Jorah walked down the street with the help of a cane.
Behind him, Sutter, Mado, and the others followed closely, never straying far.
"You guys really don't have to follow me, you know."
"I am the champion of the Knight Selection Tournament, and I've got my Yanma with me—I can take care of myself."
Jorah glanced back at the knights with a helpless expression. Being followed around everywhere wasn't a pleasant feeling.
Especially since they'd been shadowing him since yesterday morning—for a full day straight.
"It's fine, we've got nothing else to do anyway," Sutter said with a chuckle.
He and Mado exchanged glances. No matter what, they had to stick close to Jorah—after all, he was about to challenge Lord Aven. This, we've gotta see.
"You really don't have to go this far."
"When I go to find the lord and challenge him, I'll definitely let you know."
Jorah sighed. He already knew exactly why these guys were following him around.
"Heh, it's already the third day," Sutter reminded him. "Seems like a good time."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."
Jorah shrugged, then headed toward the farm with his Yanma, clearly excited for this moment himself.
When they arrived at the farm, he suddenly paused in surprise. Waiting outside were Peter, Pete, and the other knight candidates who had just passed the selection—they were also gathered at the entrance.
"Since everyone's here, let's go in together," said Uncle Mike. Though surprised by the turnout, he didn't stop them.
But as they stepped onto the grassy field of the farm, everyone froze again.
Aven, Phyllis, Link, and the others were already there, waiting.
"Meow meow meow~"
Shinx closed its eyes, trembling slightly as it sensed more and more signals appearing in its awareness.
Weren't they promised there wouldn't be many people here?
'What the heck is this situation? It feels like everyone who could show up actually did!'
"Looks like everyone's here," Aven said, turning his gaze to Jorah at the front of the group. A look of excitement lit up his face. Deep down, he really did enjoy Pokémon battles.
"I'm ready, Lord Aven!"
Jorah took a deep breath and followed Aven toward the battlefield.
The so-called battlefield was actually an open area where Rhydon frequently trained its Ancient Power move. Now, Rhydon had arranged it into a standard, square-shaped battle arena.
"Shinx, I'm counting on you this time."
Aven gently stroked Shinx's fur and carried it into the battlefield.
The little one gave a slight nod, perking up its ears. This battle brought considerable pressure for it.
On the other side, Jorah was already in position. His Yanma flapped its wings and flew into the arena, stirring a light breeze with its movement.
As Yanma entered, Shinx immediately sensed the electric waves emanating from its opponent. It raised its head and looked up into the sky, realizing that its adversary had arrived.
Everyone else instinctively backed away to the edges of the field to avoid interfering with the battle between the two Pokémon.
At the same time, their eyes were drawn to Shinx, who stood in the center with its eyes closed. Was it really planning to battle like that—with its eyes shut?
"It's actually Shinx?"
Jorah fell into deep thought. His eyes swept across Rhydon, Petilil, Vileplume, and the others, before silently withdrawing his gaze.
He could clearly feel the strength of those Pokémon—Yanma would stand no chance against them. The only one on the field that might be evenly matched with Yanma was this very Shinx.
"The match is about to begin. Both sides, prepare yourselves!"
Sutter, seeing the situation, dutifully assumed the role of referee. Raising his hand as a stand-in for a flag, he brought it down decisively.
"Yanma, use Sonic Boom!" Jorah immediately commanded as the battle began.
Yanma's wings vibrated rapidly, releasing a shockwave that blasted toward Shinx.
Bzzz bzzz.
At that moment, Shinx was sensing Yanma's movements through electromagnetic waves.
As soon as it detected the wingbeats, it moved—dashing quickly toward the airborne Yanma.
"Shinx, use Thunder Wave!" Aven commanded.
While in its sensing state, a large amount of Electric-type energy began dispersing through the air. Under Shinx's control, these energies rapidly condensed.
Yanma, meanwhile, continued flapping its wings midair, trying to increase its speed.
Ever since its last battle, when it displayed astonishing speed, Jorah had done more research into its abilities. He discovered that Yanma's speed increased during battle. Given enough time, it could reach incredible velocity, becoming nearly unbeatable.
Of course, Aven and Shinx weren't going to give Yanma the luxury of building up speed.
Bzzz bzzz bzzz~
Under Shinx's control, the electric energy in the air became increasingly active.
Then, currents began to form around Yanma in the air, resembling thin threads weaving around its body.
Seeing this, Yanma tried to flap its wings to escape, but the currents reached it first.
Though the electricity wasn't particularly strong, the moment it touched Yanma, the Pokémon felt a tingling numbness throughout its body.
Witnessing this, everyone looked in surprise at the closed-eyed Shinx in the center of the field.
To think that it could lock onto a flying opponent so accurately without using its eyes! And its control over electricity was astounding.
Most attacks they had seen were launched from within the body. But Shinx had formed its attack externally, condensing electric energy right around its opponent. How could anyone dodge such a move?
"As expected of Lord Aven's Shinx," they marveled, their amazement turning into admiration.
"Yes, just like that—use Spark!"
Seeing that Thunder Wave had landed successfully, Aven's eyes lit up.
Paralysis would greatly hinder Yanma's mobility.
Truth be told, even Aven hadn't expected Shinx to have such precise control over electricity—drawing electric-type energy straight from the air to form Thunder Wave.
Though, to be fair, Thunder Wave was essentially a form of electromagnetic pulse, so it didn't require too much energy.
"Yanma, use Sonic Boom!" Jorah ordered again.
On the ground, Shinx was now cloaked in electricity. It locked onto Yanma via electromagnetic sensing and lunged upward.
At the same time, Yanma's Supersonic turned into a shockwave and blasted out. The two collided midair.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Shinx was thrown to the ground.
Boom boom boom!
After knocking Shinx from the air, Yanma unleashed a barrage of Supersonic attacks.
Shinx, however, evaded them skillfully by sensing energy fluctuations—even with its eyes closed, its awareness rivaled that of sight.
Szzzt szzzt—
Suddenly, electric currents flared up around Yanma in the sky.
Paralysis had taken effect. It had a chance of rendering a paralyzed Pokémon completely immobile.
"Shinx, use Spark again!"
On the ground, Shinx paused, then crouched into a charging stance.
Electric currents sparked around its body, gradually gathering toward its legs.
Meow!
With a low growl, Shinx leapt into the air, its body wrapped in electricity.
Boom!
The ground beneath it exploded as Shinx launched itself, disappearing from sight. In the next moment, it reappeared beneath Yanma, crashing into it head-on and continuing its upward charge.
Throughout the attack, electric currents surged across Yanma's body until it was flung away by the final impact.
Only then did Shinx begin falling freely to the ground.
Huff, huff...
Shinx panted heavily. That explosive attack had drained it significantly.
As for Yanma—it tumbled from the sky like a kite with a broken string, slamming into the ground completely scorched.
"Yanma is unable to battle. Shinx wins!"
Sutter stood with his mouth slightly open. He hadn't expected the match to end so abruptly.
Nor had he foreseen the terrifying force behind Shinx's final attack—it was practically a one-hit KO! Concentrating all electric energy into its legs to boost speed and leap height, the others began analyzing the mechanics of Shinx's explosive move.
They could tell it wasn't a standard move, but a clever application of electric energy—utilizing its explosive power to maximum effect.
"Shinx, that was excellent!"
Aven gave an approving nod. The recent training had clearly paid off.
Although Shinx still hadn't mastered the technique of stimulating muscles with electric current to enhance speed, this burst-style attack was an excellent alternative.
It seemed Shinx had trained extensively on its jumping ability in preparation for battling an aerial opponent like Yanma. That's what enabled such a rocket-like strike.
"Meow meow meow!"
Ecstatic from its victory and Aven's praise, Shinx joyfully ran toward Aven—then zipped past him and headed straight for Petilil, wagging its tail excitedly.
Aven paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
"Petilil, go ahead and heal Yanma first."
Hearing this, Petilil patted Shinx affectionately, then ran over to cast Aromatherapy and some life energy therapy.
Under the effects of healing and life energy, Yanma soon recovered and struggled back into the air with some difficulty.
"Thank you, Lord Aven."
Jorah bowed gratefully upon seeing his partner recover.
Aven waved it off casually. Initially, he had intended to give Jorah some guidance during the battle, but the match had ended too quickly.
"Your Yanma is quite well-trained," Aven said.
"Especially in terms of speed—it seems to have a unique ability that increases its velocity as it battles."
"You should focus on developing that trait. Additionally, try combining it with Flying-type moves to maximize its speed advantage."
Recalling Yanma's abilities, Aven shared his training insights. "Come see me in a few days—I'll prepare a few move suggestions that would suit your Yanma."
Jorah was stunned. He hadn't expected Aven to deduce Yanma's ability so quickly.
Realizing this was a rare opportunity for mentorship, he bowed deeply again, face full of excitement. He knew how valuable those move recommendations would be.
Seeing this, Peter felt a pang of envy.
Their bond was way too good. When his Mightyena wanted to learn new moves, Peter had to spend a fortune at the Pokémon Training House.
If he had known that the champion would receive personal guidance from Aven, he would have given it everything he had to win! Ugh, so jealous!
After giving his instructions, Aven patted Jorah on the shoulder. He genuinely believed Jorah had the potential to become a powerful trainer—at least at Gym Leader level with proper guidance.
Woooo woooo woooo—
Just as Aven was about to chat further with the others, an urgent horn blared across the air, causing everyone's expressions to change.
"That's the warning signal for approaching magical beasts."
"And there's a lot of them—it might be a beast tide."
Sutter recognized the horn's meaning and spoke gravely.
A beast tide?
Aven frowned at the knight's words.
It was already spring—why would a beast tide appear now? Could something have happened in the Black Forest?
"We need to check it out immediately."
"Vileplume, go gather your companions. Be cautious and protect Combee."
"Sutter, summon all the knights."
"Peter, gather the apprentice trainers and tell them to bring every Pokémon they have."
"Fessen, head to the abandoned orchard and find Torterra. If another alarm sounds, have it lead the magical beasts there to assist us."
After quickly issuing his orders, Aven called to Rhydon, leaped onto its shoulder with Petilil in his arms, and dashed toward the source of the horn.
When he arrived at the farmland south of the village, the Mightyena leader and its pack were already assembled.
Several patrolling teams had also arrived, drawn by the alarm. Their faces were grim as they stared toward the Black Forest.
Aven gazed in the same direction.
At the edge of the horizon, a group of purple figures was closing in on Fruitvale Village. He instantly recognized them as Rattata.
But what puzzled him was that among the Rattata were other species—Stunky, Poochyena—all charging toward the village as if something terrifying was chasing them from behind...
(End of Chapter)