"They're here."
Suddenly, Aven opened his eyes.
Just as he spoke, the ground began to shake.
Everyone was momentarily stunned, then turned to look toward the west side of the village —
There, a dark mass was rapidly approaching.
At the forefront were a group of Skuntank charging forward with astonishing speed, heading straight for the Marina City Knights!
"It's the Skuntanks!"
The villagers cried out in surprise.
Mado's eyes lit up as he gripped his sword. His Stunky leapt up excitedly — these were its kin.
"And not just Skuntank — there are Torterra, Gloom, and Weepinbell too!"
"It's the Pokémon from the abandoned orchard — they've come to help us!"
Excitement surged through the villagers.
Though they had grown used to the Pokémon living nearby, many had still been wary when passing the fields.
But now, seeing these Pokémon rush to help despite the pouring rain —
The villagers felt a warm current flow through their hearts.
These Pokémon were just as much a part of Fruitvale Village as they were.
"Tank!" "Stunk!"
The Skuntank and Stunky moved far faster than the Torterra. They reached the enemy lines first.
"Damn it, where did all these Skuntank and Stunky come from?"
Paul's expression changed as he gritted his teeth and ordered the Bidoof to switch targets and attack the incoming Skuntank and Stunky.
"Bidoo!"
The Bidoof greatly outnumbered the newcomers.
They charged in, and a fierce battle broke out.
"Tankkk!"
The Skuntank used their bulk to crash through the Bidoof ranks.
Any Bidoof they collided with were sent flying, clearing large areas of the battlefield.
However, the smaller Stunky were far less powerful — several were quickly surrounded and overwhelmed by Bidoof gnawing and biting at them, falling into a disadvantage.
Bidoof kept growling lowly as it lunged at a Skuntank from behind.
After successfully pouncing on the Skuntank, Bidoof sank its large teeth into it, tearing off a chunk of flesh.
"Tankkk!"
The Skuntank let out a pained screech.
Seeing this, the other Bidoof pounced as well. The consecutive battles had fully awakened their ferocity.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
At that moment, a sudden whistling sound cut through the air.
Just as the Bidoof were leaping toward the Skuntank, countless leaves suddenly appeared midair.
The leaves swept across, blasting the airborne Bidoof away. The sharp edges cut through their bodies, leaving deep wounds.
At the critical moment, Torterra arrived with its Grass-type kin, rescuing the heavily injured Skuntank in time.
Meanwhile, the Gloom and Weepinbell also rushed forward. Those who knew moves began launching attacks; those who didn't fought with their bodies.
With Torterra and its tribe joining the battle, the fight quickly fell into a stalemate. Pokémon on both sides could be seen falling, and blood dripped onto the battlefield.
Watching this scene, Aven slowly closed his eyes. The blood made him realize—this was war. And in war, there are always casualties.
Rumble rumble rumble—the downpour continued to fall.
At this point, the battlefield had split into two sections.
On the grassy field outside the village, the Bibarel were still continuously firing Water Guns at the Gloom.
Under the relentless barrage, many Gloom and Oddish collapsed—clearly, they couldn't hold on much longer.
Meanwhile, in the battlefield to the north of the village, the fight was even fiercer. Thousands of Pokémon were locked in combat, creating a breathtaking scene of chaos. Both sides had suffered heavy losses.
Overall, Fruitvale Village was at a decisive disadvantage, and the villagers' faces had grown grim.
"Plume…"
Watching its kin fall one after another, Vileplume grew extremely anxious.
It wanted to use Grassy Terrain to help its comrades recover their stamina, but it had exhausted all its strength and could no longer draw upon nature's energy.
Though it was filled with frustration, it could only watch its companions fight—powerless to help.
"Everyone, retreat into the village. This battle is no longer something you can interfere with."
Just as the villagers clenched their fists, ready to join the fight, Aven stepped to the front of the group and spoke softly to those behind him.
His words stunned everyone for a moment. Then, their expressions suddenly changed.
"Lord Aven, we won't retreat!"
"That's right! We're all part of Fruitvale Village. Now that it's in danger, how can we hide inside the village?"
"Lord Aven, let us fight! We may not be patrol members or knights, but we're apprentice trainers! We have our own Pokémon too!"
The apprentice trainers shouted anxiously, and their Pokémon stood by them with determined expressions. They were ready to fight alongside their Trainers!
"I said… all of you, retreat into the village."
Ignoring their emotions, Aven repeated his words slowly and firmly.
As his voice fell, the apprentice trainers suddenly noticed that a cold mist had silently filled the air.
A chilling aura swept across the field, making everyone shiver. Within the fog, they vaguely saw a figure floating in midair.
"Yes, Lord Aven..."
"We will stay in the village—as Fruitvale's final line of defense."
Just then, Phyllis's clear voice rang out. She stepped forward and bowed to Aven.
"Everyone, follow me back into the village. Don't get in Lord Aven's way."
The villagers paused, stunned. Looking at Aven's back, a wave of sorrow welled up in their hearts.
"Lord Aven, we'll wait for your return in the village."
One by one, the apprentice trainers bowed to Aven, then turned back toward the village with their Pokémon.
"Hah... Froslass, we might have to rely on you next."
Staring at the battlefield ahead, Aven let out a soft sigh. Truth be told, he had been too careless.
Even though he had knowledge of the future Pokémon world and had cultivated many Gloom and Oddish using it, he had underestimated the power of a full-fledged territory.
Rainy weather combined with the simple characteristics of Bibarel was already a powerful strategy in his previous life. Add in sheer numbers turning into quality, and it was clear that Marina City now held the advantage.
That meant his strategies might no longer work.
However, he still had one final trump card: Froslass.
If she unleashed the Ghost-type energy within her, Froslass would become a true king-tier Pokémon.
But due to the risk of losing control, he wouldn't use this final card unless he had no other choice.
As if hearing Aven's thoughts, Froslass slowly materialized beside him, her eyes flickering with a ghostly light.
She didn't need Aven to remind her—she had long been ready to fight. To protect Fruitvale Village, even if it meant losing control, she would still battle!
"Lil!"
Just as Aven and Froslass prepared for the final battle, Petilil suddenly ran up to them.
"Lil lil!" Hmph, don't forget me!
Petilil turned and gave Aven and Froslass a big thumbs-up.
The next moment, powerful energy began to surge from her body.
Standing on the grassy field, eyes closed, Petilil began sensing the grass energy around her.
Soon, a faint green light began to glow from her body—this was the move Nature Power. In grassy terrain, Nature Power takes on the Grass type.
But instead of unleashing the move, Petilil continued to gather energy.
In her mind, she kept recalling the scenes of Vileplume using Grassy Terrain.
Grassy Terrain contained natural energy and life energy—it was a terrain move that could heal and strengthen.
Nature Power could channel energy in grassy terrain, and its properties would change based on the nature of the terrain.
Petilil focused on remembering… how Grassy Terrain felt… how it affected her Nature Power… how it changed the energy's nature…
Yes, that's it—natural energy, life energy, the special properties of Nature Power, the unique energy changes of Grassy Terrain—
Suddenly, Petilil opened her eyes. Emerald-green light burst from her body and rapidly spread outward!
"That's… Grassy Terrain!?"
Aven's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Petilil.
On the other side, Vileplume wore a similar expression. Being more familiar with the move, it immediately recognized it.
Then, Vileplume felt a familiar energy envelop her body—a warm current flowed through her, quickly restoring her stamina.
"Lil lil lil!" Come on—Grassy Terrain!
Petilil's gaze suddenly sharpened, and in an instant, a verdant green aura swept across the battlefield, enveloping the entire grassy field.
At that moment, the Gloom and Oddish who had been struggling to hold their ground froze. They could feel their strength rapidly returning under the effect of the Grassy Terrain move!
"Wah wah! Not enough! Not enough! Still not enough!"
(End of Chapter)