"Captain, what do we do now?"
The knight adjutant looked around anxiously. The Bibarel were already gone—vanished without a trace.
"We're going to the supply point."
"So long as we're alive, we can always raise more Bibarel."
Paul gritted his teeth. What else could he do in this situation? Was he supposed to throw his life away alongside those damned Bibarel?
Bzzzzzzzz—!
But just as they hadn't gotten far, the sound of buzzing filled the sky.
Looking up, they saw a group of Yanma hovering above them, circling without launching an immediate attack.
"Hm? Where did all the Bibarel go?"
Hovering in midair, Jorah was being carried by his Yanma. He looked down in confusion at the knights who were standing ready, but oddly, the usual core Bibarel unit was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it… they caught up this quickly."
Paul's face darkened. He quickly drew his knight's longsword.
"Meowr!"
Beside him, his Luxray, an advanced-level beast, sparked with electricity.
Though the Bibarel were gone, Paul still had his Luxray at his side, along with a few other Luxrays. They weren't completely defenseless.
Flap flap flap—!
At the same time, Pelipper swooped down from the sky.
Facing off with the hovering Yanma, the Pelipper didn't hesitate—firing off a barrage of Water Gun attacks!
Bzzzzzz—!
The Yanma rapidly flapped their wings, sending out Air Slash shockwaves that clashed with the Water Guns midair, scattering water in every direction.
Though the Yanma held the advantage in numbers, the Pelipper—led by a advanced-level leader—were not at a disadvantage in the head-on confrontation.
After one round of skirmishing, both sides pulled back, hovering at a distance in a tense standoff.
…
"All knights, fall back to the supply point!"
Seeing the aerial battle unfold, Paul immediately issued the order.
The knights, already prepared, obeyed at once, dragging their exhausted bodies as they retreated toward the distant supply station.
At that moment, the knights stationed at the supply point had also noticed the skirmish and were rushing toward them with dozens of magical beasts in tow.
The retreating knights let out a sigh of relief. Some looked back behind them.
Awooooo—!
From the Black Forest, the howling of wolves continued to echo.
They knew—the Mightyena had caught up. The pursuers from Fruitvale Village were here.
At the back of the retreating force, the knight adjutant ran in formation, then suddenly froze.
Back on the battlefield, Lord Paul stood alone, surrounded by a dozen magical beasts, still on the open ground.
He looked up at the aerial standoff, showing no intention of retreating—clearly planning to remain behind and continue leading the battle.
"Captain Paul!"
The adjutant turned and sprinted back toward Paul.
"Captain! Let's fall back now!"
His voice was urgent as he rushed over and grabbed Paul's arm, trying to pull him away.
"Bard," Paul said in a deep voice, not budging an inch, "I'm giving you a task."
Bard hesitated, then pressed, "Captain, please—let's return to the supply station first!"
"Bard, promise me—lead the knights away from the Black Coast."
Paul sighed heavily, his voice filled with helpless exhaustion.
He looked into the distance—toward the Black Forest, where shadows had already begun to appear in large numbers.
"Captain Paul!"
The adjutant's voice trembled. "Please come back—let's go back together!"
"Go!" Paul suddenly roared, "Take the knights and get out of here—that's an order!!"
With that, he gave Bard a heavy shove, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Go! Don't get in the way of my battle!"
Bard sat on the ground, staring in shock at his furious Lord and Captain. His whole body trembled. Then, he stood up, saluted with a choked voice: "Y-yes, Captain…"
He gave Paul one final, deep look—then turned and sprinted toward the rest of the knights.
Far ahead, the knight corps had stopped, watching the adjutant run back.
"Why didn't Captain Paul come with you?!" someone asked with a trembling voice.
"Go—we must go. Don't interfere with the Captain's battle!"
The adjutant shouted, rushing through the group and leading the knights toward the coast.
They had anticipated this, but hearing it confirmed struck their hearts hard.
They now understood—Captain Paul had chosen to stay behind to cover their retreat with his life.
Sadness welled up inside them. Although Paul was still protected by many powerful magical beasts, there was no way they could stand against the pursuing force.
…
"I'll stay too."
"I'll fight alongside Captain Paul. With my Mightyena, I swear I'll bring him back alive!"
Suddenly, Hill, along with his Mightyena, broke formation and sprinted toward Paul.
At this sight, hope flickered in the knights' eyes. Then, one by one, they gritted their teeth and continued running toward the supply point.
…
"Captain Paul, let me stand with you and hold off the enemy."
Hill arrived beside him, his tone resolute.
Paul looked at him deeply and nodded. "With your Mightyena here, our chances have improved."
"Let's show these pursuers what we're made of."
As he spoke, Paul looked toward the Black Forest. Mightyena were already pouring out.
Sutter rode atop a Mightyena, glancing at the airborne standoff between the Yanma and Pelipper, then at Paul and Hill in the distance. Finally, his eyes settled on the retreating knights.
"Sutter, the Bibarel seem to have betrayed them. What do we do now?"
Jorah descended from the air and looked toward Paul and Hill, sensing this might be the perfect moment to strike.
"The Bibarel betrayed them?"
Sutter's expression turned thoughtful. A memory surfaced—the message on that note.
Although now would indeed be a good time to attack, Sutter shook his head. Lord Aven had instructed them not to engage proactively.
Besides, their enemies still had a Pelipper, Luxray, Mightyena, and other powerful magical beasts. The threat level was high.
"Don't worry. They won't get away. All we need to do now is wait for Lord Aven…"
…
Meanwhile, in the Black Forest, the Bibarel group were sprinting at full speed.
Soon, they arrived at the first site where they had separated from their companions—on the edge of the forest's core.
At that time, they had been attacked by a Skuntank horde, and dozens of Bibarel had stayed behind to cover the retreat.
"Bii! Bii!"
The Bibarel leader called out loudly, but the forest was eerily silent.
They searched quickly through the underbrush—only to find wreckage, trampled earth, and a pool of blood. There was no sign of their companions.
"Bii! Bii!"
The following Bibarel stared at the empty battlefield, sadness filling their eyes.
They could already guess what had happened. The ones left behind… had likely fallen to the Skuntank horde.
"Bii!"
"Keep searching! We must find them!"
The Bibarel leader pressed on, leading the remaining group deeper into the forest.
They darted between trees, blood soaking the forest floor, their eyes filled with urgency. Wounded or not, they refused to slow down.
Thud!
One Bibarel suddenly collapsed.
The relentless travel, paired with its injuries, had pushed its body past its limit.
"Bii! Bii!"
The Bibarel leader skidded to a halt and ran back.
Without hesitation, it lay down beside the fallen Bibarel, allowing it to climb on its back.
It would never abandon a comrade again.
"Bii…"
The leader's mind flashed with images of other Bibarels and Bidoofs collapsing, and tears began to well up in its eyes.
Back then, others had been abandoned too. If it had fallen at that time, it too would've been discarded without a second thought, right?
It shook its head violently, banishing the thought.
No. It wasn't the Bibarel who wanted to abandon their own. It was the knights. The knights had abandoned them.
Seeing this, the rest of the Bibarel stopped, their eyes blurring with tears. They would never again leave a companion behind.
(End of Chapter)