Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Aven was deep in thought, the battle reignited on the field.
Both the Luxrays and Luxio erupted with incredible speed, immediately engaging in close-quarters combat. However, thanks to mastering the burst techniques of a Manectric, Luxio's speed was far superior to that of the Luxrays.
Even though it was two Luxrays ganging up on one Luxio, due to its training, Luxio still held the upper hand on the battle.
Aven nodded to himself at the sight.
Through all this recent combat experience, Luxio had clearly grown much stronger.
In Aven's estimation, if Luxio wanted to evolve, it had already met the requirements long ago—after all, the level required to evolve into Luxray wasn't very high. But since Luxio had only recently evolved from its previous stage, Aven didn't intend to rush it into another evolution. He wanted it to continue building its foundation first.
"Meow!"
On the battlefield, Luxio unleashed its full speed.
Sparks of electricity flickered in its eyes.
In the past, it could only sense enemies' electrical pulses by closing its eyes and focusing with all its might. But now, after evolving, Luxio could directly perceive those pulses through its eyes!
This was precisely what Aven intended to train next—it was clearly the early form of a Luxray's famous x-ray vision.
With targeted training, Luxio might one day be able to evolve into Luxray and fully master this powerful ability.
By then, it wouldn't just sense electrical pulses—it would be able to visualize its surroundings clearly in its mind, as if using telepathy!
"Meow!"
During the battle, Luxio continued to build up energy.
As its power reached its peak, Luxio released everything in a powerful Spark attack!
Crackling bolts of lightning flowed across its entire body—so intense that even Luxio struggled to control them.
During this time, Aven had also been training Luxio in handling electricity and practicing the move Wild Charge through Spark.
Wild Charge was a move that unleashed electric power at the limit of what a Pokémon could endure—causing tremendous damage to enemies, but also injuring the user.
Right now, while Luxio was still using Spark, the sheer intensity of the electricity showed signs that it was nearing the threshold of becoming Wild Charge.
In the end, Spark did not transform into Wild Charge, but the terrifying power still sent both Luxray flying and crashing heavily to the ground!
The outcome was clear—both Luxrays were seriously injured and had lost all strength to stand.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Just as the battle ended, a sudden sound of arrows slicing through the air rang out.
Several arrows shot out from the forest!
Luxio was startled, quickly firing an Thunder Shock to intercept the incoming arrows.
Crackling electricity knocked most of them aside, embedding them into the ground. Their feathers quivered slightly where they landed.
However, one arrow slipped through and struck one of the Luxrays in the right leg—blood gushed out instantly!
"Meow!"
The injured Luxray let out a cry of pain.
The other Luxray roared furiously and quickly rushed to check on its injured companion.
This sudden attack instantly put all the Pokémon on high alert. Their eyes snapped toward the direction from which the arrows had come.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Aven frowned and shouted sternly.
The battle was already over, yet someone had just attacked a defenseless Luxray.
"Meow!"
Electric sparks flaring in its eyes, Luxio dashed forward.
Whoosh!
Just as it ran forward, a shadow suddenly leapt out of the forest.
That figure collided with Luxio in mid-air, sending it flying backward.
Luxio dug its claws into the ground, carving several deep grooves before finally stabilizing. It looked up to see a Mightyena appear from the woods.
"You actually stopped it. Not bad."
At that moment, a cold voice rang out. A sharp-featured man in worn leather armor stepped out of the forest, holding a longbow, flanked by two more Mightyenas.
A longbow, leather armor, and three Mightyenas—it was obvious he was a magical beast hunter!
"Who are you? Why did you attack Luxray?"
Aven demanded.
The magical beast hunter sneered, "That's what I should be asking you. Are you trying to steal my prey?"
Aven's expression shifted. He suddenly realized—the injuries on the Luxrays and Luxio hadn't come from wild fighting. They were caused by this hunter chasing them here from deeper in the forest.
"So, you really are trying to steal my prey!"
Seeing Aven stay silent, the hunter quickly drew another arrow, ready to fire.
If this guy really wanted to take the Luxrays and Luxio, he wouldn't hesitate to strike first!
"Hmph, your prey?"
"Have you forgotten whose land this is? This is the territory of the Southeast Border Earl!" Aven feigned ignorance.
"In this territory, harming magical beasts without permission is forbidden. So… how could they possibly be your prey?"
The hunter was stunned—he hadn't expected Aven to pull that card. He'd thought Aven was a fellow hunter, or at least someone sympathetic to his trade.
Of course, Aven could still be pretending, hoping to get him to back off.
As for the idea that this land belonged to the border earl? The hunter obviously knew. But who would care about some ridiculous law?
"So you admit you're a hunter?"
"Then I'll arrest you and have you tried according to the laws of this land!"
Without waiting for a response, Aven coldly ordered, "Rhydon—use Take Down!"
After he finished speaking, Rhydon rushed out quickly, with a flash of white light on its body, and charged forward without any hesitation!
Seeing Aven attack first, the hunter's eyes narrowed. He quickly commanded his three Mightyenas to intercept.
He planned to subdue Aven before deciding what to do next.
Rhydon wasn't especially fast—but it had no intention of chasing the Mightyenas. It barreled straight toward the hunter instead.
Although Aven had ordered Rhydon not to take the hunter's life, once Rhydon got close, the battle would effectively be over.
If the hunter was in his grasp, his Pokémon would have no choice but to surrender.
"Damn it! Mightyenas, use Bite!"
The hunter looked at Aven, gritting his teeth.
If the Mightyenas dodged, he'd be defenseless against Rhydon—so they had no choice but to fight head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three Mightyenas collided with Rhydon—and were sent flying!
These supposedly strong Mightyenas had been utterly overpowered by a single charge!
"RHYY!"
Rhydon roared, stomping the ground.
Jagged stones erupted beneath its feet—Stone Edge!—and blasted the Mightyenas again, sending them tumbling through the air.
This was a complete one-sided beatdown. The sharp-featured hunter's eyes widened in disbelief.
From what he saw, this Rhydon was clearly in a completely different league from his Magical Beast!
"Awooo!"
The Mightyenas struggled to rise, but at that moment, the earth beneath them surged up.
Three stone spikes burst from the ground, flinging them skyward!
Rhydon dashed over and smashed them all to the ground with powerful blows, shaking the battlefield with each impact.
It was brutal—utterly one-sided domination.
"An advanced-tier magical beast!"
The hunter swallowed hard in disbelief.
If the other side wanted the Luxrays, he could've just taken them by force. Why bother with games?
"Wait! Wait! The Luxrays aren't my prey!"
"I know the laws of the border earl's land—I was just passing through, just passing through!"
Cold sweat poured down the hunter's face as he scrambled to explain, trying to distance himself from his own beast-hunter identity.
"So this was all a misunderstanding?"
Aven shrugged. "Then feel free to leave."
"Oh, and while you're on your way back, pass along a message to your friends—no hunters are allowed in this territory!"
As he spoke, Aven's tone darkened. He suddenly pulled out five wooden tokens and tossed them at the hunter.
"These are… Gilded Fang Guild badges!"
The hunter's face changed dramatically as he looked down. "They're in your hands!"
"All I have are criminals who broke the law of this land," Aven said coldly. "I don't know who your friends are. But remember what I said—no hunters are allowed in this territory!"
(End of Chapter)