked, "You've cared for beasts before?"
Megan nodded timidly. "Yes, Lord Raven. I used to be a slave in the royal city, tasked with tending the beasts that worked for the court."
Those beasts had been captured by knights, chained and shackled. If they slacked off, overseers would lash them brutally with whips.
Megan's duty back then was to look after them. Unlike others who feared beasts, she only thought they were pitiful.
"Very well. In that case, this task will be yours." Raven stood, took Dratini with him, and said, "Let's go. The knights should have finished digging the pond."
"Y-yes!" Megan stammered. She was nervous around someone so noble, her speech slipping into formalities without thinking.
Raven noticed and chuckled.
"No need to be so stiff, Megan. There are no slaves here anymore. This is just a normal job. Once we survive the winter and stabilize, you'll receive proper pay."
"I-I understand!" Megan's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Your Highness is such a good person! Everyone talks about you when they rest!"
"What do they say about me?" Raven asked, surprised.
"They say Your Highness is the most merciful, the kindest, and the most caring ruler they've ever met!" Megan replied earnestly.
Raven: "…" That was a bit much.
Still, seeing the girl's look of awe, all he could do was smile politely and gracefully.
Before long, they reached their destination.
The knights had dug a large pond by the river and diverted water from it.
On Raven's command, Dratini flew to the river. Within moments, it used Thunder Wave, electrocuting dozens of fish.
Every time Raven saw this, he had to sigh—this world was brimming with resources.
As usual, Raven handed the ordinary fish over to the residents to eat. Any extras went into storage after Snover froze them.
The six Magikarp, however, were scooped up and placed into the pond.
Normally, stocking fish in a freshly-dug pond might kill them, but Magikarp, being Pokémon, were unaffected.
In fact, they could feed on mud and microorganisms, even helping purify the water.
The six Magikarp revived quickly, staring blankly with dead-fish eyes as they drifted around aimlessly.
Raven also ordered water plants and algae to be added to the pond.
He glanced at the newly cultivated fields nearby.
Perhaps, in the future, this pond could also raise other Water-types to help irrigate crops.
"Lord Raven, are these red fish the beasts I'm to care for?" Megan asked as she crouched by the pond.
"That's right." Raven nodded. "They're called Magikarp, Pokémon with incredible vitality. Even in the filthiest waters, they'll stubbornly survive."
The filthiest waters… Megan froze. She remembered her days as a slave at the very bottom of society. Quietly, she thought to herself: Just like me.
Looking at the silly, pitiful fish, she felt a surge of kinship.
Fish, oh fish… can I also live on, strong like you?
But her sadness passed quickly.
Lord Raven had already abolished her slave status. Now she was a free woman!
The wooden cabins for warmth were almost done, too. Her life would surely get better.
"Lord Raven, I'll take good care of them!" Megan promised.
Raven smiled. "Don't worry so much. Magikarp are easy to raise. Mud and weeds alone are enough for them. But since we've chosen to raise them, we shouldn't only feed them that."
"Your job will be to chop berries into small pieces and feed them daily. In short, from now on, you're their caretaker."
If affection, bonds, or even love formed in the process, the chances of Magikarp evolving into Gyarados would increase significantly.
"Yes, Lord Raven!" Megan replied firmly.
"Do your best," Raven encouraged.
If he weren't so busy managing the territory, he would have liked to raise one himself.
After all, Gyarados was an incredibly powerful Pokémon.
Too bad there were no Poké Balls in this era. Otherwise, he could've carried a Magikarp with him wherever he went.
At first, Megan didn't feel much about the job, aside from pity for the lowly Magikarp.
Every day after berry gathering, she brought some berries and fruit to the pond to feed them, just as Raven instructed.
The Magikarp were dull, but not as clueless as they seemed.
As she visited more often, they actually began surfacing early, waiting for her arrival.
That surprised her.
And warmed her heart.
Soon, Megan found herself increasingly attached to these silly fish.
They couldn't speak, but they were excellent listeners.
Often, she sat alone by the pond, telling them stories of her past life in the royal palace.
"Fish, oh fish, what are you thinking about?"
The Magikarp gave no reply—just blank stares.
Seeing them daze off, Megan would daze off too, emptying her mind alongside them.
In time, she grew to love that feeling.
(End of Chapter)