Outside Fruitvale Village.
After the excavation work done by the Bibarel, a large lake had finally been constructed.
At the bottom of the lake, Rhydon was tirelessly reinforcing the soil using Earth Power and Ancient Power.
"You've worked hard, Rhydon."
When Rhydon climbed out of the lakebed, Aven nodded to the Bibarel leader beside him.
The Bibarel had been waiting for this moment. At Aven's cue, they immediately began digging the canal that would connect the lake to the river.
Whoooosh~ The flowing water surged into the lake, gradually raising the water level.
Witnessing this, Bibarel and Bidoof all erupted in joyful cheers—this would be their new home!
The villagers working on the construction were equally thrilled. Some of them were even accompanied by a Bidoof.
After spending so much time together, strong bonds of companionship had formed between the villagers and the Pokémon, with mutual trust and respect on both sides.
"Well done, Bibarel."
As river water continuously poured into the lake, Aven couldn't help but feel emotional.
Until today, there had only been streams but no major lakes in the territory.
From now on, that would change.
In the future, the Bibarel and Bidoof would continue expanding the river systems, digging more tributaries to irrigate the land across the territory.
"Bi, bi~"
The Bibarel leader nodded gratefully. It truly loved this new feeling of "home."
Time passed, and the lake was finally filled to the brim.
Seeing this, the Bibarel dug open another canal on the opposite end of the lake, allowing water to continue flowing downstream.
From now on, the river originating from the Black Forest would first pass through the lake before rejoining the main river and eventually flowing into the Southern Sea.
"Next up is expanding the river course."
Aven sat down on the grass and pulled out a map.
The original river wasn't wide, but he planned to expand it into a great river—one difficult even for average Pokémon to cross.
It would cut straight through Fruitvale Village, completely separating the eastern part of the territory.
This would serve as an excellent natural barrier, especially against the Pokémon from the bordering Black Forest.
Of course, a river alone wouldn't be enough to stop those Pokémon. Pokémon like Rattata could easily swim across.
But with Bibarel and Bidoof guarding the riverbanks, it would no longer be a problem.
As Water-type Pokémon, Bibarel were incredibly strong in aquatic combat and could fend off Pokémon near the river.
In the future, this river and the newly constructed lake would become habitats for Water-type Pokémon, forming a natural line of defense for the territory.
"Besides that, the construction of the Pokémon Breeding Facility and the Pokémon Safari Zone needs to proceed in parallel."
Aven's eyes shifted to a marked location on the map—right at the edge of Fruitvale Village, where he planned to build the Pokémon Breeding Facility.
The spot was conveniently located by the river and would also serve as a bridge to the other side.
The land cut off by the river would become the Pokémon Safari Zone—a naturally protected Pokémon sanctuary.
At the moment, many Pokémon had already migrated to the opposite bank, including nearly all of the former abyssal beasts.
In Fruitvale Village, only a few species remained to protect the village, such as the Gloom, Mightyena, and Yanma tribes.
Half of the patrol team and knights had also moved to the new location.
With construction in Fruitvale Village nearly complete, future urban development would revolve around the Pokémon Breeding Facility.
…
In the vast, seemingly endless land…
Rhydon led groups of Rhyhorn to clear and develop the barren terrain.
On the Rhyhorn's backs stood Oddish and other Grass-types, spreading grass seeds across the soil.
As Vileplume repeatedly used Grassy Terrain, lush greenery sprouted from the earth, turning the entire area vibrant and alive.
The grass extended all the way to the Black Forest.
With this fertile plain, many Pokémon would now have a viable habitat, including wild ones migrating from the forest.
At the same time, Torterra and its group had already entered the Black Forest.
The outer edges of the Black Forest had been designated by Aven as Torterra's territory—spanning three directions and touching vast grasslands.
This would provide ample space for Torterra to lead its fellow Grass-types.
They would form a buffer zone between the forest and the safari area—stopping too many wild Pokémon from crossing into the Pokémon Safari Zone.
Essentially, it was a natural ranger front line.
Moreover, Torterra's clan would begin infiltrating the forest's interior, assimilating other Grass-type Pokémon into its group.
With Torterra's strength—already at the level of an advanced-tier magical beast—this clan would become a dominant force in the forest's outer ring.
Joining this group were Vileplume and Tangrowth, each responsible for managing Oddish and Tangela groups.
Being the final evolved forms of their respective species—and the only such evolved forms in the entire Aspiration City—they were treated as royalty among their kind!
After entering the forest, Vileplume quickly took command of two Gloom clans.
At Aven's request, it began spreading the laws of Aspiration City, forbidding random attacks on humans.
Similarly, other Pokémon leaders like Raticate and Skuntank had brought their own clans into the forest.
According to the territory divided by Aspiration City, the outskirts of the Black Forest are also part of Aven's territory.
As for the forest's interior—that would depend on the strength of Aven's domain.
For now, he aimed to unify the outskirts of the Black Forest using his Pokémon—either assimilating wild Pokémon into tribes or driving them deeper into the woods.
Aven's territory was surrounded on three sides by the Black Forest.
His goal was to bring the forest's outer edges under control and, with the help of the southeastern grasslands and the lake, build the Pokémon Safari Zone.
…
Deep within the Black Forest, Aven traveled with his Pokémon.
Over the past few days, he had been personally joining battles to help secure territory for his Pokémon army.
His core team consisted of: Petilil, Froslass, Rhydon, and Luxio.
"Up ahead should be the Luxray's territory."
Aven glanced at his shoulder, where an Oddish stood.
This was the one he had trained, known for its Run Away ability.
It had been attacked by a Luxray in this very area.
"Odd odd~" Oddish nodded.
"Meow meow~"
Suddenly, Luxio's fur crackled with electricity—it had sensed the intense Electric-type energy ahead.
Zzzzz~ A sudden surge of electricity burst from the bushes!
Seeing this, Rhydon quickly stepped forward and took the hit head-on.
As a Ground-type Pokémon, it was immune to electricity.
Then it stomped hard on the ground, sending a shockwave rippling forward.
The bushes were flattened, revealing the clearing beyond.
There, two Luxray stood protectively in front of five Shinx, glaring at the intruders.
"Hm? One of the Shinx is injured?"
Aven noticed one unconscious Shinx surrounded by its companions.
The two Luxray were also slightly wounded.
"Meowwwr!"
The Luxray roared, trying to scare off Aven and his team.
"Meow!"
Luxio stepped forward and responded, emitting electricity from its body.
As the two species' electrical fields connected, they began a form of communication unique to their kind—exchanging thoughts through electric pulses.
Just as Aven thought the atmosphere was calming…
A sudden surge of electricity shot from one of the Luxray—straight at Luxio!
Boom!
The powerful current hit Luxio directly.
"Looks like the conversation failed."
"Guess we'll have to calm them down first."
Glancing at the unconscious Shinx, Aven called, "Luxio, use Spark!"
At the same moment, the male Luxray—its mane clearly longer—charged forward.
Luxio's body surged with energy, lightning gathering in its limbs.
With a flash, it disappeared from sight, reappearing instantly in front of the charging Luxray.
Boom!
The two collided violently, but the Luxray found itself completely overpowered.
Thrown through the air, it crashed hard into the ground!
"Meow!"
The other Luxray panicked and launched a bolt of electricity.
"Luxio, Charge!"
Upon command, Luxio raised its tail to absorb the incoming attack, storing the energy within.
The move Charge not only replenished energy but also boosted the power of its next Electric-type move.
Luxio roared and dashed forward again.
Another high-speed Spark—and the second Luxray was also thrown backward!
Though both were fully evolved and roughly at intermediate-tier magical beast level, they were no match for the well-trained Luxio!
"Meowrr~"
Despite being thrown back, the Luxray rose again, fierce determination in their eyes.
To protect their young, they summoned all their strength.
Their tails intertwined, forming a powerful electric link.
Electric currents flowed between them, amplifying their power until their combined energy surged outward!
Seeing this, Luxio narrowed its eyes.
It responded by unleashing Discharge—amplified by the Charge move it had used earlier!
Crackling~
The two electric attacks clashed mid-air in a dazzling display.
Electricity collided, twined, and tried to consume each other.
Boom!
A brilliant white light exploded, sending a shockwave across the area, shaking the nearby trees.
"Meowww~"
The Luxray snarled in despair. Their strongest combined move couldn't overpower Luxio's Discharge!
"They actually fused their electric energy!"
Aven was amazed.
He knew Luxray could amplify electricity together, but seeing it in action was rare.
Unlike Luxio's Charge, this was true electric fusion, combining two flows into one attack.
Such a technique would be devastating in group combat.
If an entire Luxray clan could fuse their currents like this, the destructive power would be terrifying.
That thought sparked an idea in Aven's mind—
How could he capture and train these two Luxray?
(End of Chapter)