Chapter 51: The Capture of the Charmander Who Wished to Fly
"Char? (Underling?)" the Charmander asked, tilting its head in confusion. Having been born not long ago and living all by itself, it didn't quite understand such a concept. Its mind was still in a hazy, blurry state, slowly accepting and recognizing the world.
"Yes. It means you have to listen to me and her from now on," Will nodded, then nudged the nearby Liz with his head to indicate who "her" was.
"Char? (Can you fly?)" the Charmander considered this for a moment, then asked an unexpected question.
"I can," Will replied truthfully, though he didn't know why the Charmander was asking. At the same time, he controlled his body and floated into the air to prove he wasn't lying.
"Char-char! (That's amazing! If I listen to you, can I fly in the future?)" the Charmander's eyes instantly lit up.
"Of course," Will grinned and nodded.
He didn't feel like he was tricking the little one. Although Charmander's final evolution, Charizard, would grow wings and be able to fly, a lone, scrawny Charmander had no guarantee of surviving in this forest long enough to evolve.
There was also another problem. Many of the Pokémon that lived in the forest did not welcome Fire-types, especially one like Charmander, which had a flame constantly burning on its tail. If its emotions got the better of it and the flame became real, it could start a forest fire and cause a disaster. In the future Era of Leagues, that might not be a death sentence, but in this Era of Primal Beasts, the other Pokémon would absolutely not let it off the hook.
Therefore, the only way for this Charmander to grow up safely into a Charizard with the ability to fly was to follow Will and Liz and accept their protection.
"Char-char! (Then I'll listen to you!)"
Hearing this, the Charmander nodded vigorously. It then ran over, wagging its little tail, and hugged Will's body, as if afraid he might go back on his word.
"Hehehe." Charmander, get! Will couldn't help but chuckle, excitedly poking the clueless Liz with his tail.
"Lan, what is this child doing hugging you?" Liz couldn't understand what the Pokémon were saying, but she could see that Will was happy.
"Char!"
Hearing Liz speak, the Charmander switched targets, moving over to hug her leg. At its current age and level of experience, it couldn't understand her words, but like an animal, it could roughly guess the meaning from her tone.
"Hey, hey!"
Liz was startled by the Charmander's actions. She quickly shook her leg, trying to get free from its little claws, and looked to Will for help. But one look at him and she calmed down. Seeing Will's smiling face, she knew that the child hugging her leg probably wouldn't hurt her. Otherwise, he would never have let it get so close.
"Liz, you should pet him," Will said, tilting his chin to gesture for Liz to interact with the Charmander.
"Ooh... he's so warm! The complete opposite of you, Lan!" Liz seemed to understand his meaning and cautiously placed her hand on the Charmander's head. In that instant, she felt as if she had touched a still-warm piece of cake, a pleasant warmth spreading through her palm, like holding her hand up to the summer sun.
Will, on the other hand, both as a Dratini and a Dragonair, had a naturally low body temperature, cool like autumn rain. Every night, Liz had to thoroughly rub him to raise his body temperature before she would snuggle up and hold him. This situation would only be reversed when he evolved into a Dragonite.
"Char~" The Charmander wagged its tail contentedly as its head was being petted. It was the first time it had ever been petted. It felt quite nice.
"The weather is getting colder. We should head back," Will said, glancing towards the depths of the forest. He figured that the nocturnal Pokémon in this forest should be waking up soon.
Will used his tail to place Liz on his back, allowing her to hold onto his head or neck. He then coiled his tail around the Charmander. With a powerful push, he took off, flying high above the forest to look for the firelight of their camp.
"Char-char! Char-char!"
Finding himself suddenly in the air, the Charmander wasn't scared at all. Instead, it excitedly flapped its little arms, as if it were truly flying by itself. Its round eyes were filled with excitement.
"Pfft," Liz, in front, looked back and couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle. She found this little creature quite amusing.
"Lan, are we taking this child back with us? Like the Magikarp?" Liz reached out and gently stroked the small feathery wings on the side of Will's head. By now, she had understood his intentions.
"Yes," Will nodded.
This Charmander had to be brought back, and it had to be specially trained. In the future, when Will was out leveling or catching Pokémon, it would become Liz's most capable general, protecting her in his stead. Although Liz hadn't seemed to be in any danger in the months since he had arrived, one could never be too certain. They weren't even at war yet, just experiencing some minor friction. Once the war began, who knew what kind of assassins the Kingdom of the Land might send?
Ordinary Pokémon might have trouble breaking through the capital's heavy defenses. But what if it was a Psychic-type that could teleport, a Ghost-type that could turn invisible and phase through walls, or a Ground-type that could dig and camouflage itself? Therefore, the more personal guards Liz had by her side, the better. Even with the Magikarp and this Charmander, Will still didn't feel completely at ease. It would be best to add another eight or ten Pokémon to her team.
At the camp.
"Lady Liz and Lord Lan are back."
The people in the camp were the first to spot Liz and Will in the sky. At the same time, a question arose in their minds. They didn't remember Lady Liz leaving with a torch.
When Will landed, the group of guards and the Charmander stared at each other, momentarily stunned.
"Char!"
The Charmander was the first to react. It was startled and quickly hid behind the massive Will. When it came to feeling safe, the giant Dragonair was the best.
"Lady Liz, why have you brought back another beast? You already have two by your side," a beast scholar who was traveling with the group complained with a pained expression. Before they left, Hestia had specifically told him to keep an eye on Liz and make sure the queen didn't get into any more trouble. And now, not only had she brought back another beast, but it was one they had never seen or knew anything about. Although it wasn't large, the flame on its tail indicated it was no ordinary beast. Who knew what it might evolve into?
"I caught him!" Will declared, stepping forward. But the scholar couldn't understand him and just looked at Liz with a troubled expression.
"I feel... this child has great potential. If we raise it, it will surely become a powerful asset for the Dragonite Kingdom," Liz said, coming up with an excuse after a moment's thought. She unconditionally trusted Will's choices.
"This isn't a matter of potential, but a matter of whether its personality has flaws, whether it might go berserk and harm you in the future! There are many cases of a master being harmed by their own beast every year. You cannot guarantee that it will always be obedient and well-behaved."
"Hmph," Will scoffed, turning his head away in disdain.
Those masters who were harmed by their own Pokémon knew best why it happened. They must have done something shameful, something they wouldn't dare to speak of.
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