Chapter 27: Promoted by Force
Night fell. Liz had not yet returned, as someone had apparently requested an audience with the Queen. Will lay alone on the bed, excitedly rolling back and forth as he looked at his personal status screen.
[Dratini]
Potential: Blue
Level: 7
Type: Dragon
Ability: Shed Skin
Height: 2.5m
Weight: 4.3kg
Moves: Focus Energy (Inherited), Wrap, Leer, Twister
"Haha, not bad, not bad. I really did get experience," Will nodded with satisfaction.
Although he had only gained two levels after beating up thirty or forty little kids, he was very pleased. After all, he had expended almost no effort in these battles. Many of the Pokémon were taken out in one hit or were easily chased down. He had barely received any injuries.
Still, at this rate, I can probably only get to around level 10. After that, fighting these babies probably won't do much.
Will sighed, lying on the bed. Although his current living situation was comfortable and safe, and there seemed to be no need to seek out hardship, Will, as a transmigrator with some knowledge of the future, could not truly just lie back and relax.
The Era of Primal Beasts was an age where the loss of life reached its zenith.
In the Ancient Age that preceded it, there were only survival wars between Pokémon, and they would not risk their lives to attack other Pokémon unless absolutely necessary.
In the Era of Leagues that would follow, it was a time of great peace, not just for humans, but for Pokémon as well. Even wild Pokémon rarely fought to the death. With human intervention, the number of domesticated Pokémon increased dramatically, while the wild population shrank. This meant that resources were no longer scarce for those in the wild, so deadly competition became a rare phenomenon.
Only in this Era of Primal Beasts did war rage everywhere.
Pokémon versus Pokémon.
Human versus Pokémon.
Human versus Human.
The Whirl Islands War in Johto, the War of Truth in Unova, the Great War of Kalos... these famous conflicts all took place during this time. As the old saying goes, what has long been divided must unite, and what has long been united must divide. The flames of war and the toll of death were destined to be the hooks that would pull in a new era.
"The Era of Leagues will definitely come, but that also means the middle and late stages of this Era of Primal Beasts will be filled with war."
"Countless humans and Pokémon will die. Only after witnessing that horror will more and more people gradually realize the problem and raise the banner of peace."
"The Dragonite Kingdom, as the sole nation in the Johto region right now, will inevitably be drawn into war, most likely against the neighboring Kanto region..."
Will swished his tail in frustration. It was precisely because of this situation that he was so desperate to raise his level. If Liz had been the queen of a nation in the peaceful Era of Leagues, he would have lazed around more than anyone, perhaps even staying a Dratini for his entire life.
"I have to at least evolve into a Dragonair. That way, even if the war is lost, I can fly Liz away to safety."
Will glanced at his status screen again. He needed to reach around Lv. 30 to evolve into a Dragonair. It shouldn't take too long, but his progress would definitely not be as fast as it was in his past life as a Beedrill. Back then, he, Wally, and Milly flew everywhere. Opponents they could beat, they took on solo; opponents they couldn't, they swarmed. They almost never lost a battle and steadily gained experience.
In this life, he was just a lonely Dratini. All battles had to be fought by himself.
Click.
The bedroom door was pushed open. Will didn't even turn his head. Only Liz could enter the Queen's private chambers without knocking, so he knew it had to be her.
"Lan, how could you beat up the other little ones at the kindergarten?"
Liz came in, scooped Will's head into her arms, and poked his nose with her finger.
"...So it was those two who came to see you. Damn, they actually tattled on me," Will's mind went blank for a second, then he immediately realized where Liz had been. The two beast scholars from the kindergarten must have run to the palace to complain to her.
But this time, Will was mistaken. While the two scholars had indeed reported his rampage, they had also praised his potential. In their eyes, although they were all babies, the fact that Will could defeat dozens of others in a single day meant that he would certainly be stronger than other beasts when he grew up. So, the two scholars had also come to congratulate Queen Liz on acquiring such a promising future general.
"What you did was wrong, do you understand?" Liz said, giving Will's head a little shake. Although she was scolding him, her tone was quite gentle, giving the impression that she wasn't truly angry.
"I get it. I'll do it again tomorrow," Will said, shaking his head nonchalantly, putting on the air of a rogue.
"You little rascal," Liz was so exasperated she had to laugh. "Starting tomorrow, you're not going to the kindergarten anymore. You're going to the Primal Beast Academy."
"What? I got expelled after just one day?" Will's eyes widened. He had been planning to grind his way to level 10 before thinking about his next step. Now, he was being promoted by force.
Although Will hadn't been to this "Primal Beast Academy," he could tell just from the name that it was full of Pokémon with actual fighting ability. If the school he went to today was kindergarten to elementary school, then the one he was going to tomorrow was probably middle school to high school.
How was his puny Lv. 7 self supposed to grind for experience there? He'd be lucky not to get bullied.
Will's expression immediately fell. He turned his head away, ignoring Liz.
Seeing him like this, Liz couldn't help but smile, but she didn't try to comfort him. It would be useless anyway. After his violent rampage at the kindergarten today, there was no way she would let him continue there. Besides, according to the two beast scholars, staying at the kindergarten was not a good thing for a beast as wild and full of potential as Will. Going to the more competitive Primal Beast Academy would actually help him grow faster.
"Alright, let's go to sleep. You'll probably have to molt again when you wake up in the morning," Liz said, changing into her nightgown and slipping into bed, pulling Will into her embrace.
The next morning, after once again completing his molt with Liz's help, Will was looking rather listless.
"You have to get along with everyone at the new school, okay?"
"...Just watch me beat them all up."
Will twitched his nose, talking big. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to run wild at the new school like he did yesterday, but there was no harm in trash-talking. No one could understand what he was saying anyway.
Liz returned to the palace to handle her affairs, while Hestia was tasked with taking Will to the legendary Primal Beast Academy.
The academy's location was very strategic. It was on the easternmost plain of the Dragonite Kingdom's capital. Anyone unfamiliar with the map wouldn't understand how well-chosen the location was. A little further east from this position was the beast-infested Mt. Silver, and beyond that was the Kanto region, where the Kingdom of the Land was located.
Whether it was a stampede of beasts from Mt. Silver or a surprise attack from the Kingdom of the Land, neither could avoid crossing the grounds of the Primal Beast Academy. In a way, the academy was the Dragonite Kingdom's last line of defense.