Early summer. The sun scorched the earth.
On the grassy fields outside the village, Oddish and Gloom buried their entire bodies underground to avoid the heat. A faint, pleasant fragrance lingered in the village air, and the sweet aroma seemed to lift everyone's mood.
After the construction efforts in spring, Fruitvale Village had expanded to several times its original size. With the fusion of nine villages, it might be more accurate now to call it Fruitvale Town.
Within the village, it was common to see villagers walking with their Pokémon, and occasionally, wild Pokémon darted through the streets as well.
Matthew quietly strolled through the village with Mightyena and Crobat by his side. It was the second day after the trial, and he had followed the group back to Fruitvale Village.
As he entered the village, Matthew looked around. Though he had never been here before, he'd heard of this desolate and impoverished borderland on the outskirts of Aspiration City. Located at the edge of the Black Forest, this area was frequently attacked by magical beasts. As a result, the only people who lived here were commoners and serfs.
Many magic beast hunters like him were born along the Black Forest border. Survival was the only reason they turned to that path—but for most, death in the forest was their only end. Becoming a beast hunter as a commoner was far more difficult than anyone could imagine.
However, the scene before him was completely different from the rundown border village he had imagined. Lush grasslands, uniformly constructed wooden houses, and a vast plaza at the village center all reflected a vibrant prosperity.
The streets were bustling with people. Villagers had rosy cheeks and lively eyes. They looked spirited—nothing like the struggling farmers typically found in border regions.
Matthew had seen many commoners barely scraping by, their eyes lifeless and cold, like soulless husks. But in these villagers' eyes, he saw confidence and hope. Though just ordinary folk, they carried the same energy and presence as wealthy city dwellers.
What struck him even more was how the villagers reacted to magical beasts. Even when they saw the sinister-looking Crobat, they showed no fear—only curiosity. Some even had the courage to make casual remarks about it.
Did they not understand how dangerous magical beasts were? Out in the wild, creatures like these could easily kill them.
"Hey, that Pokémon looks really strong! I really want to catch one like that!"
"Totally. If I could catch one like that, I'd have a great shot at passing this year's knight selection."
"Wonder where that Pokémon was caught. If I had a chance, I'd give it a try. If I could earn the recognition of a Pokémon like that, I'd definitely become a knight!"
"Maybe the Safari Zone have Pokémon like that. They've got more than just the ones from the abandoned orchard now—Pokémon from the outer Black Forest are there too."
"Ah~ I really want to catch one from the Safari Zone. It only costs 10 copper coins to get in!"
As they admired Crobat, the villagers chatted excitedly. Their envious gazes gave way to talk about the Safari Zone.
"But my little Rattata has a lot of potential too. If it evolves into Raticate, I bet it won't be any weaker than that one."
"True enough. But I'm running low on savings. Without food and potions, my training's gonna slow down a lot."
"Same here. Lately there've been too many apprentice trainers registering at the breeding house, and the village quest board is always packed. It's hard to grab any missions."
Their voices gradually faded, but Matthew still stood there in a daze, staring at their backs.
'Are all the villagers here magical beast tamers?'
He scanned the area and noticed that most people indeed had a magical beast by their side—Rattata, Oddish… Though low-level, they truly were magical beast tamers.
"Fruitvale Village is amazing, isn't it?"
Sutter walked beside Matthew and, seeing the astonishment on his face, couldn't help but sigh emotionally.
Matthew's feelings now were likely the same as Sutter's when he first arrived—but even more intense. After all, Fruitvale Village had improved significantly in just one year.
Matthew silently nodded. Together, they arrived at Uncle Mike's farm, and from there entered Aven's study.
Inside, all the key personnel of Fruitvale Village were already gathered: Clerk Fessen, Treasurer Phyllis, Patrol Captain Peter, head of the Pokémon Breeding House Link, and Berry Orchard Overseer Uncle Mike.
With Sutter, the village's knight captain, and the newly appointed Pokémon ranger Matthew present, Fruitvale Village's leadership team was now fully assembled.
Aven sat at his desk, with Petilil and Ralts seated on top.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts looked up at everyone in the room.
The red horn on its head allowed it to clearly sense everyone's emotional fluctuations.
"Matthew is the Pokémon ranger I've appointed. From now on, he'll be in charge of the Safari Zone." Aven explained after Matthew entered.
Everyone present had already been briefed on Matthew's background, so no one appeared surprised.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Matthew. Please take care of me from now on," Matthew greeted politely.
Although the title "ranger" still felt a bit awkward to him, knowing he'd be managing the Safari Zone—arguably the most valuable resource in the territory—made him accept the role without much resistance.
"I heard you used to be a magical beast hunter?" Peter asked, frowning.
Matthew glanced at the patrol captain responsible for law enforcement and nodded. "That was in the past. Now, I'm just a ranger."
"Then I hope you remember what you've said. On Lord Aven's land, beast hunters are not allowed," Peter replied sternly.
Phyllis looked at Matthew and thought for a moment before asking, "Lord Aven, are you really going to publicly execute those hunters?"
As a noble from a merchant family, she understood the implications of the magical beast trade. Publicly executing magical beast hunters was essentially declaring war on all beast dealers.
Fruitvale Village was just starting to engage in trade. This was a dangerous move—most capable merchants were involved in the magical beast trade in some way. Such a stance could severely damage the territory's commerce, even affecting their fledgling potion business.
"Yes. Those hunters must be punished accordingly," Aven answered firmly.
"But that doesn't mean all magical beast hunters will be executed. I've already drafted some sentencing documents—post them when the time comes."
"As for trade, we only need to focus on our breeding house and potion business. As long as we maintain quality, merchants will come to us."
Phyllis sighed. "Yes, Lord Aven."
"Now, Sutter and Peter, ensure the territory's safety. After the executions, we may face retaliation from the Ironblood Fortress or beast merchants. Even if they don't strike directly, they may resort to underhanded tactics. Pay special attention to outsiders—they could be spies or hunters in disguise."
Both nodded solemnly, vowing to protect the territory and its people.
"Link, how's your teacher doing? As more apprentice trainers register, demand for potions will rise sharply. We need Master Olai to train more apothecaries."
Aven turned to Link. Fruitvale Village now had 300 apprentice trainers—an impressive number for a village with just 2,000 residents.
More encouragingly, freemen from nearby lands had begun moving in, showing high approval of the village. Population growth was essential. Even with Pokémon, human presence was indispensable.
"Don't worry, Lord Aven. As soon as my teacher trains 10 qualified apothecaries, he'll receive your potion notes. He's working hard—really pushing himself."
Link chuckled, a bit sorry for his junior disciples, who were bearing the brunt of that enthusiasm.
"Master Olai has indeed worked hard."
"In addition, we must try to recruit apothecaries from other lands. Especially master-level ones—if they're willing to come, I'll offer them private labs and rare formulas."
"If anyone arrives, bring them directly to me. I'll arrange it personally."
Link nodded. He'd already asked Shopkeeper Hawke to contact apothecaries through the guild's communication network. But many apothecaries served noble families—it would be difficult to get them to leave.
"Uncle Mike, how are the berries coming along?"
Now that it was summer, some berries should be ripening, especially with the help of Grass-type Pokémon and fertilizers.
"No need to worry. With the fertilizers, we're heading for a record harvest," Uncle Mike said proudly.
Thanks to profit-sharing in the cooperative, all the farmers were giving it their all. Some berries might even yield two harvests this year—something unthinkable in the past.
"Good. I trust you with the orchard."
"In addition to berries, we need to start planting wheat and other crops. There's still a lot of unused land between Fruitvale Village and Stonefall Village."
Wheat was essential for making bread. Because berries were more profitable and easier to grow, little wheat had been planted in the territory. Most bread had to be purchased from inland regions—a sizable expense.
Now that the territory was safe, Aven planned to cultivate other crops. The short-term goal was to make the territory self-sufficient.
"Phyllis, I'll need your help on this."
Both Uncle Mike and Phyllis nodded.
"Finally, we need to discuss the most important matter: the Pokémon Breeding House."
Link stepped forward and gave an update. So far, their biggest deal was with Sir Berrin—60,000 gold coins. But no other nobles had approached them.
This showed the impact of the tension with the Gilded Fang merchant guild and Ironblood Fortress. Most nobles didn't want to risk offending either party—not unless Fruitvale Village could prove its strength beyond all doubt.
"It's never that simple…" Aven sighed.
Ironblood Marquis was one of just two marquises in Aspiration City, each ruling a fortress city. Though Aven had gained some respect by repelling Marina City's invasion, his status still couldn't match a marquis's.
These nobles were shrewd. Unless Fruitvale Village showed overwhelming strength—and unless Pokémon like Oddish could prove themselves indispensable—they wouldn't take the risk.
Still, word had it that nobles had begun reducing their beast purchases. Some had even stopped entirely. That, at least, was interesting.
"Looks like everyone's waiting."
"So then… how do I prove my strength?"
Aven fell into thought, his gaze drifting to the map of Aspiration City on the wall.
If it were winter, he could send Oddish to help defend other territories, clearly proving their value. But it was only early summer—months away from the magical beasts' winter invasion. For now, that plan was out of reach.
(End of Chapter)