Leon was a member of the border patrol knights.
His task was to patrol the southeastern border of Aspiration City alongside his teammates, keeping the beasts that wandered too close at bay.
Since it was already early winter, they rarely ventured deep into the Black Forest anymore. Instead, they patrolled its outskirts, keeping watch.
On this particular day, as Leon patrolled as usual, he suddenly heard constant disturbances coming from within the Black Forest.
Soon after, countless pairs of blood-red eyes appeared, sending a chill through his entire body.
The beasts of early winter... had arrived!
Woooo~
That day, the sound of alarm sirens echoed throughout the entire Aspiration City territory.
It signaled the arrival of early winter—and that wild Pokémon were about to invade human lands!
At the borders of Aspiration City, farmers quickly sprang into action, retreating into the underground shelters built into their homes.
Every farmer's house was specially constructed with a reinforced cellar, precisely to withstand wintertime beast attacks.
As for the berries in the orchards, they could only be left to fend for themselves.
If they were lucky, only the unripe berries would be eaten. If unlucky, they might have to replant their orchards from scratch in the new year.
However, this year, the farmers in the southeastern parts of Aspiration City all felt unusually at ease.
Before the early winter arrived, they had already harvested all the berries from their orchards—even though most were unripe.
But thanks to the sheer quantity, they still managed to earn as much income as in previous years.
With that income, they stocked up enough food and supplies to get through the winter safely.
…
"Wild Pokémon are invading... is it starting?"
Aven's expression grew serious as he gazed toward the neatly lined-up Oddish in the meadow.
The real battle was about to begin!
"Odd- Odd - Odd!"
The Oddish were also visibly excited.
During this time, Aven had taken them into the Black Forest several times for training, and each time they had performed very well.
"Then, this winter... I'm counting on you guys," Aven said with a smile.
Though a little worried, he felt more anticipation than fear!
Uncle Mike approached from a distance.
"Aven, we've stocked everything we need into the cellar. Let's head down now."
Aven looked at his uncle, then slowly shook his head with a smile.
"Uncle Mike, you go into the cellar first. I plan to stay up here with the Oddish."
"Don't worry. You've seen the Oddish's fighting strength yourself. They'll be more than enough to protect me."
Uncle Mike's face changed several times.
Even though Aven had warned him about this earlier, he was still worried.
In his opinion, since the farm's berries had already been harvested, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"Don't worry, Uncle Mike," Aven reassured him.
"At the start of early winter, the number of beasts invading the human territory isn't too large.
The Oddish will be able to handle them."
"If there really is a situation the Oddish can't manage, I'll retreat into the cellar immediately."
After hearing Aven's explanation, Uncle Mike had no choice but to reluctantly agree, urging Aven not to push himself too hard.
Following Aven's request, Uncle Mike also took two Cherubi with him into the cellar.
Those two little ones hadn't managed to evolve before winter, and staying on the farm would make them easy prey for beasts.
As for Cherrim, it stayed behind.
Thanks to its "Flower Gift" ability, it could significantly boost the strength of Luxray, Rhyhorn, and Starly.
…
"Chaa, chaa!"
After Uncle Mike left, Petilil hopped in front of Aven, promising she would protect him!
"Mm, with you here, I feel very reassured," Aven said as he patted her on the head.
Then he turned to look at the Oddish with a smile. "Of course, that goes for all of you too."
The group of Oddish all became excited, determination shining in their eyes—they were ready to defend their home!
"Alright, let's start assigning tasks," Aven said as he moved to the Oddish's side and began giving orders.
Currently, the farm had over 200 Oddish.
Aven divided them into four squads to defend the four directions around Fruitvale Village.
If they could defend the village itself, that would be ideal.
If not, the Oddish were instructed to retreat to the farm and defend it instead.
Once everything was arranged, Aven brought Rhyhorn outside the village.
Under Rhyhorn's Rototiller move, grass quickly grew up around the village, creating a new temporary home for the Oddish.
The Oddish concealed themselves among the grass so well that it was nearly impossible to spot them with the naked eye.
This camouflage ability allowed them to serve as perfect sentries.
With all preparations completed, Aven returned home along with the other Pokémon.
From there, he would oversee the entire situation.
…
The knights' alarms had been accurate.
Wild Pokémon had indeed already infiltrated human territory.
Among them, the most numerous were still Rattata.
Rattata were omnivorous, had incredibly strong reproductive abilities, and weren't weak in combat either.
They had always been one of the greatest threats during early winter.
Only after winter fully set in would other, stronger beasts begin entering human lands.
In the Black Forest, the weak were always driven out first!
Once they crossed into human territory, the Rattata immediately headed for the berry orchards based on memory.
Some Rattata had invaded human lands the previous year and knew exactly where to find the farms full of delicious berries.
But when they arrived at the places they remembered, they found only bare tree trunks.
There wasn't a single berry left.
With no berries to be found, the Rattata had no choice but to search elsewhere for food.
…
That day, a Rattata discovered a new promising target.
As it neared the village, it spotted a large expanse of lush grassland, making it very excited.
If it couldn't find berries, then the grass would have to do.
When food was scarce, even simple grass was precious.
Running quickly across the ground, the Rattata carefully slipped into the grass and headed toward the village.
But as it passed by a particular patch of grass, something unexpected happened.
A cloud of pale blue powder sprayed from the grass—Oddish's Sleep Powder!
Under the effects of Sleep Powder, the Rattata managed only a few more steps before collapsing to the ground, completely drained and drowsy.
After successfully putting the Rattata to sleep, the Oddish jumped out from the ground.
Recalling Aven's instructions, the Oddish immediately used Absorb.
Green light enveloped the Rattata, drawing its energy away.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Drop a comment on any errors or mistranslations so I can edit them out.