Ever since humans invented beast gear that allowed them to tame magical beasts, the magical beast trading business began to flourish.
In this world, being able to control magical beasts became a symbol of strength. Taming just one powerful magical beast could earn someone unimaginable wealth.
Naturally, with the rise of magical beast trading, a new profession emerged in response to the profits: Magical Beast Hunter.
To tame magical beasts using magical equipment, one first needed to capture a large number of wild, tameable magical beasts. That was the job of magical beast hunters.
Moreover, only magical beasts with strong potential were considered worth taming. For example, magical beasts like Oddish were completely ignored by magical beast merchants, who wouldn't waste time on them.
The more powerful the magical beast, the harder it was to capture in the wild. And during the capture process, it was crucial to avoid inflicting serious injuries on the target. Thus, beyond raw strength, magical beast hunters also needed excellent capturing techniques.
Matthew was an exceptionally skilled magical beast hunter. However, he had a personal rule: he only hunted extremely rare magical beasts.
Only rare magical beasts could be sold for astronomical prices. Capturing even one could earn more than half a year's income for an average hunter.
…
Deep within a dense forest, Matthew rode a Mightyena, weaving through the trees. Beside them, the underbrush rustled faintly—just barely revealing a flicker of blue darting through the foliage.
Awoo~ Awoo~
As they ran, the Mightyena slowed its pace, signaling to its rider that the prey was just ahead.
"Finally found it..."
Matthew took a deep breath.
He quickly dismounted, cautiously approaching the area on foot.
His steps were nearly silent—he didn't want to startle his target.
Carefully pushing aside a bush, he finally laid eyes on the creature he had been pursuing.
It had a snow-white body, with blue hair covering its head, and two red horns sticking out—making it look almost like a doll.
"As I thought, a magical beast I've never seen before…"
Matthew's eyes sharpened. He didn't know what this magical beast was, but just from its appearance, he was certain that noble ladies would be absolutely enchanted by it.
But the moment his gaze landed on it, the magical beast suddenly turned its head to look at him.
The next second, a faint blue glow enveloped its body, and it vanished instantly from sight.
The Mightyena had already leapt forward—but still struck only air. It now stood alert, nose twitching, trying to pick up the magical beast's scent.
"Damn teleport…"
Matthew cursed as he came up beside the Migthyena.
Magical beasts with teleportation abilities were extremely rare.
Which made this one even more valuable.
He was convinced: if he could capture it, it would sell for a price higher than any magical beast he had ever caught before.
Awoo~ Awoo~
After sniffing around, the Mightyena shook its head at Matthew—it had lost the trail.
"Looks like we'll have to search the surrounding area."
"Teleport of that scale must come with limitations. The range can't be very far."
Matthew stood up, patted the Mightyena, oriented himself, and began heading south—still hoping to relocate the mysterious magical beast.
…
Outside Stonefall Village, the Bidoof were still hard at work digging the lake.
Their efficiency was astonishing—they had already carved out a massive pit.
For the past two days, Aven had been surveying the surrounding area. Once the lake was fully excavated, the next step would be to dig canals to bring river water in.
He also needed to plan the layout of the Pokémon breeding facility, and choose a location for the Lord's Castle.
Fessen had brought up the idea of building a castle many times, and Aven now agreed it was time to move forward with it.
The Lord's Castle, the breeding facility, and various habitats for different Pokémon types—those were Aven's main goals during this period. The lake alone would solve the habitat needs for many Water-types.
The orchards and grassy fields were already suitable for most Pokémon, but he still needed to create rocky terrain and desert zones for Rock- and Fire-type Pokémon.
"Lord Aven! Lord Aven!"
Just as Aven was scouting the terrain outside the village, a villager came running over in a panic.
"What happened?"
Aven asked, confused. He recognized the man as the construction foreman. Could something have gone wrong on site?
"Lord Aven, we found the corpse of a Pokémon in the river!"
A Pokémon corpse?
Aven's brow furrowed. A Pokémon's body in the river?
He didn't hesitate and immediately followed the foreman to the site.
…
By the riverbank near the construction zone, a large crowd of Bidoof and villagers had gathered. When they saw Aven approaching, they parted to make way.
"Is that… a Stunky?"
Aven stopped a short distance away and saw a limp figure curled by the river's edge.
With a heavy heart, he approached. Sure enough—it was a Stunky.
Its purple fur was matted from soaking in the river, and deep gruesome wounds covered its body.
It was clear: the Stunky had been attacked and tried to escape by jumping into the river, only to be swept downstream until it reached here.
"Lil lil! Lil lil~!"
Suddenly, Petilil beside him cried out in excitement.
"Petilil, you mean… it's still alive?"
Aven was stunned.
Petilil nodded vigorously and rushed to the Stunky's side, quickly gathering life energy.
As the energy poured into Stunky's body, its chest began to rise and fall again—it really was alive!
Seeing this, Aven didn't hesitate. After Petilil's simple treatment, he carefully picked up the Stunky and rushed it back to his residence for more intensive care.
…
"Meow~ Meow~"
Inside the house, Shinx stood faithfully at Stunky's bedside.
Though treated, Stunky still hadn't regained consciousness.
But its breathing was steady—it had passed the critical stage.
As Shinx quietly watched the sleeping Stunky, it couldn't help but recall its own rescue.
Back then, it too had been wounded by knights and stumbled into Fruitvale Village just before collapsing—where it met Aven.
This Stunky had suffered similarly, floating down the river before arriving here. It made Shinx feel that Stunky was… lucky.
If it had arrived a few days earlier, Aven might not have been here. Without the Bidoof and Bibarel digging the lake, no one might have found it.
It would've continued to drift until it eventually died.
Or perhaps… they were both lucky.
They had encountered Aven just before death.
Shinx raised its head and looked toward Aven in the distance, who was busy preparing medicine.
It gave a soft meow and curled back up beside the bed.
…
Aven was currently mixing medicine.
After examining the wounds, he concluded that Stunky's condition was very serious—mostly due to massive blood loss.
Watching the scene, he suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
Shinx's injuries back then had been nearly identical.
Soon, a blood-replenishing potion was ready—a red liquid swirling inside a small vial.
"Could this be… human aggression again?"
Aven stared at the red potion, a dark thought forming in his mind.
But these wounds weren't from swords.
Instead, they looked more like lash marks—as if Stunky had been whipped.
While many Grass-type Pokémon could use moves like Vine Whip, Aven also couldn't rule out the possibility that it had been a human whip.
If it really was humans… why would they do this?
Aven fell deep into thought.
When the knights of Aspiration City had previously hunted Pokémon, it was to earn military merit. But clearly, this wasn't a time of open conflict.
If not for extermination, then… why would humans attack Pokémons?
"The purpose of attacking Pokémons…"
"Wait. Pokémons are not just threats to humans—they're also extremely valuable!"
Suddenly, Aven remembered something—magical beast trading.
It was late spring now, a season when Pokémon reproduced in large numbers.
Back in early spring, he had found many Pokémon eggs, but chose not to disturb them. Instead, he let the Pokémon hatch them naturally.
Now that it was late spring, many eggs had already hatched, and the population in Fruitvale Village had grown significantly.
It stood to reason that wild Pokémon were also giving birth—and this made spring a prime hunting season for Pokémon hunters.
"Could it really have been done by a Pokémon hunter?"
Aven's expression turned grim. He was more and more convinced.
Even if this particular Stunky hadn't been attacked by a hunter, the current season was peak activity time for them.
"I may need to investigate the Black Forest."
"These Pokémon Hunters must be stopped."
Aven quickly made his decision. He took out a map, intending to determine where Stunky might have fallen into the river.
(End of Chapter)