"Knight Sutter, this beast gear—do I just put it on the beast?"
Inside the room, Aven held a piece of beast gear forged from black metal, asking the patrolling knight before him.
This particular gear had been removed from the Rhyhorn, and he had yet to find an opportunity to use it.
Sutter glanced at the gear in Aven's hands with surprise and shook his head. "Of course it's not that simple."
"Beast gear can reduce a beast's hostility and exert a degree of mental influence, but that's only auxiliary in taming them."
The knight went on to explain the process by which humans tamed magical beasts. The first step to joining a knight order was to tame a magical beast using one's own strength.
There were many ways to earn a magical beast's submission: recognition, reverence… and of course, fear.
With the help of beast gear, such submission could be magnified within the beast's mind, creating a sort of mental imprint that made control possible.
Aven listened quietly. He already knew the theory behind beast gear —what he wanted now was a practical method for taming beasts.
"You want to tame those Mightyena?"
Seeing Aven fall into thought, Sutter hesitated and said, "There are far too many of them—it won't be easy to control them all."
"I want to try," Aven replied. "The Mightyena remain a constant threat. We need a permanent solution."
"If we can tame them, they could even help protect the village. With their strength, we'd be much safer this winter."
Aven spoke without hiding his intentions. The Mightyena were apex predators of the Black Forest—if he could gain control of them, his strength would soar.
We could just kill them all… Sutter frowned slightly. Over time, he'd come to see that Aven treated magical beasts with unusual compassion.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Even with our knight order's methods, taming Mightyena isn't something we can do quickly."
"Also, beast gear doesn't guarantee loyalty. Cases of magical beasts going berserk happen every year."
Sutter offered his advice, sensing that Aven might be overestimating the reliability of beast gear. He didn't want Aven to place too much faith in it.
Aven nodded in agreement.
The Poké Balls from his past life were similar in nature.
In theory, Poké Balls only instilled a subconscious inclination for the Pokémon to accept the trainer—they didn't fully control their minds.
The captured Pokémon still had free will—they could feel sadness, joy, and form deep bonds with humans. When unhappy with their trainer, they could argue or even abandon them.
To Aven, true capture meant genuine recognition from the Pokémon.
But right now, he wasn't aiming for full submission—his goal was simply to control the Mightyena leader.
Mightyena were known for their loyalty and unity. In the wild, they formed packs and would always follow a leader that earned their respect.
Once a leader was chosen, the entire pack would obey its orders absolutely—even charging to their deaths if commanded.
As a breeder, Aven understood the species well. If he could control the leader, the entire pack would follow.
His plan was to use the leader to gain control of the pack, then slowly work on fully taming them.
"Don't worry—I know what I'm doing."
Seeing Aven's determination, Sutter fell silent for a moment before nodding.
If Aven truly managed to control the Mightyena pack, it would benefit the entire region.
With the Mightyena's strength, they might even end the territory's chaos before winter arrived.
…
At the eastern edge of the village, in the orchard owned by Simon's family—
After multiple attacks from wild Pokémon, the orchard had been left in a sorry state.
Following their victory over the Mightyena, Aven relocated them to this orchard and compensated Simon for the damage.
Now, in the orchard, the Mightyena leader slowly opened its eyes.
Immediately, a wave of weakness surged through its body. Its strength had been completely drained—even standing up felt impossible.
After a few seconds of dazed confusion, fragmented memories returned, and its blood-red eyes suddenly widened in alert.
All around it, its companions lay sprawled across the ground. As far as the eye could see, they were all present.
The Mightyena struggled to its feet, staggering toward one of its fallen companions and nudging it gently with its snout.
Confirming the companion was merely asleep, it sighed in relief, then went around checking on others nearby.
Only after that did the leader have time to assess its surroundings, realizing it was in an orchard—though the fruit trees were bare, which left it somewhat disappointed.
Now calm, the Mightyena began to recall what had happened.
That human village… it seemed they had fallen into the hands of humans.
Its emotions were complicated.
Originally, its pack had lived in the Mt. Coronet, but a terrifying being had appeared there and begun driving out all the magical beasts.
Forced to flee, they ended up descending the mountain into the forests below—only to be chased further, until they stumbled into human territory and had no choice but to wander aimlessly.
The lands they passed through were already ravaged by other beasts. After a long period of wandering, they finally discovered this human village.
But it had never imagined they'd be defeated by a group of Oddish—beasts that grew wild in the forest. The Mightyena leader's expression darkened.
It felt like it had failed as a leader—unable to protect its pack and bringing them into danger instead.
What now…? The Mightyena leader pondered. It had to find a way to lead its pack out of here—to help them survive.
Whoosh—
Just then, a sudden gust of wind blew past.
Immediately, a putrid stench filled the air, making the Mightyena's face twist in disgust.
The smell was unbearable—and with its keen sense of smell, the stench was amplified to an intolerable level!
(End of Chapter)