In the clearing, the Bibarel gathered together, hungrily devouring the Pokémon food provided to them.
Having gone without food for so long, anything would have tasted like a feast—let alone real Pokémon food!
The Bibarel leader quietly watched its kin wolf down the food, and a wave of happiness unexpectedly welled up in its heart.
Its gaze drifted to the distant figure in white—that human was the one who had saved its tribe.
His name was Aven.
As Aven slowly disappeared from view, a complicated expression appeared on the leader's face.
It knew where Aven was headed—that direction was exactly where the Marina City Knight Order had fled.
And it also knew why Aven was going there.
The knights had attacked Fruitvale Village and were now being pursued. The Bibarel tribe, originally part of that group, had once been among the targets as well.
Looking around, the Bibarel leader spotted a dense presence of Gloom and Oddish hidden among the trees—their old adversaries.
Aven hadn't taken the Gloom with him this time, clearly leaving them behind to watch over the Bibarel.
The leader didn't mind. After all, they had attacked the village—being monitored was completely reasonable.
In the end, the leader's gaze returned to its kin. Closing its eyes softly, it no longer wanted to think about anything else.
All it wanted now was to remain by its tribe's side.
…
Deep in the Black Forest, Aven sat atop of Torterra, swiftly traversing the woods toward the Black Coast.
On his shoulder stood an Oddish, pointing the way for Torterra.
"You've done well, Oddish."
Aven gently patted the Oddish on the head and gave it a sip of nutrient juice.
This was no ordinary Oddish—it was a specially trained scout, possessing the rare Hidden Ability: Run Away.
This ability was quite special—in battle, it made Oddish immune to all trapping effects. Outside of battle, it enhanced its natural stealth and escape skills.
With this ability, these Oddish had superior speed. Even fast Pokémon like Shinx struggled to catch them.
However, Hidden Abilities were exceedingly rare—among a thousand Oddish, only a handful would possess one.
"Odd~ (＾▽＾)"
The Oddish chirped happily, proud to be of use to Aven.
…
On the Black Coast, Paul and Hill were holding their ground with a group of magical beast and Fruitvale Village pursuers, engaged in a tense standoff.
Paul was hoping to buy time for the knights' retreat.
The longer this standoff lasted, the better chance his knights had of escaping.
"He's coming!"
Hill suddenly said.
Paul looked toward the forest and saw a massive Torterra emerging from the trees.
On its back sat Aven, dressed in white, holding a Petilil in his arms. At his side was a Rhydon, and behind him, a group of Gloom led by a Vileplume.
"Lord Aven."
Sutter and Jorah hurried to greet him.
"You've worked hard."
Aven nodded and turned to look at Paul and Hill in the distance.
Thanks to the scouting Oddish, he already knew what had happened here. He hadn't expected these two to volunteer to stay behind and cover the retreat.
But their forces weren't weak—Pelipper swarms, Luxray clans, and a mix of other beasts, including three advanced-tier magical beasts.
…
"This war needs to end."
Aven stepped down from Torterra, his eyes calm as they faced the enemy.
He disliked war and detested unnecessary death—but sometimes, there was no other choice.
Just like now, the knight from Marina City in front of him took the initiative to provoke this war, and he naturally knew the purpose, which was nothing more than resources and land!
The land in Marina City is barren, and they have been planning to attack Aspiration City for a long time, so the war between the two territories will come sooner or later.
Even if he repelled the Knights of Marina City this time, the other party would never give up the idea of invading Aspiration City. As long as they seized the opportunity, they would surely make a comeback.
Therefore, he had to keep all the Knights of Marina City here. Only by crippling Marina City and making it impossible for them to have any thoughts of resistance in their hearts could he truly put an end to this war!
…
"Now… begin the attack!"
"Jorah, lead the Yanma against the Pelipper."
"Sutter, take the Mightyena and chase down the fleeing knights. If they surrender, good—but if they resist… eliminate them."
"Vileplume, take the front line. Be careful of their desperation. Cornered beasts fight hardest—don't hold back!"
Aven took a deep breath, his expression dark and resolute.
His gentleness was reserved only for allies. For enemies—he would show no mercy.
Sutter and Jorah exchanged a glance and loudly accepted the orders.
They had feared their lord was too soft-hearted—but now, hearing this… they were relieved—and excited!
…
BZZZZZ—!
The Yanma swarmed into action, diving toward the Pelipper in the air.
"So, they've finally come."
Paul's expression darkened as he directed the Pelipper to engage.
Blasts of water cannon erupted from above, aimed straight at the Yanma!
…
"Froslass, that Pelipper leader is yours."
"These Pelipper are the backbone of the Knight Order—make sure none of them escape."
Hearing this, Froslass gave Aven a confident nod and soared toward the Pelipper.
Lifting her hand, she unleashed Blizzard—a terrifying storm of wind and snow crashed down upon the battlefield, dropping the temperature significantly.
The Pelipper leader, spotting its rival, quickly flew forward and launched a Hydro Pump to intercept the Blizzard.
BOOM!
The attacks collided mid-air. Water and ice clashed violently, creating an explosive shockwave.
The blizzard slowly began freezing the water blasts—but not quickly.
This was the second time Froslass and the Pelipper leader had clashed.
Previously, under rainy conditions, Pelipper had the upper hand.
But once the sunny weather returned, it weakened the water-type moves and gave Froslass the advantage.
Now, with no weather in effect, Froslass still held a slight edge—but not enough for total domination.
Up above, Yanma and Pelipper engaged in intense aerial combat.
Despite being outnumbered, the Pelipper were highly trained and coordinated well—barely managing to hold the line.
"Froslass…"
Watching her in battle, Hill kept a calm face, but inside, hatred surged like a storm.
"I will have my revenge…"
He clenched his fist inside his sleeve, a flicker of malice in his eyes.
He glanced at Paul—then back at the battlefield.
…
On the ground, Vileplume and her group of Gloom were closing in.
Torterra led the charge, radiating the aura of an advanced-tier magical beast.
"The battle has begun."
Paul patted his Luxray, eyes filled with regret.
He knew this fight would be decisive—for both himself and Luxray.
But once it started, there was no turning back. Only a fight to the death remained.
"Meowr!"
Luxray roared, crackling with electricity.
Then it bolted forward, releasing a massive thunderbolt at the approaching Gloom.
Earlier, during the rainstorm, the Rhydon had taken heavy damage and were left behind in Fruitvale Village.
Without their Lightning Rod abilities to interfere, Luxray could now unleash its full power—electricity danced wildly across the battlefield.
Torterra responded quickly with Razor Leaf, unleashing a barrage of razor-sharp leaves that clashed with the lightning mid-air in explosive bursts.
Then it charged straight at Luxray, intending to stop it head-on.
Luxray didn't take the bait—it dodged and tried to flank the enemy, aiming to create chaos.
Its goal wasn't to win a duel, but to disrupt the Gloom formation.
…
(End of Chapter)