Chapter 55: Arriving at Jubilance Town
Although the oceans of this world are divided among different regions, they are ultimately one! The seas of each region are interconnected. Therefore, it wasn't strange at all to see aquatic Pokémon from other regions in the waters off the coast of Johto.
From what Will could see right now, Tentacool, Seel, Shellder, Horsea, Seaking, Starmie, and Corsola were all Pokémon from the Kanto and Johto Pokédexes, the ones that were supposed to be here. They did indeed make up the vast majority of the Pokémon he saw.
But beyond them, Will also spotted Carvanha, Corphish, Feebas, Buizel, Finneon, Basculin, and Wishiwashi—Pokémon categorized as being from other regions. The ocean truly allows you to experience the charm of distant lands.
It was true. The ocean of the Pokémon world was bright and brimming with life. This world had not disappointed his expectations; in fact, its stunning beauty had surpassed his imagination.
"Liz, in this world, there must be so many more beautiful sights that we have yet to see."
Will had only dipped into the water for a moment before flying back out. He hadn't forgotten that he was still carrying Liz and Blaze. He wasn't worried about the Charmander drowning; a Pokémon's life force is very resilient. Ash's Charizard, for example, could stay in the lake outside the Charicific Valley for a whole day and night. Fire-types just disliked water; it wasn't that they couldn't enter it. They still came into contact with it when bathing, much like a cat being forced to take a shower.
When Will returned to the sky above the sea, he expected Liz to scold him, but no sound came from behind him. He turned his head and saw that both Liz and Blaze were staring with their mouths and eyes wide open.
"...So beautiful," she murmured.
"...Char," Blaze echoed.
They were still in a daze, their minds replaying the scene they had just witnessed. For the people of this era, the ocean was still a very dangerous and forbidden zone. Very few would risk their lives to go to sea, let alone see what it looked like beneath the waves. Liz had never seen it before, and neither, of course, had Blaze.
"Lan! Look what you've done!" After a moment, Liz snapped back to her senses. She looked down at her drenched self and the pitiful-looking Charmander, then reached out and smacked Will's tail.
"Ahaha, I just wanted to show you the sights underwater," Will replied nonchalantly.
He was in an incredibly good mood because he had discovered the world's greatest training ground. Although the Dragonite line never had the Water type, they could live in the water and learn many Water-type moves. In the Pokédex entries across all versions, Dragonite's description was almost always tied to the sea. Therefore, the ocean was not only the largest training ground but also one that was perfectly suited for him.
"Honestly. It's so cold. Let's hurry to the town," Liz said, hugging Blaze for warmth. It was already winter, and now she was soaked to the bone. All she wanted was a hot bath and a good rest in a soft bed. Sleeping in tents in the wild these past few days had been very uncomfortable. The snoring of the guards and the loud noises from the beasts turning over would often disturb her, worsening the quality of her sleep.
Will nodded and flew them towards the nearby Jubilance Town. He didn't need Liz to tell him where to go; he just headed straight for the most luxurious building in the center. The building itself looked like a large villa, completely incomparable to the royal palace in the capital.
"Liz~"
An old woman with graying hair, well over fifty, stood in front of the villa. Her eyes were dim, and she couldn't clearly see Liz on Will's back, but she knew she was coming. She was the mayor of Jubilance Town. Others might not know what the Queen's personal beast looked like, but how could she not? Even if she hadn't seen a portrait, she had heard countless descriptions of the Pokémon known as Dragonair. So, when she saw Will fly over the town, she knew Liz had arrived early.
"Elder Barb!"
Liz's eyesight was quite good. She spotted the old woman calling to her at a glance and quickly waved.
They landed. Liz went forward and shared a hug with Elder Barb, then retreated to Will's side. "This is Lan, and this is Blaze. They're my family."
"Ooh~ they both look like very energetic children. But why are you soaked?" Elder Barb took a longer look at the massive Will, then frowned and tugged at Liz's dress.
"Because Lan was being naughty," Liz said, poking Will and shaking her head helplessly, though the corners of her mouth turned up in a slight smile.
"...You two seem to be getting along very well. I haven't seen you look this happy in a long time," Elder Barb said with a smile, looking at Liz.
She was not a member of the Dragonite Clan, but she had been with them since long ago. She was once the personal maid to Liz's maternal grandmother and, much like Hestia, was someone who had grown up alongside her.
"Granny, I'm cold," Liz suddenly said, putting on a pitiful expression.
This display stunned Will for a moment; he had never seen her act like this. No, that's not right. He hadn't seen it in this life. He vaguely remembered that in his past life, when Liz was cold at night, she had looked at him just like this. But back then, she had just been a little girl.
"Go take a hot bath. The water has already been drawn for you. Where are the others?" Elder Barb asked, turning to lead them into the villa. Just as they entered, a giant seven-spotted ladybug flew over.
"They're still on the road. Lan couldn't wait, so he brought me here first," Liz said, not surprised by the bug. She had seen it many times before; the first time was fifteen years ago. At that time, the Dragonite Kingdom had not yet been established, and a thirteen-year-old Liz was still leading her Beast-Caller troops to conquer other tribes. It was because of those efforts back then that the Johto region now had peace. And it was because of that experience that Liz understood that to achieve a longer-lasting peace, only one kingdom—hers or the Kingdom of the Land—could remain. The only difference was that back then, she had been the aggressor, and now, she was the defender.
"A Ledyba can be this big?" Will asked, a little shocked by the sight of the bug. Although a Ledyba was a bug and looked small in the Pokédex, in the Era of Leagues its average length was already 1 meter. The Ledyba clinging to Elder Barb's leg now was even more exaggerated. It was a full 2.5 meters long, and its height when crawling on the ground was greater than Blaze's.
"Char-char!" Blaze, however, wasn't afraid. This kid was quite simple-minded and wasn't wary of other Pokémon. This was clear from his reaction when he first met Will. Unless a huge number of Pokémon or humans were gathered and staring at him at the same time, he wouldn't feel fear.
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