Chapter 58: How on Earth Did You Recognize Him?!
Liz was in the middle of discussing strategy with Elder Barb in the mayor's home when a soldier burst in, reporting that three giant primal beasts had rushed into the town, though they had not yet caused any casualties.
"Giant?"
Liz's first thought was of her Lan. Will's body was nine meters long; even when "standing" on the ground, he was over three meters tall. But when she registered the number "three," she figured it couldn't be him.
"Take me to them."
"I'm going too."
Liz stood up and followed behind Elder Barb.
"Char-char~" Blaze trotted along by Liz's leg, one small hand clutching the hem of her dress as he looked around warily. Any creature that dared to approach Liz would have to suffer the flames that would destroy the world! Rua!
Elder Barb and Liz followed the guard and quickly arrived at the scene. When they saw what was happening, both of their expressions turned strange. Blaze also dazedly let go of Liz's dress.
There, Will stood calmly, surveying the army of Beast-Callers that had surrounded them. Beside him, two ferocious-looking, giant blue beasts were glaring at the army, looking extremely agitated.
"Lord Lan has brought back more strange beasts."
"Indeed. The others were one thing, but these two are just too much."
"They look incredibly ferocious and difficult to tame. We absolutely cannot let them get near Lady Liz."
"What do we do? Should we attack?"
"No! Lord Lan is still in there! If he gets hurt, Lady Liz will be furious. You didn't see the look on her face that day..."
...
The soldiers of the Beast-Caller army murmured amongst themselves. They had just arrived in Jubilance Town that afternoon and hadn't even had a proper rest before being faced with this scene. It was exhausting. And the sheer size of the two Gyarados was overwhelming; the pressure they gave off made the soldiers feel like each one could take on ten of them.
"You're finally here. Any slower and these two might have gone berserk," Will said, sighing in relief when he saw Liz appear.
When a Magikarp evolves into a Gyarados, the structure of its brain cells is reorganized, causing its personality to become violent and irritable. With so many people and Pokémon directing hostility towards them, of course the two Gyarados would get angry. If Will hadn't been there, they might have already started a rampage.
Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that Will was afraid the army would kill the two Gyarados. Right now, they looked intimidating, but their actual combat power wasn't that high.
In the human world, if two 1.8-meter, 140-pound men collided, it might be an even match. But in the Pokémon world, if a Lv. 40, 0.4-meter, 6-kilogram Pikachu and a Lv. 20, 13-meter, 470-kilogram Gyarados both used Tackle on each other, the Gyarados would undoubtedly be the one to lose consciousness on the spot, or even die.
This was the world of Pokémon, a magical world governed by levels, types, moves, and abilities. Did height and weight have no use in battle at all? Of course they did, but their contribution was small compared to other factors. If a Pikachu and a Gyarados of the same level used Tackle, the Gyarados might have the upper hand, thanks to its weight.
"Lan?" Liz pushed past the surrounding guards and walked straight forward.
"Lady Liz..."
"Char!"
A guard tried to stop her, but Blaze roared at him, and he quickly pulled his hand back.
"It's fine," Liz said with a wave of her hand.
She trusted that Lan would not bring a truly dangerous beast into town, let alone right in front of her. Besides, these two beasts gave her a strange feeling. It was just... not that dangerous.
It was a complete contradiction. Her eyes were telling her that these two behemoths were extremely dangerous and that she shouldn't get close. But her heart was telling her that they meant her no harm, and that she could approach them.
"Hmm?"
Liz didn't know if it was her imagination, but she thought she could see a hint of affection in the eyes of the giant beast to Will's left.
"Hey, take a good look at these two. See if you recognize them," Will said, patting the Gyarados beside him with his tail.
"Roar..."
Liz's Gyarados did its best to lower its head, bringing its massive, ferocious face closer to her.
"..."
Liz was still a little scared looking at that savage head and giant mouth. But seeing that Will wasn't reacting, she gathered her courage and reached out to pat the Gyarados's head in a friendly gesture.
"You don't recognize him, do you? Gyarados, show Liz your specialty. The move you did most often in front of her."
Seeing Liz's reaction, Will knew she hadn't figured it out. So, he decided to have the Gyarados help. When a Magikarp evolves, its physical and mental capabilities undergo a qualitative change, including its intelligence. Although Gyarados are irritable, that doesn't mean they're stupid. It could now understand more complex phrases.
"Roar!" the Gyarados nodded.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, it flopped onto the ground and began to thrash about, twisting its body.
Flap, flap, flap.
Its giant tail slammed against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, looking for all the world like a drowning fish.
Will: ...
Liz: ...
Blaze: ...
Everyone else: ...
The crowd stared blankly at the Gyarados's seizure-like performance.
"Karp?!" Liz's eyes went wide. She clapped a hand over her open mouth.
"How on earth did you recognize him?!" Will stared at Liz in disbelief.
The Gyarados's actions were completely absurd, but Liz had actually recognized it.
"What?! That's the red fish?"
"Didn't the beast scholars say it was a useless beast?"
"That thing can evolve into something so powerful?!"
"Lady Liz must have known all along! Yes, just look at Lord Lan! Lady Liz is the most visionary and insightful beast scholar in the world!"
"I will never again question the choices of Lady Liz and Lord Lan!"
...
Upon learning the true identity of the two Gyarados, the members of the Beast-Caller army all lowered their weapons and calmed their own Pokémon.
"Char?!"
Blaze, snapping out of his daze, also looked at his two newly-acquainted companions in shock. He hadn't expected that in just one afternoon, they would have become so tall and mighty.
"Char..."
Blaze looked at the two giant Gyarados with envy, then quickly ran to Will's side and patted him anxiously.
"Don't worry. If you're a good boy, you'll get bigger and taller too, and you'll even be able to fly!"
"Char!" Blaze nodded vigorously and puffed out his chest.
Nearby, Liz was observing the Gyarados's impressive form in astonishment.
"Roar~"
The Gyarados squinted its eyes happily, letting Liz look him over. If a stranger were to stare at him like this, he would have long since gotten angry and sent them flying with a tail whip. But it was okay if it was Liz. Not only did he let her look, but he even stretched his body so she could get a better view.
"Roar..."
The other Gyarados, the one belonging to Iris, could only watch this scene with envy. It turned its head and looked to the north, in the direction of the capital.
"We'll be back in a few days. You can see Iris then."
"Roar..." the Gyarados nodded, though its mood was still not great.
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