I'll post 5 Bonus Chapters this week if we gather 1300 PS by this weekend.
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"Oh?" Lucien raised an eyebrow, looking at Cleveland in surprise. "What's that?"
Cleveland straightened, his voice solemn. "Your Highness, I encountered two very special monsters in the snowy mountains."
At the mention of the monsters that had guided him, Cleveland's expression softened with awe and longing.
"At that time, just when I thought I was going to die, it appeared."
"I don't know if it was truly a magical beast, but it had magnificent blue feathers, and its wings glittered like ice crystals in the sunlight. When it appeared, even the snowflakes in the air froze."
"It saved me… and showed me the way out of the mountains."
Cleveland's voice trembled faintly. Deep down, he wished more than anything to see it again.
Hearing this description, Lucien's eyes narrowed in thought.
'Hmm? Blue feathers, ice crystals, snow freezing midair… Could it be the legendary Pokémon Articuno?'
From what he knew, Articuno often dwelled in the most desolate mountaintops, guardians of snowbound peaks.
Legends said that when a traveler became lost in a blizzard, Articuno would descend and guide them to safety.
'I never expected there would be an Articuno in these mountains… it must be protecting that peak,' Lucien thought, astonished.
"I see," he murmured.
Cleveland continued, "And after losing sight of that mysterious monster's guidance, I met another creature… one unlike any I'd ever seen."
"I was starving, near collapse. And then it appeared, like Santa Claus himself, descending before me with a white bundle in its claws. From it, it offered me two fruits."
"Thanks to those fruits, I was able to endure until the rescue team found me."
Santa Claus? A Pokémon with a white package?
Lucien instantly recalled the species.
It could only be Delibird, the Delivery Pokémon.
Delibird carried food in its tail, which functioned as a sack, and shared its stores with others. In fact, Lucien remembered a passage from a bestiary he had once read:
"If someone is stranded in the mountains, Delibird will often share its food with them. Many lives have been saved thanks to Delibird's kindness."
Hearing this, Ryan and Christina exchanged wide-eyed looks.
"There's really such a monster?" Ryan asked.
Lucien nodded. "Yes. Its name is Delibird. In the Royal Library, there are old records describing its habit of sharing food, even with humans lost in snowy mountains."
"Wow!" Christina exclaimed. "That's incredible!"
"Delibird…" Cleveland repeated softly, as if etching the name into his memory. If fate ever let him meet it again, he would repay that kindness.
Lucien gave a small smile. "Alright, that's enough for today. You three have worked hard. Take a proper rest now, and recover your strength."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Ryan and the other two took their leave one after another.
The old butler, Elif, who had listened to the entire conversation, couldn't help but sigh.
"I never thought such magical beasts existed in this world… I never had the chance to learn about them back in the royal city."
"Only after leaving home have I realized this world is far greater than I imagined," Lucien said, his voice tinged with wonder. "Our Kingdom of Eindhok is just a tiny corner. I've heard there are countless nations and vast lands beyond the seas. One day, I want to see them with my own eyes."
The World's Beginning Tree in Kanto.
Mt. Silver in Johto.
The ancient Draconid culture of Hoenn.
The creation myths of Sinnoh.
The Mega Evolutions of Kalos.
The Hero of Sword and Shield in Galar.
The Paradox Pokémon of Paldea…
Seeing Lucien's expression, Elif offered a hopeful smile. "Your Highness is still young. Surely you'll have the chance."
"That may take a long time," Lucien sighed. Survival here already consumed all their energy. Dreams of exploration had to wait.
His eyes drifted to Dratini, coiled nearby. With a playful grin, he reached out and tapped its rounded nose.
"Dratini, you'd better grow up fast, alright? Then we can go see the world together."
"Woo!" Dratini perked up, determination in its bright eyes. It would grow strong quickly!
Lucien knew Dratini's final evolution, Dragonite, possessed incredible speed. Legends said a Dragonite could circle the globe in just sixteen hours.
When that day came, he imagined leaving the territory in Elif's care while he and Dragonite soared off across distant seas and mountains.
Seeing His Highness's boyish enthusiasm, Elif chuckled softly.
After all, His Highness was only sixteen. He should have been living a carefree life in the royal city, yet here he was, forced to lead, forced to grow up too soon.
Still, perhaps this exile was a blessing in disguise.
Even before they left, tensions in the royal city had been rising. The eldest and second princes were destined to clash over the throne.
As always, the victor would claim everything. Lucien's position in the capital would only grow more dangerous.
Elif sighed again, watching as Lucien teased Dratini. He prayed that day of strife would never come.
"Hmph. Enough brooding. Back to business!"
Lucien straightened and opened the field notes Christina had delivered.
The first page described Shuckle.
Turning to the next page, he found the sketch of a small birdlike Pokémon, its wings as soft as tufts of cotton.
Christina had written below:
[Bold, not afraid of people. Lands on shoulders and heads. Feathers feel as fluffy and soft as cotton.]
Lucien's lips curved. "This must be Swablu."
Swablu was usually a Normal/Flying-type, but once it evolved into Altaria, it gained the Dragon typing alongside Flying.
Because it hardly resembled a dragon at all, and because its Mega Evolution became a Fairy-type that countered dragons, Altaria was sometimes mockingly called a "traitor of the Dragon Pokémon."
Yet, upon seeing Swablu for the first time, Lucien didn't dwell on its future strength. Instead, one thought struck him:
Its soft, cloudlike wings would make the most heavenly mattresses and pillows imaginable. Surely nothing could be more comfortable to sleep on.