Chapter 52: Blaze, the Little Troublemaker
"Lan will protect me," Liz said, turning to smile as she stroked Will's back. At the same time, she leaned down and tapped the Charmander's head with her finger.
She didn't pay much mind to the beast scholar's words. Because what she thought was exactly what she had said. Moreover, she felt that she, and everyone else in this world, seemed to have some misunderstanding about these beasts.
"Your Majesty, Lord Lan is also a beast! No one can guarantee that he..."
"Do not let me hear anyone call Lan a beast again."
Liz turned her head to look at the beast scholar. She was still smiling, but there was no emotion in her voice. "This is the first time I have ever disliked the term 'beast' so much."
"..."
Will stared blankly at Liz, quietly swallowing. It was the first time he had ever seen such a terrifying side of her. And he could clearly sense her anger. Even though the remarks were directed at him, Liz was even angrier than he was.
"...Yes, Your Majesty," the beast scholar said, seemingly frightened. He quickly lowered his head.
The onlookers who had gathered around also quickly dispersed, pretending to be busy as if nothing had happened.
"You don't need to worry so much about Lan. I know him better than you do," Liz said with a wave of her hand, dismissing the scholar.
"...Yes," the scholar sighed and turned to leave.
He understood now. Not even Hestia, or Liz's own deceased parents if they were here, could change her mind. He could only hope that her trust in Will would not be betrayed.
"Come on, Lan, let's go eat. I'll barbecue some meat for you myself."
Liz turned and left with Will and the Charmander.
"You know how to barbecue?"
"I'm amazing at it. You'll see in a bit."
"Alright, I'll be waiting."
Half an hour later.
"Char-char!!!"
After taking a bite of the grilled meat, the Charmander excitedly stomped its little legs, hopping on the spot just like Ash's Totodile.
"This is actually pretty good. I never knew you had this skill," Will said, also surprised after tasting it. To say it was the most delicious thing in the world would be an exaggeration, but the quality was certainly high. She could easily open a popular barbecue restaurant with this skill back on Earth.
"It's good, right? Hehe."
Liz couldn't help but chuckle as she watched the two little ones eat so happily. Then, she suddenly remembered something. She took a piece of the cooked meat, rinsed it with water, and then cut it into small pieces.
The next scene was a gratifying one for Will. Liz had actually remembered the two neglected Magikarp, and she tossed all the small pieces of meat into their fish tank.
Liz is really starting to look like a Trainer, Will thought, nodding from the side.
Liz's Magikarp, "Karp," ate happily. But Iris's Magikarp seemed a little depressed, clearly sad that its trainer wasn't around.
After a full meal came time for sleep. The concept of time in this era was not very strong. Especially while on the march, people judged the time by observing the color of the sky and the change in temperature. It was currently late winter, so the sun set early in the evening, and the temperature was always low. This made everyone go to sleep earlier than usual.
Inside Liz's large tent.
"With Blaze here, the tent is much warmer," Liz said as she personally made the bed, glancing at the Charmander who was sitting on the ground, nodding off.
Blaze was the name Liz had given the Charmander.
"Be careful he doesn't set the tent on fire," Will said, keeping a close eye on the Charmander.
Although he knew a fair bit about most Pokémon, this was his first time in close contact with a real Charmander. His knowledge of the flame on its tail wasn't much better than Liz's. So, he had to constantly watch it. Who knew if the Charmander might have a nightmare, get emotional, and the flame would become real. That would be a huge problem.
"It's ready. Lan, Blaze, come to bed," Liz called to the two Pokémon. The Magikarp was already fast asleep in its tank nearby.
But when Liz looked at the flame on the Charmander's tail, she hesitated. In her view, if she let it get under the covers, it might set the blankets on fire.
"It's better to let this little guy sleep on his own," Will said, pulling a small piece of the blanket off and laying it in front of the Charmander. Since he wasn't sure if its tail would ignite the bedding either, it was best to have it sleep a little further away from them. The Charmander was still very young and didn't seem to have very good control over its own power. A little extra caution couldn't hurt.
The Charmander was already exhausted. It immediately pounced onto the small blanket, hugged its own tail, and fell fast asleep.
"Let's go to sleep too."
"Mm."
The next morning, the caravan set off again on the road to Jubilance Town. This time, with the cheerful and lively Charmander joining them, the journey had a bit more of a festive atmosphere.
Blaze would constantly cling to Will, asking him to take him for a flight in the sky. Every time, the Charmander was overjoyed, its desire to fly growing stronger and stronger, and the look in its eyes as it gazed at Will was full of admiration.
But the little thing was also a bit reckless. Sometimes, while standing on Will's back, it would suddenly flap its little hands and leap off. The first time it happened, Will was so scared he almost fainted. Fortunately, he knew Agility and managed to catch the Charmander in a dive. Otherwise, the little one would have been a goner.
Will's initial assessment was correct. Without him and Liz looking after it, this Charmander would have been almost certain to die, either by its own hand or by being eaten, long before it ever became a Charizard.
"This is perfect. I'll have Liz command this little guy to train along the way. That way, we won't be wasting time," Will quickly thought of a great plan that would kill three birds with one stone.
He decided that during their rest breaks, he would guide Liz to command Blaze to battle weak wild Pokémon. This would teach Liz how to command a Pokémon in battle, let Blaze gain experience and level up, and also provide an outlet for its boundless energy, making it a little more settled on the road.
No sooner said than done. Soon, it was time for their noon rest break. The army stopped in its tracks. There was no need to set up a full camp; they just prepared to light fires and cook. After eating, they would have a short afternoon nap, so the break was quite long.
Will and Liz didn't need to nap. During the journey, they could sleep whenever they wanted. This free time was actually very precious.
Will seized this opportunity, coiled his tail around Liz and Blaze, and flew off to find a weak Pokémon.
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