Morning sunlight streamed into the forest.
Under the shade of the trees, Aven led his Pokémon forward, heading toward a marked location on the map.
With the deterrence of both the Grass-type Pokémon group and the Nidoking tribe, not even the tribes in the heart of the Black Forest could resist them.
The plan progressed smoothly. Under such overwhelming threat, the intelligent Pokémon living here silently accepted the new order of the territory.
Of course, whether they would truly abide by this so-called new order remained to be seen—it would take time, as well as the joint efforts of forest rangers and patrol team, to maintain it.
Enel, a member of the patrol team, diligently guarded the order of Fruitvale Village.
Although he was dedicated to his work, he was not content with his current life—he too dreamed of becoming a knight.
Unfortunately, he had failed the previous knight selection and could only wait for the next one.
He had expected today to be just another day of patrolling the village and tending to his Weepinbell, but a notice posted that morning caught his attention.
On the bulletin board outside Fruitvale Village, where various tasks were posted daily for apprentice trainers to take on, a new announcement had been pinned:
It was a recruitment notice for forest rangers—requiring trainers with Berry cultivation experience.
Enel froze. Before joining the patrol team, he had been nothing more than an ordinary berry farmer—making him perfectly qualified.
"Forest rangers… if I recall, their work location is in the Safari Zone!"
As he recalled what he knew about forest rangers, Enel's eyes lit up.
The Safari Zone housed a large number of wild Pokémon. If he could become a ranger, he could interact with them up close.
Moreover, the pay for forest rangers was excellent—no less than that of knights. If he got the job, he would have far more resources to raise his Weepinbell!
Then, another line in the notice stunned him—this time, the rangers would be stationed in the depths of the Black Forest, where Lord Aven needed them to plant Berries.
"Plant Berries… in the heart of the Black Forest?"
The villagers who saw this were all wide-eyed. To them, the Black Forest was a dangerous place filled with fierce beasts. Even experienced hunters had to be extremely cautious inside.
And now Lord Aven wanted to plant Berries in the forest's heart? Wouldn't that just be feeding the wild Pokémon? The trees wouldn't even have time to bear berries before the rangers themselves became prey!
With so much land in the territory, why risk going into the Black Forest to plant anything?
This one piece of information made many trainers reconsider. After shaking their heads, they chose to walk away.
"Why plant Berries in the heart of the Black Forest?" Enel pondered.
But seeing that Lord Aven himself was behind this recruitment, he hesitated. His trust in Aven eased his fear considerably.
He knew Lord Aven would never recklessly send them into danger, so if they were going to the forest's heart, their safety would surely be guaranteed.
Planting Berries might just be an excuse—perhaps Aven had discovered something in the Black Forest.
I should give it a try. Resolute, Enel walked toward the registration point.
When he arrived, he found a large crowd of trainers already there, each with a Pokémon by their side.
Scanning the group, he saw many familiar faces—some were fellow villagers who, like him, had once been berry farmers but were now trainers.
He felt a twinge of emotion. Who would have thought they'd one day own Pokémon and chase the dream of becoming knights?
Thanks to Lord Aven, that dream had become reality. Some had already reached it—like his friend Pete, who was now a real knight.
Clearly, despite the strangeness of this mission, many trainers still signed up out of trust in Lord Aven—including several patrol team members.
This is my chance. Enel clenched his fists.
"Brother Enel, you're signing up as a ranger too?" someone greeted him.
"If it's you, I'm sure you'll pass—last time you were so close to qualifying as a knight!"
When Enel stepped forward, the crowd instinctively made way for him. In the world of trainers, the strong were always respected, and the gap between seasoned trainers and novices was vast.
But this path was also the fairest one—everyone hoped to grow stronger.
Enel greeted the trainers one by one until he reached the registration desk. Looking up, his body stiffened—he hadn't expected Matthew himself to be in charge of recruitment.
Enel didn't know much about Matthew, but he knew the man owned two advanced-level Pokémon and was the strongest person in the territory aside from Lord Aven.
Taking the form nervously, he filled in his details and handed it over.
"Hmm… Enel, you were one of the top 64 in the last knight selection?" Matthew asked in mild surprise.
He was familiar with the selection process. While the idea of commoners becoming knights had once seemed absurd to him, in Lord Aven's domain, it no longer did.
Enel took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "Yes, that's me, Lord Matthew."
"Good. You meet all the requirements. I think we should talk further."
As Enel left, the surrounding trainers looked on with envy, reminded once more that strength brought opportunities.
Everything went smoothly. After two days, ten trainers were selected as forest rangers and led into the Black Forest by Matthew.
"Stay close. Even though Lord Aven has already conquered the Black Forest, there may still be danger," Matthew cautioned.
The ten rangers exchanged shocked glances—had Lord Aven truly conquered the forest?
"As expected of Lord Aven!" Enel thought in awe.
Then he wondered—if that were true, were they really just here to plant Berries?
Following Matthew, they entered the forest's depths. Along the way, they saw many wild Pokémon, but the creatures simply walked away without hostility.
"Don't worry," Matthew assured them, "the Pokémon here won't attack humans anymore. But you must follow Lord Aven's orders—never attack them without reason."
"Up ahead is the Skuntank territory. Remember—don't provoke them."
The rangers stiffened. Territorial Pokémon were highly protective of their domain, and trespassing could be fatal.
They moved quickly through the Skuntank's territory, holding their breath as the underbrush rustled and dozens of Skuntank emerged.
Matthew's hand brushed the dagger at his waist. He glanced at the Crobat circling above, patted his restless Mightyena, and pressed on.
The rangers remained silent, afraid to make any move that might trigger an attack.
Eventually, they emerged safely from Skuntank territory and breathed sighs of relief—still a little shaken, but also exhilarated.
The ferocious Skuntank had truly let them pass unscathed. Just as Matthew had said—Lord Aven had brought order to the Black Forest, which would now become part of the Safari Zone's grounds. Their duty as rangers was to protect it.
They crossed several more territories, each belonging to dangerous Pokémon —Matthew seemed intent on testing whether the new order was being obeyed.
One such territory belonged to the Arbok. The massive purple serpents were terrifying, and without the confidence from earlier experiences, the rangers might have bolted on sight.
"It seems the new order has taken root," Matthew said with respect. Only Lord Aven could have made this possible.
Before long, they reached the outskirts of Nidoking Valley—only to find the area heavily guarded by Grass-type Pokémon, preventing immediate entry.
"That's Lord Aven's Torterra. Has something happened in the valley?" the rangers wondered aloud, noting the Grass-types' vigilant expressions. They were clearly protecting something, and wouldn't let anyone near.
(End of Chapter)
TN: I was so lost in this chapter and spent too much time confused and researching, Weepinbell in this chapter was called Squidwards, lastime they were called garterbelt, smh.