With the reopening of the Aspiration City Potion Shop, news of the event quickly spread throughout the entire city.
In the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild, President Nelson's expression turned extremely dark as he tightly clenched the slip of paper in his hand.
He had just received word about the reopening of the Aspiration City potion shop, and along with it came another piece of information—that the city's Knight Order had outright refused to purchase any potions from them.
"Lord Nelson, more news has arrived,"
the steward entered the wrecked study with extreme caution, speaking in a low tone to the Guild President who was standing by the window.
"Which lord or Knight Order is it this time that's refusing our potions?"
Nelson did not turn his head, his gaze fixed intently on the dark red sunset far away, each word squeezed from his throat with suppressed anger.
"It's Baron Neil from the Eastern Territory. He says they're not in need of potions for now."
The steward lowered his head deeply as he delivered the report.
"Not in need of potions? Ha! What a fine excuse—'not in need of potions'!"
Nelson's face turned even gloomier as he turned to face the steward. This was already the umpteenth time today that he'd heard the same line!
Ever since the news of the Aspiration City potion shop's reopening had come in, reports from various lords had followed one after another. How could there possibly be so many "coincidences" happening at once?
The moment he thought of that potion shop, a furious fire seemed ready to burst from Nelson's eyes. Such low prices—lower even than half of the original price—were clearly aimed at undercutting the market!
It was exactly the same tactic they themselves had used when they bought up berries at high prices in order to drive up potion costs. Now, the potion shop was simply flipping the strategy—selling potions at rock-bottom prices to force the prices down. The logic was identical!
"Hmph… so they're willing to bleed themselves dry, even risk losing everything, just to take one last desperate gamble with the remaining stock?"
Taking in a deep breath, Nelson stepped over to his desk, clasped his head in both hands, and began massaging his temples, forcing himself to calm down.
After witnessing multiple lords outright refuse to buy from them, he had already guessed the purpose behind Aven's move.
What's more, Aven had deliberately chosen to place all of his potions directly in his shop for retail sale. That had to carry its own significance. One probable reason these lords were turning down the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild's potions was that they considered the prices far too high.
"True… you've managed to push prices down in the short term. But how long can you possibly hold out?!"
Nelson ground his teeth. In his mind, the situation now had become a test of endurance—who could last longer. And in this battle of attrition, he was quite confident in himself.
After all, with the berry shortage, the amount of potions Fruitvale Village could stockpile would surely be limited. There was no way they could sustain this forever!
The Gilded Beast Merchant Guild, on the other hand, merely had to delay selling their potions for a while. The money they were meant to make would still find its way into their pockets eventually.
Still, with so many lords uniting to pressure prices downward, he knew that if he didn't lower his rates a bit, they would simply continue to wait him out. A minor reduction in price seemed unavoidable.
But to him, it wasn't a huge problem. The current potion prices were already absurdly high; even with a slight reduction, the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild could still make a fortune.
"Go and get things in order. I'm heading to the castle to see the Marquis," Nelson ordered the steward before rising to his feet and striding briskly toward the door.
…
And so, several days passed.
With a large supply of potions in circulation, the price truly began to stabilize.
Once there were enough low-priced potions available, no one in their right mind would still go and buy the outrageously expensive ones that cost ten times as much.
Gradually, even the apothecaries working for the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild began hearing the news.
"The potion shop in Aspiration City has reopened?"
"And the prices there are only half of what they used to be?"
The potion masters were abuzz with discussion. As professionals in the trade, they were well aware of how chaotic the industry had become lately.
To them, the potion shop's actions looked like nothing short of suicide—there was no way such a reckless move could be sustained.
Yet as the days went by, they discovered something alarming: the potion shop had not once shown signs of running out of stock.
This realization sparked growing anxiety. The situation was turning into something the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild had never wanted to see. Upon further investigation, they were shocked to learn that the shop's supply was not decreasing at all.
The sheer volume was staggering. It was hard to believe that all of it came from Fruitvale Village's reserves, causing President Nelson to waver in his earlier assumptions.
Digging deeper, they soon realized that the potions being sold were different from ordinary ones—not only in color and taste, but also in their effects.
"What kind of potion is this?"
"It's definitely still effective, but the color, flavor, and performance are all different."
"Especially this Energy Potion—this is essentially a Healing Potion, yet I can't detect any Oran Berry in it!"
"What? Could it be that the formula for making Healing Potions doesn't actually require Oran Berries at all? If so, how did they manage to make it without them?"
Master Johann personally examined one of the shop's potions and came away with an expression of utter disbelief. Besides the absence of Oran Berries, he couldn't even identify the presence of any other berries in the mix!
Could it be that these potions weren't made from berries at all? Or perhaps they were made using a berry he had never seen before? Was that even possible?
"Is there something wrong with the potion formula?"
Nelson too received this conclusion, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Another few days passed, yet the shop's supply remained steady as ever. A creeping sense of dread began gnawing at him.
Could Fruitvale Village really have discovered a way to produce potions using other berries—thus bypassing the ones the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild monopolized?
He didn't want to believe it, but his mind inevitably conjured up the many stories about Aven. In the past, this very Earl Aven had nearly monopolized the entire potion industry by introducing a new Healing Potion recipe!
So, while such a feat would be unimaginable for other master apothecaries, if it was Earl Aven… suddenly it didn't seem so impossible.
"No… I can't wait any longer!"
"I have to find a way to sell off the stock I have now!"
"If potion prices keep being suppressed like this, the longer I wait, the harder it will be to sell!"
"And with each passing day, the potions' efficacy will gradually degrade. If I wait too long, they truly will become unsellable!"
Breathing heavily, Nelson felt the urgency mounting. Even if he had to slash prices, he had to move the inventory—now.
…
Another few days slipped by.
During this time, potion prices had been completely stabilized.
This brought a sigh of relief to many lords, especially those who had already received guarantees from Fruitvale Village.
Currently, because so many lords wanted to purchase potions, production couldn't keep up with demand immediately. But given time, the village could easily supply them in full quantity and quality.
Meanwhile, in Aspiration City, rumors began to circulate that Lord Aven had discovered a brand-new potion formula. Many people wore looks of sudden understanding upon hearing it.
Quite a few started realizing that this matter was far from simple. But as far as they were concerned, as long as they could profit from it, they had no interest in digging deeper into the truth.
In fact, many lords who had once been offended by the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild had no problem fanning the flames of the rumor mill. Some even publicly declared that they had already obtained large quantities of potions from Fruitvale Village!
However, alongside these spreading tales came another rumor—that Aven's potions, while effective, were much weaker than standard potions. This gossip spread hand-in-hand with news of price reductions.
"They're finally lowering the price?"
When Aven received this information, a smile crept across his face.
He knew that once a price began to slip, it would inevitably plunge like a waterfall cascading thousands of feet.
Human psychology was predictable: people buy when prices rise and hesitate when prices fall. If a price was already dropping, everyone would wait for it to drop further—no one wanted to be the one left holding the bag.
At this point, his plan had basically succeeded. But to completely crush the Gilded Beast Merchant Guild's potion business, he would still need to wait for the next great berry harvest.
"…But that won't take long," Aven thought.
He shifted his gaze from the paper in his hand toward the distant berry orchards.
By now, the orchard had become the territory of the Combees. Swarms of them buzzed among the trees, flitting from blossom to blossom.
Thanks to their artificial pollination, the once-blooming flowers were already beginning to bear fruit—clusters of berries hanging densely from every branch.
After this intervention, the berry set rate had skyrocketed, leaving farmers astonished. Many assumed it was the Combees' power that had brought about such a bountiful season.
Aven merely smiled and didn't bother explaining. Letting the farmers hold this belief might even be a good thing—it would only strengthen the bond between them and the Combees.
"Bzzz, bzzz, bzzt!"
In the orchard, the Shiny Vespiquen played happily with Vileplume.
Even after evolving, Vespiquen remained inseparable from her partner; their friendship was unusually close.
The Combees clustered nearby—some resting on branches, others nestled inside the reddish-brown blooms of Gloom—peacefully watching the heartwarming scene.
Compared to their old life of endlessly collecting nectar to make Sweet Honey for the queen, following the Shiny Vespiquen now felt far more comfortable.
The villagers treated them well, and there was no shortage of nectar. The Combees couldn't be happier.
From another tree, a Mothim hovered quietly, eyes fixed longingly on the orchard.
The air was thick with the enticing scent of Sweet Honey, but with so many Combees guarding the place, it didn't dare approach.
On Mothim's back lay a Petilil, resting quietly.
Because Mothim was currently using Camouflage, Petilil appeared to be floating in midair.
Petilil glanced toward the orchard, then patted Mothim's back.
Right now, Petilil was training with Mothim in the use of normal energy. Seeing Mothim so distracted, Petilil made a promise: if he trained properly, he could have two pieces of Sweet Honey later.
At this, Mothim reluctantly tore his gaze away from the orchard.
He flapped his wings, soaring into the sky, activating Camouflage again. His body, suffused with normal energy, gradually blended seamlessly into the heavens.
On his back, Petilil felt the flow of normal energy and the merging of Mothim with nature itself.
Nearby, a Ralts floated at Aven's side.
The little fellow had recently become completely obsessed with flying via telekinesis, spending nearly every moment in the air.
Remarkably, after meditating, Ralts's psychic power had grown immensely, giving its combat ability a substantial boost.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From farther away came the sounds of battle, accompanied by flashes of electricity and a faint chill in the air.
The one pushing himself in relentless training was none other than Luxio—the "battle maniac number two." His whole body crackled with electricity as he launched rapid attacks.
After this period of training, Luxio could feel he was extremely close to breaking into the advanced-tier, and he was striving to make that breakthrough.
His opponent was Froslass. Among Aven's Pokémon, aside from Petilil, only Froslass could provide the pressure Luxio needed to attempt this leap.
With a wave of her hand, countless ice spikes shot toward Luxio, forcing him to dodge repeatedly, occasionally countering with blasts of electricity—looking rather battered in the process.
"It seems Luxio truly isn't far from reaching the advanced level," Aven remarked with satisfaction.
Hard work always yielded results—just as Rhydon had advanced quickly, Luxio's progress was also swift compared to the others.
(End of Chapter)