Chapter 86: Lan, My Lan~
Dragonite Capital, The Royal Study.
"Another winter is coming."
Liz stopped writing, stood up, and walked to the window to look outside. Every day, she would stand by the window and gaze at the sky. Because any day now, a little blue serpent might come flying from the horizon, and she didn't want it to arrive and not see her there.
"It's been almost eight seasons since Lan left."
Liz raised a hand to rub the corner of her eye, feeling that her vision had gotten a little worse. She was turning thirty this year. At thirty, a common woman would have long been married, a wife for who knows how many years. Only she remained single.
But Liz herself didn't care. There was no man who could catch her eye, and she didn't want to be tied down by family and children in the future. She wanted to travel the world with Lan and the others, to spread the idea that humans and Pokémon could coexist peacefully.
Yes, Pokémon.
That was the new name she had given to the "primal beasts." Initially, she had convened her ministers to discuss a new name, but the names they proposed were full of prejudice, leaving her very dissatisfied. In the end, she decided to name them herself. And so, she came up with "Pokémon." Iris, who had been there at the time, also chimed in with the name "Pocket Monsters," which was also quite fitting.
In any case, Liz disliked people calling Lan, Blaze, and the others "beasts," so she had ordered the name change. Whether people called them "Pokémon" or "Pocket Monsters," as long as it wasn't "beasts," it was fine. Perhaps people wouldn't be able to change their habits overnight, but Liz believed that one day... the term "Pokémon" would spread throughout the entire world.
With this hope in her heart, Liz couldn't help but smile as she looked towards the sky in the direction of Mt. Silver.
"Dragonite~"
Just as she was about to turn away from the window, she suddenly heard a long cry from the distant sky.
"Hm?"
Liz's heart skipped a beat. She turned back and looked out the window again. The cry was strange; she was sure she had never heard it before. But for some reason, hearing it made her feel happy.
She squinted her eyes and saw a small, orange dot in the distant sky.
"What is that?" Liz frowned, unable to make it out. She thought it was probably some kind of bird Pokémon. She often saw them passing over the capital from her study window. Generally, as long as the birds didn't cause trouble in the city, people wouldn't bother them.
"Dra~gon~"
The sound reached her ears again. Even though it was so far away, Liz found the sound to be incredibly clear, soft and sweet, and very comforting to listen to. Just like Lan's voice.
"Lan?"
The thought of him made Liz's brow furrow, and then her eyes widened. She threw open the window, her hands gripping the frame. Despite wearing high heels, she stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck to look into the distance.
The small orange dot grew larger and larger. Liz could now confirm that it was a good-sized orange Pokémon. And clinging to its tail seemed to be a purple Pokémon.
"Could Lan... have evolved again?" Liz murmured to herself, but she felt it was unlikely. Most Pokémon still bore some resemblance to their previous forms after evolving, but this orange Pokémon looked nothing like her precious Lan.
"Am I just thinking too much?" Liz pulled back from the window, a little disappointed.
"Dra~gon~"
The sound came again, incomparably clear this time.
"Lan!"
Liz's head shot up, her large, wine-red eyes shining with a brilliant light. She didn't know how she could understand it, but she was absolutely certain that the voice was calling her. It was calling, "Li~z~."
In that moment, Liz forgot everything else. She turned and ran out the door. Because it was difficult to run in high heels, she kicked them off to the side, gathered her dress in her hands, and ran towards the courtyard.
In that moment, Liz was like a princess in a fairy tale, running towards her Prince Charming.
"Lady Liz?"
"Your Majesty, there's a strange... giant Pokémon approaching! Please..."
"Lady Liz?! Where are you going? Where are your shoes?!"
The maids, guards, and even Hestia were all stunned to see her running. How long had it been since they had seen her like this? It seemed that ever since she had grown up, they had never seen her lose her composure like this in public. The few times it had happened, it had been because Lord Lan had been leading her in some mischief.
"Lord Lan?!"
Hestia's eyes lit up, and her expression became firm. As Liz's childhood friend, she knew better than anyone that only two things could make her act so urgently. One, the entire army of the Kingdom of the Land was at their gates. The other, Lord Lan had returned.
And Liz's joyous, ecstatic expression could only mean it was the latter.
"Someone, prepare food! And, bring Lord Lan's baby bottle from when he was little. Make sure to have milk ready."
"Yes, ma'am!" xN
For the first time in a long time, a flurry of excitement filled the palace.
In the courtyard, as Liz ran barefoot across the lawn, a whirlwind of sparks and lightning in her wake, Will, who had been a dot in the sky, began to rapidly descend, gliding towards her.
"Liz~"
Seeing her again, Will's mouth broke into a grin he couldn't contain. He spread his arms and rushed towards her. But he hadn't lost his senses; he remembered how strong his new body was and slowed his speed and force.
"Lan~"
Liz, however, still trusted him 1000% and ran towards him without slowing down at all. She knew her Lan would never let her get hurt!
Boiing~
A soft, springy sound. Will and Liz embraced. But because his body and belly were so large, Liz was almost completely enveloped in his stomach.
"Mmph-mmph~"
Pat, pat.
Liz, unable to breathe, quickly reached out and patted his belly.
"Liz, long time no see," Will said with a laugh, loosening his embrace.
"Lan, you've... changed so much," Liz said, breaking free. The many things she had wanted to say were all forgotten the moment she saw him.
She stood there, looking him over. When her gaze fell on his large stomach, her mind went blank for a second. Her eyes briefly lost focus, as if she were trying to recall his previous slender form, and then looking at him now, her brain couldn't quite process it.
"Lan, why are you so fat?" Liz walked up, placed a hand on his belly, gave it a little poke, and then looked up at him in disbelief.
"I..." Will was speechless, his expression dumbfounded.
They hadn't seen each other in so long. She wasn't going to cry with emotion, but the first thing she says is that he's fat?
Will was angry. He put on a hurt expression and turned his head away, ignoring her.
"Even if you're chubby, you're still super cute! The cutest baby in the world!" Seeing this, Liz quickly tried to comfort him. She came forward and spread her arms, trying to hug him with all her might. But with her arm span, she couldn't even wrap them halfway around his belly.
"Hmph, I'll forgive you this time," Will grinned. How could he really be angry with her over something like this? He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, nuzzling her with his chubby cheek.
"Ooh~ so comfortable~ so soft~"
Being held by Will like this, Liz felt like her body was melting. When he had hugged her earlier, it had been too forceful, and she couldn't breathe, so she hadn't gotten to properly experience it. But now, being held so gently, she finally felt the immense, devastating power of a Dragonite's hug. It was so warm and comfortable, completely different from the cool feeling of a Dragonair. She couldn't even imagine how comfortable it would be to sleep in his arms on a winter night.
Looks like I'll be able to get a good night's sleep every day from now on... but, I'll have to get a super-sized bed, Liz thought, paralyzed in his arms, while muttering nonstop, "Lan, my Lan~ Don't you ever leave me for so long again."
"I won't, I won't," Will replied with a laugh. Once he remembered Extreme Speed, even if he did leave, it wouldn't be for so long.
"Chubby baby, chubby baby, Lan is such a chubby baby now~"
Duang. Duang.
Will had just returned, and Liz couldn't get enough of him, especially his big belly. She kept kneading it with both hands, kissing it again and again, leaving faint lipstick marks. Fat he may be, but in Liz's eyes, it didn't affect his cuteness at all. In fact, he was even cuter now.
"Stop playing. Look over here. This is Golbat. He's your partner from now on, too," Will said, pulling Liz away to reveal the Golbat behind him. Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other in so long, Liz's inner child had come out, and she was acting just like the young Liz in front of him, with none of her usual dignified and calm demeanor.
"Golbat~"
Golbat poked its head out, looking at Liz curiously. It had heard so many stories about her from Will and knew her status in his heart. But seeing a human for the first time, it thought Liz looked strange, a bit ugly, and very fragile.
"Hello there," Liz said, reaching out a hand to greet the Golbat.
Although they hadn't seen each other in a long time, her rapport with Will hadn't diminished in the slightest. With just one action from him, she understood his meaning. And unlike Iris, Liz wasn't so focused on looks. Even though the Golbat wasn't very pretty, she treated it with great warmth and friendliness.
"Liz, we're hungry," Will said, opening his mouth and pointing a finger at his throat.
"Lord Lan, it's already been prepared," Hestia's voice sounded at just the right moment.
Behind her was a large group of people, carrying all sorts of food to the courtyard. But everyone, including Hestia, was looking at Will with an expression of utter disbelief. After all... the change was just a little too drastic. Although he had lost his former "nobility, elegance, and beauty," he had at least retained some cuteness. He was just a little fat.
"Hestia, you're the best!" Will gave her a thumbs-up and then motioned for Golbat to dig in.
As the head steward of the palace, Hestia's position was not just due to her relationship with Liz; she had a real head on her shoulders. She had long since considered the possibility that Will's appetite would increase dramatically upon his return, so she had specially ordered a huge amount of food from the kitchen, afraid he wouldn't get enough to eat.
And there was also the baby bottle he had used since he was little. Although his mouth was much bigger now and the bottle was too small, if it wasn't on the table, he would still feel like something was missing.
On the other side, Hestia paused for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a secret smile. Before, she often couldn't understand the meaning of his actions. Now that he had evolved and had limbs, it was much easier to understand.
A moment later.
"~So full."
"Golbat~"
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