"Consider it, Shuckle. We sincerely invite you to join this territory. However, you don't have to answer immediately. You can stay here first, experience life in this place, and then make a decision," Draconis said slowly.
"Shuckle..." The Shuckle were a bit hesitant.
They had been hiding well under the rocks today, planning to sneak out and find Berry after dark when the terrifying Pokémon were asleep.
But they didn't expect to be caught by this human and brought to this place.
The two Pokémon named Dratini and Snivy told them that if they stayed here, the humans here would always feed them.
Not only that, but they would also protect their safety, allowing them to live freely and carefree here.
The Shuckle were very tempted.
But... was all of this true?
As the weakest Pokémon in the forest, the Shuckle had never encountered such a good thing before. They couldn't imagine such a thing happening to them.
Did they really deserve it?
The Shuckle didn't know the answer.
But such conditions were truly impossible for them to refuse.
After much hesitation, this group of Shuckle decided to follow the human's suggestion and stay to experience life here, and quietly observe the lives of other Pokémon here.
Having made up their minds, the Shuckle nodded repeatedly, saying, "Shuckle!"
Seeing the Shuckle agree, Draconis couldn't help but smile. He looked at Ryan beside him and said,
"Ryan, before the Pokémon Ranch is built, they'll be in your care."
Hmm, perhaps the Shuckle could also be placed in the Berry fields. Draconis thought of the beehives used by beekeepers. They could build Shuckle homes similar to beehives with wooden boards in the Berry fields, allowing the Shuckle to live inside.
That way, if the Shuckle were hungry, they could pick Berry from the trees themselves, saving feeding time, and they would only need to regularly collect the Berry Juice produced by the Shuckle.
"I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Ryan responded.
Looking at the young man, Draconis couldn't help but feel a little guilty. There weren't enough people in the territory, and he wished he could split one person into two.
But that was impossible.
Draconis sighed helplessly, then said to Ryan:
"You've worked hard during this time. Now, go home and get some good rest. Simisear and Pidove must miss you a lot."
"Yes!" Thinking of the several magical beasts at home, Ryan felt a strange anticipation.
They hadn't seen each other for several days. Had they been eating well at home? Did they miss him?
"Your Highness Draconis, I'll head back now!" Ryan said impatiently.
Seeing his appearance, Draconis chuckled, "Go!"
Taking the group of Shuckle, Ryan turned and ran towards his home.
He hadn't even entered the door when he saw a group of magical beasts waiting for him at home.
Looking at this scene, Ryan immediately grinned and said to them with a smile, "I'm back!"
It felt good to have someone waiting for him to come home!
*
At the same time, on the terrace of Great Earth Sword Castle in Eindoak.
The Old King and Victini looked down at the bustling and lively streets below, but their faces were full of sorrow.
Beneath the prosperous surface, undercurrents were already surging. How long could this facade last?
"Alas!"
The Old King let out a sorrowful sigh.
Currently, the kingdom was on the verge of division. Barons and Viscounts from various regions had already sided with his two ambitious sons.
If war broke out, the entire kingdom would be divided into northern and southern halves with Eindoak as the dividing line.
"Victini!" The Old King looked up at the vast sky.
In his youth, he had achieved countless feats, established the Eindoak Kingdom, and allowed countless Commoners in the country to live in peace and contentment.
But why did he still end up in such a predicament in his old age?
"Nini..." Victini also felt very sad.
"I wonder how Draconis is doing."
Now, he was alone and had nothing to fear.
The only thing he worried about was his youngest son.
Almost half a year had passed since Draconis left for his fief. Was his child safe? Why hadn't his child sent any letters yet?
What worried him most was that if war broke out, Draconis's territory would inevitably be affected. What would he do then?
His two older brothers had gone completely mad. Anyone who stood in their way of obtaining the throne would be regarded as an enemy.
In the face of the throne, what did even siblings count for?
At this moment, the Old King regretted it immensely. He should have sent Draconis to a place that wouldn't be affected by the war.
Just then, a cry suddenly came from the sky.
The Old King snapped out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw a Pidove flying towards him.
The Pidove landed on the terrace in front of them, tilting its head and looking at him and Victini.
The Old King was slightly startled, then noticed that a letter was tied to the Pidove's leg.
Who sent it?
He reached out to untie the string and opened the envelope. When the Old King saw the words on it clearly, he immediately froze in place.
This was... from Draconis!
Victini also leaned over to read the letter with him.
But since it couldn't read human writing, it couldn't help but make a sound of confusion.
"Nini?"
"It's Draconis's letter!" The Old King's voice trembled.
He quickly and carefully read the contents of the letter.
The letter described in detail what his youngest son had encountered after leaving the royal city.
When the Old King read that their group had encountered a Blizzard and suffered heavy losses, his heart immediately tightened.
But when the Old King read later that Draconis had led everyone to build a camp in a valley, cut down trees, built houses, and successfully survived the winter, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
By the time he finished reading the entire letter, the Old King was already in tears.
Unbeknownst to him, his youngest son had already grown up to be so outstanding!
"Nini?" After hearing that it was Draconis's letter, Victini couldn't help but fly around, wanting to know what was written in the letter.
Seeing this, the Old King recounted the contents of the letter to it in detail.
"That child has also grown up!" While the Old King felt relieved, he couldn't help but worry about his youngest son again.
He had grown up in the royal city, eating, using, and wearing the best of everything.
But in that place, was he eating well? Was he dressed warmly? Would there be many dangerous magical beasts attacking the territory?
"Victini, Draconis needs our help." The Old King took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
Manpower, tools, food, seeds, workers, magical beasts... A moment later, the Old King's eyes reopened.
"Pidove, please stay in the royal city for a while. We need you to guide us," he said to the Pidove.
This was the last power he could use.
The Pidove tilted its head.
The Old King looked reluctantly at Victini beside him and said to it:
"Victini, you go with them this time. This is my last request to you: protect Draconis for me."
"Nini!"
Hearing these words, a hint of anxiety and worry appeared in Victini's eyes.
The Old King gently shook his head and comforted it, "Don't worry, I will be fine before that war ends. After all, they are also my children..."
"So, don't worry, Victini. Draconis needs your help more than I do."