Hill stood silently at the edge of the Black Forest.
Before him stretched a vast, seemingly endless plain.
As he gazed upon the fertile land, his expression grew solemn, tinged with a hint of anticipation.
After all their preparations, they were finally about to set foot on this bountiful soil.
If they could seize control of this plain, the people of Marina City would no longer suffer from hunger. This land was fertile enough to sustain the hardworking citizens of Marina City.
"Hill, thank you for scouting ahead this time."
At that moment, a tall figure approached Hill, eyes filled with greed as he looked out at the expansive plain.
"I was only doing my duty, Lord Paul," Hill said with a slight bow.
The man in front of him, clad in armor with a white Wingull perched on his shoulder, was none other than Paul, the captain of the Marina City Knight Order.
After three days of waiting, the Marina Knights had finally arrived—more than a thousand strong, representing the bulk of Marina City's military power.
"Bii-bii–bii!"
Beside Paul, a massive Bibarel—nearly as tall as a person—let out squeaky cries while munching contentedly on a wild berry in its paws. It could sense the richness of the land before it, far surpassing the barren soil of Marina City.
"Lord Paul, when will we begin our attack on Fruitvale Village?"
Several knights emerged from the Black Forest, each accompanied by a Bibarel. One of them spoke with barely contained excitement, clearly eager to plunder the riches of this new land.
"No rush. First, we'll use the wild beast in the forest to attack Fruitvale Village."
"Though these magical beast are weak, they can at least wear down the village's defenses."
"Then, once it starts raining, we'll be able to effectively suppress the knights of Aspiration City."
"Their mounts, Rhyhorn, are extremely afraid of water. In the rain, they'll lose most of their combat effectiveness."
"Fruitvale Village is no real threat. The real force we must watch for is the Aspiration City Knights. After we take Fruitvale Village, the lord of Aspiration City will surely send her knights to retaliate."
"Our goal is to capture the village before they arrive and hold it until reinforcements from Marina City arrive in waves."
Paul spoke with confidence, his gaze shifting to the skies above the Black Forest. Overhead, a number of large white birds with enormous yellow beaks circled in the sky.
These were Pelippers. When gathered in large numbers, they can continuously condense rain clouds and unleash torrential downpours.
As more and more Pelippers gathered, dark clouds were already beginning to form. Soon, they would become heavy with rain.
"Unfortunately, there still aren't enough Pelippers."
"If we could gather hundreds, we could flood an entire city in moments."
"With enough Pelippers, Marina City could march across the continent. Even Aspiration City would be easy to crush."
One knight smacked his lips in awe. Still, with Pelippers and Bibarels on their side, they were confident in overcoming the Rhyhorns of Aspiration City!
Meanwhile, in the grassy fields outside the village, a gathering of Gloom began to form.
Following them were Oddish. Together, their numbers exceeded a thousand, completely covering the fields and creating an impressive sight.
The villagers who had come out to witness the scene felt reassured by the army of Gloom and Oddish. Unknowingly, Fruitvale Village had grown powerful.
Soon, the beasts from the forest charged out toward the village. The villagers could already see a massive Raticate leading the charge.
But after witnessing so many similar scenes during the harsh winter, the villagers barely flinched.
At that moment, standing at the rear of the formation, a Vileplume gave the signal to release Sleep Powder. In perfect unison, the Gloom and Oddish unleashed clouds of sleep-inducing powder.
A light blue haze filled the air like a sandstorm, sweeping toward the oncoming horde.
The wild Pokémon rushed forward but were quickly swallowed by the blue mist—and never reemerged. They had vanished into the cloud.
It was a breathtaking sight. Those like Phyllis and Link, who had never seen the Gloom team in action, stood with their mouths agape.
With such a powerful defense made of Gloom and Oddish, how many wild Pokémon could possibly break through? Their concerns eased as they watched the horde.
Gradually, even the wild Pokémon seemed to realize the danger of the Sleep Powder. They began to slow and hesitate.
After a while, the horde suddenly changed direction, abandoning the assault on Fruitvale Village and veering eastward.
"What's going on? Weren't they targeting Fruitvale Village?"
"They've entered the southeastern region—what's their real target?"
The villagers whispered in confusion. The beasts' behavior seemed bizarre.
"Lord Aven, it seems these beasts weren't here to attack Fruitvale Village," Sutter said gravely.
"Yes. Rather than an assault, it looks more like they're fleeing from the Black Forest—and Fruitvale Village just happened to be in their path," Aven agreed.
The beast horde wasn't just Rattata. It included many species. Such a diverse group wouldn't unite unless driven by a larger threat.
So, what exactly had driven them from the Black Forest?
"What should we do now, Lord Aven?"
"If we let them into the southeastern territories, it'll be hard to deal with them later."
Fessen frowned. Though all villagers from that area had been relocated to Fruitvale, the berry orchards remained. Many had just been replanted. A beast invasion could destroy everything.
"Mightyenas, go stop them! Don't let them into our land!"
At his command, the Mightyena leader let out a long howl, rallying its pack to move out.
Their numbers had grown to nearly a hundred, bolstered by reinforcements from the Black Forest.
The Mightyenas sprinted forward, soon joined by a large group of Poochyena, as they moved to intercept the beast horde.
"Squeak!"
A leading Raticate charged at them without hesitation.
"Howl!"
The Mightyena leader stood firm, dark energy coalescing around it before it released a deafening roar.
A wave of black energy rippled outward, engulfing the charging Raticate and its companions. The move—Snarl, a Dark-type sound-based attack—struck with devastating force.
Boom!
The shockwave sent the Raticate and more than a dozen Rattata flying.
Encouraged, the other Mightyenas lunged forward, jaws glowing as they bit into the enemy and hurled them aside!
"We're going in too!"
Peter rallied the patrol team, joining the battle to block wild Pokémon attempting to break through the line.
"Rhydon, go too—just be gentle."
With the war-machine-like Rhydon entering the fray, the battle quickly swung in their favor.
The massive Pokémon horde, hundreds strong, was soon completely subdued. Under the heavy bombardment of Sleep Powder, the wild Pokémons fell into slumber.
The blue haze gradually cleared, revealing the dozing horde scattered across the battlefield.
The villagers erupted in cheers.
Phyllis's eyes widened in awe. Even without battlefield experience, she had heard stories of how terrifying monster hordes could be.
Such a large force would normally be a serious threat—even for a formal knight order.
But Fruitvale Village had crushed them with ease. Their strength was undeniable.
"Lord Aven, all invading beasts have been captured."
Peter returned with the patrol team to report. Their Pokémon were slightly injured but nothing serious.
Thanks to intense training during the recent knight selection and the experience from the Pokémon tournament, they were now much stronger.
"Well done. Take your Pokémon to Link and get some healing potions. We might be in trouble soon."
Peter froze at Aven's words, then turned toward the Black Forest—and saw thick, dark clouds gathering overhead.
"Is it about to rain?" he asked, puzzled.
It was early spring, a time not typically known for heavy rain—especially when the day had been so clear.
"Maybe that's why the wild Pokémon fled the forest," Aven mused.
"A natural disaster? But in spring? Violent ocean winds shouldn't be coming now…"
Aven didn't reply. In a world of beasts, many possessed the power to manipulate the weather—like the move Rain Dance.
"Have the patrol team deal with the beasts for now."
Peter nodded and led the team to begin restraining the sleeping Pokémon.
Thanks to the massive dose of Sleep Powder, they'd likely stay unconscious for a whole day. The team could securely lock them up.
Looking over the slumbering Pokémon, the patrol members grew excited. They scanned for any they fancied.
As patrol officers, they often worked with wild Pokémon—and now had a chance to bond with or capture them. A real perk of the job.
"Aven, looks like we're in for a real downpour."
Uncle Mike walked over, concern etched on his face as he stared at the dark clouds over the Black Forest.
As an experienced farmer, he could tell this storm would be serious—one that could devastate their freshly planted berry seedlings.
"Tell the villagers to protect themselves and their homes first."
"If the seedlings are all washed away, Fruitvale Village will provide replacements for free."
Aven thought for a moment and then gave the order.
Mike opened his mouth to argue, but sighed. There was really no better solution.
(End of Chapter)