A year later, father and son met again.
The Old King scrutinized his youngest son. When he had left the Royal City, the boy was still young, with an evident youthful innocence on his face.
And now—
"My child, you've grown up." The Old King extended his wrinkled hand, seemingly wanting to touch Draconis's cheek, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to do so. He sighed deeply and said, "Your Royal Father has wronged you."
Draconis was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, Royal Father, I suppose this is a blessing in disguise for me!"
"If I had gone to the fiefdom as you arranged, I would probably be under house arrest by The First Prince now, and I might never have seen you again in this life."
"Your First Prince, he—" The Old King was about to say it wouldn't go that far, but then he remembered that his eldest son was capable of putting his own Royal Father under house arrest in this castle, so he closed his mouth, letting out a sigh.
"How are things on your end?" the Old King asked.
He felt guilty, for he had taught his eldest son military strategy, his second son how to govern a country, but he had never taught his youngest son how to manage a fiefdom.
The Old King had wanted his youngest son to live a free and unburdened life, but he never expected that his eldest son and The Second Prince would end up in their current situation.
Draconis recounted everything he had experienced over the past year, one event after another, to the Old King: getting lost, leading his Commoners to cut wood and mine to build their home, utilizing the power of Pokémon, developing trade and the army—
The Old King listened silently to his youngest son's narration, a look of worry occasionally appearing on his face.
Although he had a general understanding from the letters, hearing Draconis's calm recounting still made his father's heart ache with a hint of bitterness.
Behind that calm tone, what a difficult path it must have been?
It's just—
"My child, you are still too young!" The Old King couldn't help but say, "Do you know the current situation of your First Prince and The Second Prince?"
Draconis shook his head.
"Your Second Prince has already occupied the northern part of the kingdom, commanding an army of two hundred thousand. Not only that, he has also received the assistance of the True Dragon. That beast is no ordinary beast; its power is immense, and the flames it breathes can incinerate tens of thousands of soldiers."
"Your First Prince occupies the southern part of the kingdom, and his army is no less than The Second Prince's. It is said that he has received the assistance of the Ideal Dragon. That beast can unleash blue lightning, shattering everything around it."
"Your Royal Father does not wish for you to participate in this war. Your father only wants you to live a peaceful and stable life—"
"
The Old King said.
Listening to these words, Draconis fell into contemplation.
Indeed, The First Prince and The Second Prince had already gained the recognition of Reshiram and Zekrom.
"Royal Father." Draconis said earnestly, "What if I told you I have the ability to contend with The First Prince and The Second Prince?"
The Old King was slightly stunned.
By what? By the Commoners totaling less than three thousand? He subconsciously thought it was impossible.
However, the next second, he saw his youngest son take out several round oran berries from his person.
The oran berries were inlaid with silver metal rings, appearing to have undergone some special processing.
Immediately after, rays of light emerged from the orbs.
The next second, enormous figures appeared from within the light.
Kyurem, Dragonite, Serperior, Larvesta.
Seeing this, the Old King's pupils contracted.
"This, this is?!"
"Just like you and Victini, Royal Father." Draconis slowly said, "Over the past year, I have also met many beast companions."
"Dragonite, Serperior, Larvesta."
"And this one, its name is Kyurem, a Dragon born at the same time as Zekrom and Reshiram. Its strength is no less than either of them. If it goes all out, Kyurem can freeze half the kingdom in an instant."
"If I can use Kyurem's power to stop The First Prince or The Second Prince before the war breaks out and defeat them, wouldn't that end the war?" Draconis asked.
In this way, the Unova region would no longer be ravaged by war, and the humans and Pokémon who would otherwise die in the conflict could survive and return to their respective homes.
"Freeze half the kingdom?!"
The Old King's face showed shock. How powerful must that be?!
Hearing his son's words, after a brief moment of astonishment, the Old King quickly understood Draconis's meaning.
He wanted to defeat one side before the war began, to stop this conflict, and thereby save the soldiers and beasts who would otherwise die in the war!
But—
The Old King closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh.
"Draconis—"
"You are too benevolent, and too naive."
"War is never just one person's affair."
"Sometimes, some sacrifices are unavoidable. Too many people stand behind your First Prince and The Second Prince. They bear too many burdens. At this point, there is no way to stop."
"Soldiers, knights, nobles, lords, and even Commoners—those supporters have already taken sides. Soldiers are waiting to step onto the battlefield to gain merits and fame. Nobles who have taken sides are waiting to divide the spoils of war. Even Commoners will join the army for glory and wealth—"
"What if I conquer them with overwhelming strength?" Draconis asked.
"This will only bring you more resistance—those loyal knights will fight against you to protect their masters, and even death will be a glorious sacrifice for them."
"As for the nobles, your actions are threatening their interests. Those nobles will not allow such a thing to happen; they will try every possible means to contend with you."
Hearing this, Draconis felt a little unwilling.
Could he only watch as the war broke out?
Or make another choice: for those who refused to obey, kill, kill, kill, until everyone was willing to submit.
But Draconis couldn't do such a thing.
The Old King looked at his expression and sighed, "This is the general trend—" During this time, the Old King had seen through many things. Perhaps war was the inevitable trend for this land.
Only after being tempered by war could humans and beasts appreciate the preciousness of peace. Then, this land could be unified, and humans and beasts would join hands to step into a better future.
"Do you know how to govern a country well?" Seeing Draconis remain silent, the Old King asked again.
Draconis looked up, a little lost. After all, before transmigrating, he was just an ordinary person. Reaching this point was only by instinct and experience from playing strategy games like Civilization VI.
"Governing a fiefdom is relatively easy, but an entire country has dozens of fiefdoms. Can you manage every single one of them with just your own strength?"
The Old King looked at his youngest son and slowly said, "You don't have enough manpower, nor do you have trusted ministers to advise you. Even if you conquer a fiefdom, problems will arise due to neglect of management. Perhaps this is just a small matter, but if millions of small matters accumulate, a new round of war will break out."
Draconis fell into thought. He knew the Old King was right.
Currently, it seems the war between The First Prince and The Second Prince is unavoidable.
What he should do now is develop his own forces as much as possible, waiting for the right moment.
Moreover, the war has not yet broken out; there is still time for everything.
....
Power Stones PlZZZZ
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