"They're here..."
Just then, Aven opened his eyes and murmured.
Sutter froze for a moment and looked toward the horizon—he saw dark, dense figures appearing in the distance.
When the enemy entered visual range, Sutter saw knights cloaked in leather hoods riding strange beasts he'd never seen before.
"It really is Marina City's knights! That flag—it's unmistakable!"
Taking a deep breath, Sutter realized Aven had been right all along. The invasion from Marina City had truly begun.
The grand knight order of Marina City advanced toward Fruitvale Village.
The leather cloaks protected the knights from the rain. They were already used to fighting in such weather.
Their mounts—Bibarel—were also unfazed by the rain. These naturally water-loving Pokémon even seemed to enjoy it. In the rainy air, the water energy around them grew stronger, enhancing their power and attacks.
Before long, Hill saw the distant outline of Fruitvale Village, along with the shelters and shadows of people outside.
"Lord Paul," a leading knight ran back from the front. "There are magical beasts guarding Fruitvale's outskirts—they've already spotted us."
"Oh? We've been noticed already?"
"No matter. It's just a small village—we can take it easily."
"Our real opponent is still the Aspiration City Knight Order. Keep an eye on their movements—report to me immediately if you notice anything."
Paul didn't take the village seriously at all.
But as the full force of Marina City's knight order came into view, the expressions of everyone in Fruitvale Village turned solemn.
They knew Marina City would send a sizable force to invade Aspiration City, but seeing a thousand-strong knight order in front of them still sent a chill down their spines.
"Those are... Bibarel?"
Aven finally saw the enemy's mounts clearly and was slightly stunned.
Bibarel was a Normal/Water dual-type Pokémon, known for its gentle nature and dislike of conflict. He hadn't expected Marina City to use Bibarel as mounts.
But considering Marina City was surrounded by sea on three sides and filled with rivers, the amphibious Bibarel was a smart choice.
He also noticed these Bibarel weren't wearing any beast armor—likely due to their docile nature.
Still, that wasn't what needed his attention now.
Looking up at the rain still falling, Aven spotted several faint white dots hidden among the clouds above the knights—clearly Pelipper.
Only Pelipper with their Drizzle ability could summon rain like this, turning clear skies into storms.
With Pelipper's weather control and Bibarel's water affinity, Marina City's knight order had significantly boosted its overall combat power.
Even Aspiration City's Rhyhorn cavalry—equal in number—might not stand a chance in this weather. Marina City had clearly come prepared.
Perhaps the Bibarel knight order had been established specifically to counter Aspiration City's Rhyhorns, whose quadruple weakness to water was now being ruthlessly exploited.
"Awoo, awoo, awoo!"
As the enemy appeared, the Mightyena began to growl lowly in anticipation of battle.
Amidst the grass, numerous Oddish and Gloom began emerging from the ground, quickly occupying the entire field.
They were now fully prepared to face the enemy. At the same time, they served as the first line of defense for Fruitvale Village. As long as they were present, no enemy would be able to set foot inside the village.
When the Oddish and Gloom appeared, the knights of Marina City, who were rapidly approaching from the distance, clearly hesitated.
They hadn't expected such a large population of Oddish and Gloom to be hidden outside the village. Their eyes soon shifted toward the towering Vileplume at the back of the formation.
"Is that... also a Gloom?"
"I didn't expect Fruitvale Village to have such a massive Gloom population hiding nearby."
Paul, mounted atop a massive Bibarel, furrowed his brow as he observed the scene in front of him.
In terms of sheer numbers, the Gloom and Oddish here were almost comparable to the size of their own knight regiment.
"But in the end, Gloom are still just Gloom."
"Apart from the stench, these magical beasts are completely useless!"
A knight beside Paul sneered. Oddish and Gloom were common creatures in the Black Forest.
If sheer numbers alone equated to strength, the entire Black Forest would've already been overtaken by Oddish and Gloom. He was confident a single Bibarel could defeat dozens of Gloom.
"We should be more wary of those Mightyena and Poochyena."
"They're likely Fruitvale Village's true power. Everyone, stay alert."
Paul's gaze passed over the Oddish and Gloom, fixing on the dozen or so Mightyena in the back.
Among all the magical beasts present, only these Mightyena posed a real threat. The Oddish and Gloom defense line would crumble with a single blow.
Soon, the Marina City knights set up camp outside the village. Then, a Bidoof suddenly broke from the group and rushed toward the village.
The Bidoof carried a leather satchel on its back—clearly the messenger sent to deliver a surrender offer. If Fruitvale Village agreed, Paul wouldn't mind accepting them on behalf of Marina City.
"Oh? A surrender envoy?"
Aven smirked as he watched the Bidoof approach, giving no order for the Gloom to attack.
The Bidoof quickly reached Aven, only for Rhydon to suddenly lunge forward and grab at its tail.
Startled, the Bidoof leapt aside, skillfully evading the attack—it was clearly well-trained.
But at that moment, a wall of earth rose directly in front of it, causing the Bidoof to crash headfirst into it.
More walls rose around it, trapping it in a box of dirt. Rhydon grinned as it placed the final stone to seal the enclosure.
Aven had no intention of reading the surrender letter on the Bidoof. His response was clear—surrender was out of the question.
"Hmph, doesn't know what's good for them. Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Paul snorted coldly at the scene and ordered his knights to get ready.
He'd never truly expected the village to surrender; the delay was merely to give the knights more time to prepare.
Soon, a large number of Bidoof were brought to the front lines. Although Marina City had only a thousand knights, they had brought thousands of Bidoofs with them.
The Bidoof species were incredibly prolific—comparable to even Rattata.
Driven forward by their Bibarel leader, the Bidoofs surged to the front.
With a command, they charged, transforming into a brown flood rushing toward the village!
Seeing this, the Fruitvale Village patrol members turned pale and looked nervously toward the Gloom and Oddish.
Ordinarily, the first line of defense was built using Sleep Powder from the Gloom and Oddish.
But with the current storm and heavy winds, any powder released would immediately be blown away—it was completely ineffective in this weather.
This was an incredibly disadvantageous situation for the Gloom, and they grew more anxious by the moment.
"Vileplume, have the Gloom use Acid!"
Aven stood behind the Vileplume and gave the order in a calm voice.
"Roblox, let the Stinkbugs use the dissolving liquid!" Alvin stood behind Roblox and said in a deep voice.
(TN: Sorry can't help myself haha.)
"Plume!"
Vileplume's expression grew serious. Its body emitted a faint green light as it began to command its companions.
This was a method of communication through natural energy, something only Grass-type Pokémon who had mastered this force could perform—used to commune with their kin.
"Gloo!"
Following the order, many Gloom rushed to the front lines.
These Gloom were the ones Aven had specifically raised along a Poison-type route. Poison energy surged from their bodies.
As the Bidoofs drew near, the Gloom unleashed streams of purple Acid from their mouths.
Ssshhh—!
The Acid hissed as it hit the ground. Even more of it landed on the Bidoofs, corroding their skin.
"Biii!!"
The Bidoofs at the front screamed in pain, but their momentum didn't falter.
Crowded tightly together, even if they wanted to stop, the ones behind kept pushing them forward.
"It's no good! The Gloom's Acid isn't enough to stop them!"
The villagers' expressions darkened, and they glanced anxiously at Aven.
To their relief, he remained calm. His composure helped steady their nerves.
"This is the moment. Use Ingrain!"
As the Bidoofs entered the grassland, Aven gave another sudden command.
Instantly, numerous roots burst from the ground and wrapped around the Bidoofs that had stepped onto the field!
With the roots binding them, the Bidoofs finally slowed.
Then, the Gloom launched an Absorb attack in conjunction with the roots—green light wrapped around the Bidoofs, draining their energy!
"Biiidoo!!"
Their cries grew even more frantic.
But the roots couldn't completely hold them. The Bidoofs's sharp teeth could easily bite through them.
Still, even that slight delay was enough.
Aven's gaze turned to the far end of the field. By now, more than half of the Bidoofs had entered the grassland.
"Vileplume, use Grassy Terrain!"
Vileplume had been waiting for this. Without hesitation, it glowed green.
A verdant aura spread across the field, covering all the Oddish and Gloom.
"Plume!" "Gloo!" "Oddd!"
They all cried out together, and green light erupted from their bodies!
The lights intertwined and merged, forming a unified glow that spread across the entire field.
The aura fused into the Grassy Terrain's ring, which expanded outward, eventually engulfing the whole battlefield.
"Now—use Absorb!"
Aven's eyes flashed. A beam of green light shot into the sky, so dazzling it blinded everyone watching.
They instinctively shielded their eyes. For a moment, the world seemed to go completely still, as if time itself had paused.
No one knew how long it lasted, but eventually, the green light faded, breaking into glowing particles that drifted down and were absorbed by the Oddish and Gloom.
"What... just happened?"
The knights of Marina City stared in disbelief.
Looking to the battlefield, they were stunned— Bidoofs lay collapsed in droves.
Except for the ones who hadn't yet entered the grassland, the rest had been completely wiped out.
Not a single one had made it to the front lines.
Even the villagers of Fruitvale Village were stunned at first. Then, cheers erupted.
The Gloom and Oddish were unbelievably powerful!
"Plume~"
Vileplume gasped heavily, exhausted.
It had just used a special grass energy ritual to unify the strength of all the Oddish and Gloom.
But channeling such an enormous amount of grass energy had clearly taken its toll.
"You've done well, Vileplume. Now go rest."
Aven gently patted the flower on Vileplume's head in praise. Clearly, the ritual was a huge burden and shouldn't be used often.
As he looked back at the battlefield, Aven smiled slightly.
Though the ritual had nearly drained Vileplume, the Oddish and Gloom had received an immense boost.
This was the unique ritual of Grass-type Pokémon—an inherited tradition passed down through their kind.
There is always sacrifice in preserving a species, but from sacrifice comes growth.
(End of Chapter)