Chapter 66: Could It Be Because of You?
Ryū hadn't yet told Liz he was leaving for a while. He didn't know how to express it in a way she would understand. After some thought, he decided to send Charmander, Gligar, and Gyarados to the Pokémon Academy.
While the frequency of battles there was low, it was a safe and comfortable leveling ground. Liz was usually too busy to train them herself, and if they just stayed in the palace, their growth would be slow. Besides, he was the recognized boss of the academy Pokémon. He could use his status to arrange daily battles for his subordinates.
He immediately gathered the three of them and led them towards the academy. Ryuuki's Pokémon didn't need to train; her status was different, and she was unlikely to face any real threats.
Just as he predicted, when he arrived with the three Pokémon, the two scholars on duty immediately went to inform Liz. Ryū seized the opportunity to gather all the academy Pokémon on the grassland.
"These three are my subordinates," he announced. "I need you to find at least three suitable opponents for each of them to battle every day." Three battles a day—one in the morning, one at noon, and one in the afternoon—was the perfect intensity for them.
The Pokémon on the grassland looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
That evening, Ryū led Charmander and the others back to the Royal Palace.
"Alan, do you want them to go to the school with you to train?" Liz asked. She had indeed figured out his intentions, with a slight difference. It wasn't that they were going with him, but that they were going by themselves.
Ryū couldn't explain, so he simply nodded.
"I've already notified the academy," she said.
"Okay."
"Speaking of which, Alan, it looks like you're going to shed your skin today," Liz noted, pointing to his tail where a small piece of translucent skin was already peeling away.
"Perfect. Help me shed one last time. I don't know when the next time will be."
Ryū extended his tail to wrap around Liz, bringing her back to the bedroom.
"Alan, you've shed your skin so many times. I'm planning to make some things with it," Liz said, skillfully kneeling on the soft mattress and gently helping him peel away the old skin.
"Go ahead. What are you planning to make?" Ryū asked casually.
The shed skin of the Dratini line was a super rare, high-grade material. The capes worn by famous Dragon Tamers like Clair and Lance were made from it.
'Speaking of which, people from the Dragon Tamer Clan all really like capes... Why is that?' The question popped into his mind.
"I plan to make a pair of gloves from your skin when you were small, and a cape from your skin now that you've grown up. If there's any left, maybe I can make boots, too. What do you think?" Liz asked, smiling as she looked at him.
"...Could it be because of you?" Ryū whispered, a startling realization dawning on him.
It didn't matter. He didn't care about such small things.
"...Liz, I plan to leave for a while," Ryū hesitated, but still tried to speak, turning to see if she could understand.
"Huh? What?"
"Okay, never mind." Ryū sighed. What should he do? He couldn't just leave suddenly, could he?
"You just told me something very important, didn't you?" Liz stopped what she was doing and looked at the back of his head.
"Yes," Ryū confirmed, flapping the two small wings by his head in a lazy nod that only she would understand.
"I'm sorry. I didn't understand what you meant," Liz said, lowering her head apologetically.
"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault." Ryū got up and rubbed his face against her cheek before lying back down, patting her thigh to signal her to continue.
"What are you planning to do?" Liz asked again.
"...You'll know tomorrow," Ryū remained silent, then his eyes brightened. He knew what he had to do.
That night, Ryū couldn't sleep. He floated to the window and looked out at the Royal Capital. He was starting to feel a sense of belonging here. Was it because of Liz?
He remembered when he first arrived, he didn't care at all about the people of this kingdom. If an enemy army had advanced, he would have taken Liz and escaped without a second thought. Now, the thought of that filled him with hesitation. He had started to treat this place as his home.
Ryū stood by the window for a long time until the last light in the capital went out. He turned and looked at the bed where Liz was sleeping soundly. He carefully crawled into the quilt, resting his head on her shoulder and lightly sniffing the scent of her hair. In her sleep, she seemed to sense his presence and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I've seen you when you were eight, and I've seen you when you were twenty-eight."
"I witnessed your past and present, and you've accompanied me as I grew from a tiny creature to what I am today."
"I think we are already family."