Chapter 35: Sakaki the White
On the other side of Mt. Silver, opposite the Dragonite Kingdom, lay the Kingdom of the Land, a nation that had already unified all the tribes of the Kanto region. This kingdom was founded ten years ago, around the same time as the Dragonite Kingdom. At that time, however, its royal family was the Silph clan.
The system of slavery in the Kingdom of the Land was also established by the Silphs. The second king, Sakaki the White, merely continued this system. But although both kings used slavery, the public's reaction to their rule was completely different.
Under the rule of the Silph clan, the treatment of humans was worse than that of beasts. Commoners who made mistakes were even fed to primal beasts as punishment, while members of the Silph clan could commit wrongs and remain perfectly safe. Over time, the Silphs naturally incurred the wrath of the people. So, when Sakaki the White raised the banner of rebellion, countless people immediately answered his call and followed in his footsteps.
The first thing Sakaki did after taking power was to publicly execute every single member of the Silph clan. This act not only won him the hearts of the people but also demonstrated his methods and style, inspiring awe and fear in many.
Under Sakaki's rule, although slavery remained, he had learned from the Silphs' experience and amended some of the specific laws, improving the kingdom's situation considerably. At the very least, humans could now live with some dignity. Most importantly, with the previous Silph clan as a point of comparison, Sakaki appeared far more benevolent.
Furthermore, no one except Sakaki himself enjoyed any special privileges. The only way to obtain them was through meritorious deeds. On this point, everyone in the Kingdom of the Land was equal.
In the capital of the Kingdom of the Land, another morning dawned.
"Bzz-bzz~"
Sakaki the White opened his eyes to the sound of his beast partner.
"Good morning, Beedrill," Sakaki said. He took a sip of water, then rubbed the head of the Pokémon beside him.
Sakaki's partner was a Beedrill, and the name he had given it was simply "Beedrill." In this world, Sakaki trusted no one except himself and his partner. This was evident from the fact that he allowed the Beedrill to sleep in the same room with him.
In his youth, his mother had been gravely ill, and his family was too poor to afford a doctor or medicine. With no other choice, he had ventured into Mt. Silver alone, searching for treasures to sell or herbs he could use. Just as he discovered a rare herb and was about to pick it, he was attacked by a Rattata. He had trespassed on its territory.
His leg was bitten, and he was unable to run, left to sit paralyzed on the ground. Just as Sakaki thought he was going to die, a fat Weedle appeared and entered a standoff with the Rattata. In the end, wary of each other, they did not fight.
At that moment, Sakaki did not feel the relief of escaping death. He only felt that he had just left a wolf's den to enter a tiger's lair. But the Weedle's target was not him; it was the medicinal herbs in the bamboo basket on his back. Many of them were poisonous, which made them a fine delicacy for a Weedle.
The intelligent Sakaki realized the Weedle's goal and quickly emptied the basket, leaving only the few herbs that could alleviate his mother's pain. This very act unexpectedly won the Weedle's favor.
The young Sakaki was an ambitious and ruthless person. Seeing that the Weedle had no intention of attacking him, he made the decision to secretly raise it. That was roughly nineteen years ago. The people of the Silph Tribe had not yet begun to emulate the Dragonite Tribe in harnessing the power of beasts, but Sakaki had already begun to quietly raise one. This was an incredibly bold move for a human in this era. In terms of sheer audacity, it was perhaps second only to Liz's expedition deep into Mt. Silver to find the Beedrill swarm.
And so, Sakaki secretly raised the Weedle for fourteen years. Then, with the power of his Beedrill, he seized the throne. The royal guards and their Beast-Callers were like cannon fodder in front of his Beedrill, unable to last even ten seconds.
Now, another five years had passed. Only Sakaki himself knew how powerful his Beedrill had become.
After washing up, Sakaki, his hair slicked back, made his way to his office. The first thing that caught his eye was a document detailing the recent conflict between the "Resource Gathering Team" and the people of the Dragonite Kingdom near Mt. Silver.
"Hmph," Sakaki snorted, a smirk playing on his lips. This was no accidental encounter. Years ago, he had learned about the Dragonite Kingdom from the remnants of the Silph clan. He also knew that the Silphs and the Dragonites had been engaged in a long-running war over Mt. Silver for decades. Since he had exterminated the Silph clan, this war had become one between his Kingdom of the Land and the Dragonite Kingdom.
Neither kingdom could afford to lose the mineral and herbal resources of Mt. Silver. These resources were vital for both their military and their medicine. Any nation that wished to endure would fight for this natural gold mine at its doorstep.
But Sakaki and Liz were different. Liz only wanted Mt. Silver. She initially had no intention of conquering the Kingdom of the Land because she did not want to start a war. Sakaki, however, wanted the entire land. Mt. Silver was just a tiny piece in his grand ambitions. As for the people and beasts who might die in this war, he couldn't care less.
Sakaki sat for a while before summoning his subordinate.
"Boss Sakaki."
The man who entered was a giant, standing a full two-point-three meters tall. His build was as robust as a standing water buffalo. His name was Ares, and he was one of the first to follow Sakaki the White, as well as one of the Four Generals of the Kingdom of the Land.
Back before Sakaki had become king, Ares had always called him "Boss," and he continued to do so now. Sakaki had never corrected him. He felt the title strengthened his relationship with his Four Generals and helped him win their loyalty.
"Yes. How is your Iron Chunk's strength these days?" Sakaki asked, looking up with concern. He remembered that Ares's Pokémon's new form resembled a bipedal rhinoceros, its entire body as hard as if it were wearing iron armor. It looked incredibly powerful. But Sakaki still trusted his own Beedrill's twin stingers more.
"He's full of vigor. Much stronger than before," Ares nodded with a hint of pride.
His Pokémon had originally been a Rhyhorn, which he had raised for a very long time. Ares was a proud man. While others started by raising small beasts because it felt safer, Ares was different. In his eyes, those small beasts were like mice. He disliked them and had never raised one.
This had once been a headache for Sakaki. His other men were unwilling to be commanded by an ordinary human without a beast, but Sakaki didn't trust anyone else as much as Ares.
Fortunately, one night five or six years ago, an injured Rhydon had stormed into the kingdom's territory and happened upon Ares, who was leading a patrol. Ares was a beast himself. He single-handedly took on the Rhydon with his bare hands, wrestling it to the ground. He was greatly impressed by the Rhydon's immense power and thick hide. He was certain this was the powerful beast he had been searching for. So, he helped it recover, fed it personally, and spent the nights telling it of his grand ambitions.
Finally, through a combination of emotion and reason, he managed to tame the dopey-looking Rhydon. Ares had high hopes for it, bestowing upon it the name "Iron Chunk." In his view, there was nothing in the world harder than an iron chunk.
Ares had originally thought his Rhydon was in its final stage. He never expected it to be able to evolve again. That had been a pleasant surprise.
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