Outside the Black Coast Forest, a contingent of knights was stationed on the outskirts, accompanied by their Mightyena, standing guard.
At the very edge of the forest, one could see large numbers of commoners hard at work chopping down trees.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
Gripping their stone axes, the commoners swung them with all their strength, pausing every now and then to wipe the sweat streaming down their foreheads.
The stone blades chopped into the trunks again and again, until, with a long creaking sound, a towering tree finally gave way, collapsing heavily to the ground with a resounding boom.
Seeing the tree fall, the commoner let out a long, relieved breath and sat down on the freshly felled trunk, casting his gaze around him. By now, this stretch of forest was already dotted with countless sawn-off stumps.
In the distance, many more commoners were still repeating the same task—swinging axes, felling trees. Even though their clothes were soaked through with sweat and their skin had been tanned dark by the relentless sun, their faces still bore easy, relaxed smiles.
It was not that the work of chopping down trees was easy—far from it. Rather, it was because they now saw hope in their lives, and that sense of hope lifted the weight from their hearts and bodies.
"Phew… life finally has something to look forward to," one of the commoners muttered to himself.
He drew his gaze back, exhaled heavily, and in his heart felt nothing but gratitude toward Lord Aven.
After a short rest, he quickly got to his feet again and moved on to the next tree, his movements full of energy.
Life as it was now had not come easily. After enduring the famine that had struck their old lands, they could all the more appreciate how precious the current days were.
At the same time, he knew that for Lord Aven to take them in could not have been easy either. Precisely because of that, for the sake of Lord Aven and for the sake of Fruitvale Village, he had to work even harder.
Not long after he left, another group of commoners came hurrying over, each pushing large, heavy, wooden-wheeled carts. They quickly began loading the felled trees onto the carts and fastening them down securely with ropes.
The wood from these trees had a wide variety of uses. Apart from being chopped into firewood, it could also be transported to construction sites—no building could be raised without wood, and these trees were among the finest building materials they could ask for.
Rumble… rumble… rumble… rumble—
Just after one of the workers had finished securing the logs, the ground suddenly began to tremble with a low vibration.
A moment later, a large and muscular Skuntank came walking into view from the distance, followed by several smaller Stunky trailing behind it.
"Skuntank, I'll have to trouble you to transport these logs as well," the commoner said, patting the Skuntank on the back. Then he took a cloth pouch, long prepared in advance, and hung it around the Pokémon's neck.
"Tank!, tank!"
The Skuntank let out two cheerful cries before stepping up to the cart.
Inside the pouch was Pokémon food—its payment for its labor.
According to the system Lord Aven had established, even Pokémon living in the territory had to work in order to receive their food.
Humans and Pokémon followed the same rules. This was also done to bring Pokémon and humans closer together, allowing them to deepen their bonds through shared labor.
Over time, Skuntank had naturally grown accustomed to this method of earning its meals through work.
Once the worker had secured the pulling harness around its body, the Skuntank began to walk forward. For it, pulling such a heavy cart was no challenge at all.
"With a Pokémon helping, things really are so much easier," the commoner sighed with genuine appreciation as he looked at the Skuntank.
When they had first seen Skuntank, most of the other commoners had been terrified—after all, the idea of vicious, dangerous magical beast was deeply ingrained in their minds.
But Lord Aven had made it clear: these were no longer feral, violent beasts—they were tamed Pokémon. So long as they were within the territory, they would not attack humans.
At the same time, the villagers of Fruitvale Village often shared stories of Pokémon and humans working together. Hearing about how these Pokémon had protected the village time and again had gradually dispelled the people's fears.
Now, after spending more and more time alongside them, their views had begun to shift without them even noticing. To them, these creatures were no longer enemies—they were trustworthy partners.
Take the Skuntank in front of him, for instance. At first glance, it looked fierce and intimidating, but ever since they had been paired for transport work, they had spent a great deal of time together. The commoner knew well just how gentle-natured this Skuntank really was.
Not only was it gentle, but it was also highly capable. Pokémon strength was truly remarkable—they could help accomplish many tasks that were extremely difficult for humans alone.
Like pulling carts: such a heavy load would normally require several laborers struggling together to move it, yet for Skuntank it was an easy job.
"I heard that if you can earn a Pokémon's approval, you can register to become an apprentice trainer," the commoner mused aloud.
"And once you become an apprentice trainer, you qualify to join the patrol squad—and might even have the chance to become a knight."
He looked at the Skuntank in front of him, his eyes burning with eagerness, his mind involuntarily picturing himself riding atop the Skuntank, charging forward in battle.
For a commoner, becoming a knight was something almost unimaginable—but now, the opportunity was right before him. Of course, everything hinged on one thing: whether or not he could gain the Skuntank's recognition.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
Outside the Black Coast Forest, the commoners worked with high spirits, fueled by their hopes for the future.
Deeper within the forest, grass-type Pokémon steadily advanced, driving wild Pokémon toward the eastern part of the woods.
As they migrated, these wild Pokémon would gradually enter the range of the Pokémon Breeding Zone. That way, the entire Black Coast Forest could eventually be cleared and reclaimed.
Within the areas guarded by these grass-type Pokémon, a large number of women could be seen moving carefully through the forest with wicker baskets hanging from their arms, searching intently among the undergrowth.
Due to the natural physical disadvantage of women, it was hard for them to take on heavy labor, but gathering medicinal herbs suited their patience and careful touch perfectly.
After learning how to identify simple herbs found in the forest, these women would enter the woods every day to collect them. There were many herbs to be found here, and they could be traded for a good amount of food.
"This is… Energy Grass."
As she walked, a young girl suddenly stopped in her tracks, her gaze locking onto a small green plant growing under a tree in the distance.
Aside from its slightly broader leaves, it looked much like ordinary wild grass. But the girl's sharp eyes quickly recognized it for what it was.
Her heart leapt with joy as she hurried forward, plucking the Energy Grass and setting it aside. Then, taking up a stone trowel, she began digging at the soil around it. Before long, she unearthed a thick, sturdy Energy Root.
"It really is an Energy Root!" she exclaimed.
"With this root, I can give Father something extra for dinner tonight."
Her face lit up with excitement as she carefully wrapped the root in burlap and placed it into her basket.
She quickly straightened up again and continued scanning the forest, working her way toward the area guarded by the grass-types before finally stopping.
By now, the sky was beginning to darken, and only then did the women reluctantly make their way out of the forest with their baskets. At the same time, the commoners chopping wood also brought their work to a halt.
When the men saw their family members emerging from the trees, baskets in hand, smiles spread across their faces, and they gathered together.
Waiting outside the forest were apprentice apothecaries, ready to receive the herbs. Taking the baskets, they quickly began to register and sort the contents.
"Oh? An Energy Root? This is an extremely valuable medicinal ingredient," one of the apprentices remarked in surprise, his eyes lighting up as he carefully examined the root in his hands.
With only simple processing, this herb could be turned into Energy Potion or Energy Powder—both highly effective in restoring stamina and treating injuries.
He continued sorting through the other herbs, carefully categorizing and recording them. Many of these, too, could be made into special potions and were quite precious.
Once the inventory was complete, the apprentice handed the young girl seven grain vouchers—enough to exchange for a substantial amount of food.
"Thank you, Mister Apothecary," she said happily, clutching the vouchers and running toward her waiting father.
"…Ah, what a cute girl," the apprentice murmured, watching her figure disappear into the distance.
Outside the forest, groups of commoners walked together, chatting and laughing as they headed toward home. The setting sun bathed them in a warm golden glow, casting long shadows behind them.
To make it easier to develop the Black Coast Forest, the commoners had built simple wooden huts on a stretch of open land just outside the woods. As more and more people gathered here, it was certain that a village would gradually form.
Already, a great pile of logs had been stacked outside the budding settlement. The villagers would use this lumber to build their new homes.
As they approached, they could already see faint trails of blue smoke rising from the village chimneys in the distance. Seeing the smoke, content smiles appeared on their faces.
…
Behind the Pokémon Breeding House lay the potion workshop.
As the number of apothecaries in Fruitvale Village grew, the workshop had been expanded considerably.
Now, the apothecaries who had passed Ralts' tests were busy at their benches, carefully processing herbs and skillfully brewing potions.
Under Aven's instruction over the past days, they had all mastered the technique of incorporating herbs into their concoctions.
The brewing process itself was similar to how they had made potions in the past—given a recipe, they only needed a few attempts to produce a working potion.
What truly changed everything for them, however, was the introduction of herbs as ingredients. For these apothecaries, it was as if a whole new world had opened up.
"Success! I've successfully brewed a potion for treating wounds!" one of them exclaimed in delight, staring at the vial in his hand.
Eager to test it, he immediately poured some of the potion out and applied it to the injured leg of a small Rattata.
"Squeak, squeak—!"
The little Rattata squealed in pain, but only for a short while. Soon, the pained expression eased, and the wound on its leg began to heal rapidly.
"Yes… for treating external injuries, the effect is indeed excellent," the apothecary nodded.
"If it's just for surface wounds, its effect may not be any worse than that of a standard healing potion."
He recorded the results, smiling as he began transferring the potion into wooden test tubes.
Later, these potions would be sent to the Black Coast Forest to be used by the knights and commoners working on land reclamation there.
(End of Chapter)