Not far from the Breeding House stood the blacksmith's forge.
Inside, Rhydon was tirelessly practicing its smithing, the sharp ring of hammer against metal echoing again and again.
Alongside it was a man in a heavy apron—the only blacksmith among the commoners who had come to settle in Fruitvale Village. Aven had brought him here to work with Rhydon after discovering his skills.
"As expected of Lord Aven's Rhydon," said the blacksmith, Weber, in awe. "Such strength… it's incredible."
The first time Weber had seen Rhydon working the forge, he had been stunned. Even now, watching the massive Pokémon hammer away like a seasoned craftsman, he still found it hard to believe.
Rhydon let out a roar as it finished a round of hammering, then turned expectantly to the blacksmith.
"Your technique has gotten very smooth," Weber said. "But there are still some finer points you need to adjust—like this…"
Realizing Rhydon was asking for advice, Weber quickly began explaining, correcting its forging motions.
"Rhy~ Rhy~"
Rhydon nodded excitedly, its fists flaring with flames before it began hammering again—using its own hands as the hammer. This was a sight Weber had never encountered before, and he could only rely on his own experience to guide the process.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Rhydon's relentless hammering continued. After so much training, it could feel its fists becoming tougher, and its mastery over Fire Punch growing stronger. That only made it all the more enthusiastic.
It trained tirelessly, fully immersed in the joy of forging.
Across the Bibarel lake, the construction site was still in full swing.
Months of work had brought the outline of a castle into clear view. With the help of Rhyhorns, construction had sped up greatly, and the outer walls were nearly finished.
A Skuntank came trotting in from afar, hauling a cart piled with massive logs—freshly cut from the Black Coast Forest. These were vital for building the castle's interior.
"Hurry, hurry! Bring the wood over here!" shouted Master Thomas. Since joining Fruitvale Village, his work enthusiasm had grown considerably.
With reinforcements from craftsmen and laborers from other territories, the construction crew's size and efficiency had greatly increased.
If all went well, the castle could be completed before winter arrived—becoming a sturdy defensive wall against the winter beast tide.
When he'd first heard the plan, Thomas had been stunned—he had never seen a lord build his own castle on the front lines.
But now, glancing across the river at the vast lake, home to countless Bibarels and Bidoofs, and beyond it the thick grasslands teeming with… well, "magical beasts" didn't seem quite right—Pokémon—Thomas was starting to wonder if the beast tide would even come at all.
Could any Pokémon in this southeastern territory really make it past the defenses of the Safari Zone and into the domain?
"Boss Thomas, Lord Aven has arrived."
At that very moment, a patrol guard responsible for ensuring the safety of the construction site hurried over.
When Thomas saw this, his eyes lit up immediately. Without hesitation, he followed the patrol guard quickly, and by the riverside, he saw the lord himself.
"Greetings, Lord Aven!" Thomas promptly saluted.
Aven helped the master craftsman up and said, "You may rise. You've worked hard during this period."
After that, he carefully inquired about the details of the castle's construction. Although he didn't know much about architecture, his modern-day knowledge still allowed him to offer some useful suggestions.
In addition, he intended to temporarily use this castle as the future headquarters for the Pokémon Breeding House, so it would have all the necessary amenities for the Pokémon League Breeding House, —such as a Pokémon Center, battle arenas, training rooms, and so forth.
Following Master Thomas, Aven took the opportunity to inspect the construction site. Then, crossing the wooden bridge that connected the castle to the other side of the river, he entered the Safari Zone area.
"Bii! Bii! Bii~!"
The Bibarel leader was the first to rush over, with several Bibarel following closely behind.
These Bibarel were ones that had completed their evolutions recently and were now still adapting to their new bodies under the guidance of the Bibarel leader.
As the former magical beast leader of the Marina City Knight Order, the Bibarel leader possessed a complete training method for its companions and was capable of helping Bibarel strengthen themselves.
Although it had long left the battlefield upon arriving in the Safari Zone, if it meant protecting its home, it would have no qualms about joining the fight once more!
"Bibarel leader, it's been a while."
"And you few as well—it seems you've adapted very nicely."
Aven smiled and greeted the Bibarel warmly. Since these Bibarel had all evolved with his help, they shared a close bond with him.
Unfortunately, even though these Bibarel had taken the special medicine he prepared, none of them had managed to learn the move Rotottiler during evolution—a fact that still left them a little disappointed.
However, Bibarel are Water- and Normal-type Pokémon, and their talent for Ground-type abilities is rather average, so Aven wasn't surprised. After all, only a rare few can master Rotottiler while evolving.
""Bii, Bii, Bii~""
The Bibarel kept chattering cheerfully with Aven.
Then, following the Bibarel leader, Aven arrived at Bibarel Lake, where the Bibarel and Bidoof living there quickly gathered around.
Since the Bibarel and Bidoof were also responsible for digging river channels and expanding the lake, the ones present here now were not many.
It was also worth noting that Aven's rule—that Pokémon must earn their Pokémon food through their own labor—applied equally to these Bibarel and Bidoof.
In their daily lives, the Bibarel and Bidoof could feed themselves with river fish or wild fruits, but if they wanted Pokémon food, they still had to work for it!
"Bii, Bii, Bii~"
At a certain riverside sandbank, Aven saw the group of Bidoof he had carefully selected.
These were the ones most likely to learn the move Rototiller, and at the moment, they were busily practicing the move Mud Sport.
Before long, the river water in this spot became murky, and the Bidoof themselves were all covered in mud, looking quite dirty.
"Bii~? Bii!"
When they spotted Aven, their eyes lit up, and they quickly gathered around him.
Seeing this, the attentive Bibarel leader immediately shot a Water Gun to wash the mud off them first.
"Bidoof, it seems you've been training very well."
Aven's gaze swept over the group and finally settled on one particularly sturdy-looking Bidoof.
Judging by his professional breeder's eye, this Bidoof was already close to evolving—one of the main ones Aven planned to focus on training next.
While chatting with them, Aven took out some medicine from his backpack and handed it to the Bidoofs.
"Bii, Bii~"
The Bidoofs chirped happily, quickly opened the medicine, and drank it down.
Almost immediately, Aven could sense their auras grow a bit stronger. Seizing the moment while the medicine's effects were active, they hurried back to the sandbank to resume their training.
"Meowr~ meow~ meowr~"
Seeing this, the Luxio beside Aven's feet had its eyes light up.
In the next moment, the Luxio dashed toward the sandbank and began training alongside the Bidoof.
Usually, Luxio loved to spar with these Bidoof, and sometimes even challenged the Bibarel leader to a match.
"Meow~ meow~"
Luxio's eyes gleamed brightly—battle was the best test of hard training, a shortcut to becoming stronger that had been passed down to it by Big Brother Rhydon!
Right now, its own strength was still too weak to challenge the Nidoking leader like Rhydon could, so the Bibarel leader was the best sparring opponent for this stage!
Zzzap~ zzzap~ zzzap~
Electric currents danced across Luxio's body before it suddenly fired them toward the Bidoof!
"Bii, Bii!"
The Bidoofs cried out together and raised their paws, using Mud Sport to fling large amounts of mud toward Luxio.
In midair, clumps of mud collided with arcs of electricity.
Zzzap~ zzzap~ zzzap~
The sound of crackling electricity filled the air, yet it was entirely blocked by the mud—the powerful current couldn't break through!
Such was the effect of Mud Sport: to create a battlefield state that resists Electric-type moves, reducing their power.
From this, it could be seen that Mud Sport and Rototiller had certain similarities—both were not true "field" moves but rather state-altering moves.
Thus, Aven concluded that these Bidoof had a good chance of learning Rototiller upon evolving, given the large similarities between the two techniques.
"Meow~ meowr~"
Luxio's eyes shone ever brighter, continuously pushing the electricity in its body to break through the muddy obstruction.
This constant struggle against restraint was a feeling Luxio loved. The moment of finally breaking free always brought a deep sense of satisfaction!
It remembered that the last time it managed to break through Mud Sport, it had successfully mastered Thunderbolt. The feeling of its internal electricity undergoing a qualitative change was truly magnificent!
"Bii, Bii, Bii~"
Farther away, nine Bidoof were also pushing their Ground-type energy to the limit.
Ever since Luxio had last completely broken through their Mud Sport state, they had been training with renewed determination.
Now, the nine of them working together were finally able to resist Luxio's electric attack again, and in the process, they could all feel themselves growing stronger!
"Bii!"
At that moment, one Bidoof gave a low cry.
Suddenly, large amounts of mud appeared around its body, rolling and surging toward it.
In a short while, half its body was covered in mud, as though it were wearing armor made entirely of earthen sludge.
"Is this… an advanced application of Mud Sport?"
Watching from afar, Aven's eyes lit up in surprise at the Bidoof's mastery of the move.
Secondary development of a move was no simple feat—it required a Pokémon to have an exceptionally deep understanding of the move's nature and principles before they could further refine and innovate it!
"Bii, Bii~"
Encased in its muddy armor, the Bidoof charged straight toward Luxio!
"Meow~ meow~ meowr!"
Luxio's eyes brightened, and it stopped releasing its outward electric surges, instead concentrating the electricity to wrap around its own body.
A moment later, Luxio's figure, cloaked in lightning, rushed toward the muddy Bidoof in turn!
This time, Luxio didn't use Wild Charge, but rather the basic Quick Attack—yet even so, it displayed tremendous power!
Boom!
The two Pokémon met head-on in a fierce collision!
Electricity flared violently around Luxio, but it was all blocked by the mud coating Bidoof's body!
In that moment, clad in mud, Bidoof seemed to have transformed into a true Ground-type Pokémon, achieving near-complete immunity to electricity and drastically weakening Luxio's attack!
As for Bidoof itself, after unleashing a Tackle, its body flashed white—and with the added weight from the mud, it actually overpowered Luxio in strength, forcing it back!
Boom!
With a loud crash, the two Pokémon quickly disengaged.
Luxio dug its claws into the ground, carving long grooves as it slid back before coming to a halt.
On the other side, the Bidoof also retreated swiftly, leaving a trail of muddy footprints as it braced itself.
By now, the mud coating its body was crumbling and falling away, dripping onto the ground bit by bit.
"To think it's evenly matched! This Bidoof seems even stronger than I thought!"
Aven's face showed genuine surprise. Even though Luxio had not used its full power, the fact that Bidoof could push it back was already an impressive feat!
"It seems my earlier judgment was mistaken—this Bidoof has already met the conditions for evolution."
After carefully observing the Bidoof again, Aven revised his assessment. This meant his plans would need to change.
No more waiting—he could help Bidoof evolve right away, giving it a chance to master Rototiller during the process!
"Meow~ meow~ meowrrr!"
On the battlefield, Luxio's eyes shone with excitement after being forced back—it was thrilled!
"Luxio, let's stop the battle here for now."
Just as Luxio was about to continue, Aven's voice rang out.
Luxio: Meowr~ meowr~… I was just getting fired up. How could you stop now?
(End of chapter)