"I don't know who your friends are. But remember what I said—no hunters are allowed in this territory!"
The magical beast hunter's expression turned uncertain and grim. Gritting his teeth, he began retreating with his Mightyenas, but the moment he turned around, Aven clearly saw the fury and hatred on the man's face.
Looks like I've officially fallen out with the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild… Aven thought as he watched the hunter leave.
With the establishment of the Pokémon Safari Zone, the conflict between him and the Merchant Guild was bound to escalate beyond reconciliation. Publicizing this event now was his way of reminding the other lords of Aspiration City to choose sides.
Sure enough, once they sensed the tension between him and the Merchant Guild, some lords would likely slow down their pace of capturing Pokémon. Or at the very least, they wouldn't be so eager to sell those Pokémon to the Guild, out of consideration for Aven's stance. They wouldn't act as brazenly as before.
After all, Aven's recent victory in repelling the Marina City Knight Order had fully displayed his strength! Any lord who wasn't a fool would, after some inquiry, quickly learn that much of that strength came from the Pokémon living in his territory.
At the same time, Aven could also use these lords' responses to judge where they stood: who supported the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, who was neutral, and while none might fully side with him yet, he'd gain important insights.
Based on their attitudes, he could also decide whether to cooperate with them on opening a Pokémon breeding house on their territories.
After his recent success of repelling the knights of Marina City, many lords have come to talk to him, wanting him to help cultivate a group of powerful magical beast.
He also wondered how the Guild would react once they found out some of their men had fallen into his hands.
If they disavowed those hunters, he would not go easy on them, and would judge them under his territory's laws. That would serve as a strong warning to all other magical beast hunters—don't ever reach your hands into his domain again!
But if the Guild tried to reclaim those captured hunters… then that would be their first direct confrontation. And Aven would make sure they paid a heavy price!
At the same time, he wanted to use this clash to probe the attitude of Aspiration City's City Lord. Her position would be crucial in determining the future implementation of his Pokémon Breeding House Plan and Trainer Program.
'Sigh… I wish they'd just attack me directly.
That way, I could use it as an excuse to completely uproot the merchant guild.
But of course, they're not that stupid. They won't give me the chance to strike openly.'
Aven exhaled slowly. That was the frustrating thing about being in the same faction—even if there was turmoil beneath the surface, you still had to maintain a veneer of peace.
If it came to open war, Aven had no fear. As long as it wasn't the City Lord's Knight Order, he was confident he was the strongest among all the lords of Aspiration City!
However, if his conflict with the Gilden Fang Merchant Guild was seen as rebellion against the noble class of Aspiration City, and all the lords united against him, even he would still find it difficult to resist the alliance of many lords.
'Forget it. No need to overthink for now.
My territory still has plenty of development potential—I should focus on that.'
He took a deep breath and looked toward the injured Luxray nearby.
Luxray had just witnessed the battle and was now silent. It glanced at the Luxio standing beside Aven, then at the distant Rhydon, and a feeling of powerlessness welled up in its heart.
Just one of their kind was already far beyond what they could handle. If the Rhydon joined in… they wouldn't stand a chance.
Luxray closed its eyes in pain, clearly resigned to its fate. It felt utterly powerless—unable even to protect its mate and child. The self-blame crushed it.
"Petilil, I'll leave this to you," Aven suddenly called out to the grass nearby.
From that patch of grass, vines began to grow rapidly and extended toward the injured Luxray.
Seeing the grass wrap around its body, Luxray didn't resist. It just stared at Aven in the distance, eyes filled with pleading—begging him to spare its mate and cubs.
But in the next moment, it felt a soothing energy enter its body. A soft green glow wrapped around it and its mate.
Huh? That feels… good?
Luxray blinked in confusion. The pain it expected never came.
Then it turned to look at its mate and saw that her wounds were visibly healing under the same green glow.
It immediately realized—these vines weren't meant to restrain them, but to heal them!
After experiencing integration with nature, Petilil had fallen in love with connecting with the forest. This state allowed her to channel life energy more efficiently. She was now capable of healing without relying on her leaves.
It can even control the grass to launch attacks or transmit life energy through its understanding of the Grassy Terrain—almost like wielding a new, powerful ability.
Soon, under Petilil's treatment, the two Luxrays' injuries were significantly healed.
Meanwhile, Aven walked to the side of the unconscious Shinx. Seeing Aven lift the small cub in his arms, the two Luxrays looked on nervously.
"Seems like it's been poisoned," Aven muttered after examining it, relieved.
Magical Beast hunters captured Pokémon for profit. Unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn't harm them too much, since injured Pokémon sold for less.
As such, the poisons they used were generally non-lethal—just enough to weaken the Pokémon.
After the inspection, he carried the Shinx over to Petilil.
A faint fragrance drifted from Petilil's body as she activated her Aromatherapy infused with life energy. The green light surrounded the cub, detoxifying it and healing its injuries.
"Lil lil…" Petilil murmured, visibly exhausted from expending so much life energy.
As the healing light faded, the vines around the Luxrays also loosened and retreated.
Now free, Luxray glanced at its mate and saw that the arrow wound on her leg had fully healed.
Then it turned to Aven, who still held the Shinx in his arms, and silently sat down. It had finally accepted that this human didn't mean them harm.
"Don't worry, the cub will be fine," Aven said gently. "It's just recovering from the poison—it'll wake up soon."
Luxray nodded. The tension in its body eased.
"From the looks of it, your partner won't be able to run for a while either. The forest is too dangerous right now… why not come with me?"
"There's a vast field outside the forest. You'll be safe there."
Hearing this, and with encouragement from the Luxio beside Aven, Luxray nodded. It still needed this human's help to treat its child, and Aven didn't seem like a bad person.
Decision made, Luxray helped its mate onto its back, then followed behind Aven with their four cubs.
As they walked, the distance from the heart of the Black Forest grew. The number of Grass-type Pokémon in the forest also began to increase.
Whenever these Pokémon saw Aven, they would peek their heads out and greet him warmly.
Upon exiting the forest, a vast grassland stretched out before them, extending far into the horizon. The breeze brushed through the grass, bringing a sense of peace.
"Rhyyy!"
Rhydon stood behind Aven and let out a proud roar.
This expansive grassland was the result of its hard work. At this moment, the Rhydon was filled with pride.
"Lil lil~"
Petilil sat on Luxio's back and gave it a little kick, prompting Luxio to sprint across the meadow.
After a lap around the grassland, Petilil returned to Aven's side. She glanced at the Shinx in Aven's arms, and her little face fell.
"Meow~"
Luxio also cried out in frustration. Ever since evolving, it hadn't gotten any of Aven's cuddles, and now it was mostly just Petilil's mount.
"Lil lil…" Petilil seemed to fall deep into thought.
So… you lose cuddles after evolving? If that's the case, maybe I won't evolve after all…
"I'll leave you to live in this grassland for now," Aven told Luxray with a smile.
"Don't worry. There's nothing here that could hurt you. You can settle down in peace."
Luxray looked at him in surprise, then turned back to gaze at the Black Forest behind them. After a moment's thought, it nodded and followed him forward.
Since he had arranged a large number of Pokémon in the outskirts of the Black Forest, this area seemed a bit empty.
But every Pokémon allowed to live here had been tamed. They wouldn't harm humans or each other without reason.
There was still competition, of course—it was in their nature. But without the pressure of survival, Pokémon could coexist peacefully.
Eventually, they reached the riverbank. Thanks to the efforts of the Bibarels, the river was now ten meters wide—impossible for most Pokémon to cross.
After days of development, the Pokémon Safari Grounds had begun to take shape. In this world, Pokémon were the ultimate productive force. Digging canals, cultivating grassy fields—none of it was difficult for them.
(End of Chapter)