"This still isn't enough."
"Rhyhorn, now use Earth Power."
Aven continued commanding Rhyhorn, instructing it to destroy the ground as much as possible.
The Rototiller move used earlier was to replenish the grassland's vitality, but when it came to sheer destructive power, Earth Power was far superior.
Sutter stood with his mouth agape, watching the Rhyhorn wreak havoc. He had a Rhyhorn himself, but had never seen this kind of power before.
He quickly realized that this was a special move—one that directly impacted the earth.
"With all these obstacles, those Mightyena won't break through easily," Aven said, satisfied as he looked over the now-devastated terrain surrounding the village.
"As long as the Oddish have enough time, they can produce more than enough Sleep Powder."
Oddish were most vulnerable to fast enemies that didn't give them enough time to release their powder before crossing the defensive line.
But if they had enough time to act, even powerful enemies with high resistance to status conditions could still fall.
As long as the quantity was sufficient, even a dragon could be put to sleep!
"Of course, this still isn't enough. I need to do more to help the Oddish grow stronger."
After that, Aven had Rhyhorn bring over the growth fertilizer and began irrigating the grassland with it, letting the Oddish absorb its stored energy.
…
In the depths of the orchard, the Gloom leader had been quietly staying put.
Although Aven hadn't restricted its movements, it had chosen to remain there on its own.
The last time it heard about a large wave of monsters attacking the village, Gloom had wanted to help.
But the moment it walked out into the street, it still felt the subtle rejection from the villagers.
However, it also felt somewhat relieved—at least they didn't show outright disgust.
So it decided it was better to stay in the orchard.
Howwwwwwl!
Suddenly, the sound of wolf howls pierced the air, causing Gloom to tense up.
Clearly, monsters were approaching the village again. Gloom hesitated—its allies should be able to handle things… or so it thought.
"Star, Star, Star!"
Just then, it heard Starly's call echoing across the village sky.
"All Oddish, gather on the east side!" Gloom interpreted from Starly's signal.
What's happening on the east side? Gloom's heart skipped a beat.
After a moment of hesitation, it decided to go take a look.
Outside the orchard, it saw the villagers moving toward the rising sun as well, all carrying weapons, clearly ready to fight.
Gloom blended into the crowd. Some villagers noticed it but showed no change in their expressions—this calmed Gloom significantly.
"Is everyone gathered on the east side now?"
Aven, holding Petilil, looked out over the crowd of villagers continuously arriving.
At that moment, Mike approached with Luxray at his side and whispered,
"Everyone's assembled at the east side now.
All the elderly, women, and children have entered the east-side shelter.
Even if the Mightyena somehow launch a surprise attack from another direction, we'll be able to defend ourselves."
Mike's expression was grave.
They had concentrated all their forces on the east side—effectively abandoning the rest of the village.
But with the terrain in every other direction destroyed, only the east side remained passable.
It wouldn't be easy for the Mightyena to attempt a surprise attack elsewhere.
Up above, Starly circled high, scouting the area. From its aerial vantage point, it could clearly track the Mightyena's movements.
With nowhere to hide, their positions were fully exposed.
From several hundred meters away on the east side, a pack of Mightyena began charging in.
Aven made a rough count: there were more than twenty of them.
In addition to the Mightyena were large numbers of Poochyena—their pre-evolved form—gray in color and smaller in size.
Meanwhile, over 200 Oddish had assembled outside the village.
Thanks to the Mightyena's powerful sense of smell, hiding underground would be pointless.
So rather than sneak around, the Oddish were prepared for a head-on fight.
In terms of numbers, the Oddish clearly had the upper hand,
but in terms of presence and aura, they were still dwarfed by the ferocity of the Mightyena.
"So many Mightyena..."
The villagers gripped their iron tools tightly, swallowing nervously.
The Oddish would form the first line of defense.
If the Mightyena pack broke through the Sleep Powder line, the villagers would step in to stall them.
That would give the Oddish time to launch a second wave of Sleep Powder,
and in doing so, both sides would end up knocked out.
Falling asleep sounds fine, some villagers thought to themselves.
At least that way, there would be no pain.
As they stared down the ferocious pack, they had already prepared themselves to die.
They swore they would not let the Mightyena set one paw inside the village.
Howwwwwl…
Far in the distance, the Mightyena let out low growls, trying to intimidate their opponents and shake their will to resist.
In ordinary circumstances, the Oddish would have already scattered in fear.
But now, thanks to Aven's constant emphasis on discipline, they stood firm.
"Heh, getting impatient already?"
"In that case… let this battle begin!"
Aven stood at the village entrance, in front of all the villagers,
a faint smile spreading across his face.
At his signal, all the Oddish released Sleep Powder at once, spraying clouds of it high into the air!
Just as the villagers wondered what Aven was planning, Starly suddenly stirred up a gust of wind.
The wind swept up the powder and carried it directly toward the approaching Mightyena.
The Mightyena reacted swiftly.
Sensing the enemy's attack, they charged ahead.
Leaping and bounding, they surged forward.
Though the broken terrain slowed them slightly, it couldn't completely stop their advance.
Their jumping power was astonishing—many cleared the deep trenches in a single bound, quickly covering over 100 meters.
However, the Poochyena behind them weren't so lucky.
A group at the rear was engulfed in the Sleep Powder.
Their limbs gave out, and they collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.
(End of Chapter)