In the backyard of the Pokémon Breeding House, Aven began interrogating the captured beast hunters.
He had already learned their identities from Matthew—they were hunters from the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild. Still, he wanted to hear it from the hunters themselves. Not to verify Matthew's story, but to obtain a formal confession.
Present at the scene, along with Matthew and Sutter, was the Nidoking leader. After all, the Nidoking tribe had suffered the most in this incident.
"Roar…!"
The Nidoking leader glared at the two hunters, eyes bloodshot.
Had he not been held back, he might have smashed them into pulp on the spot.
The two magic beast hunters, seeing those gathered around them, had faces full of despair. From the moment they were captured, they knew what awaited them. This lord had publicly executed more than one magic beast hunter before—what awaited them would surely be even more brutal.
Knowing their grim fate, the two hunters had mentally prepared themselves. No matter how harsh the interrogation, they would not utter a word. That way, their families might still receive compensation for their silence.
"Lord Aven, shall we begin the interrogation?"
Aven, seated at the table with Ralts in his arms, nodded toward Sutter.
The horn on Ralts' head twitched, and it stared intently at the two magic beast hunters.
With its ability to sense emotions, it could feel the despair and pain radiating from Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀. Naturally, Ralts held no sympathy for the two culprits.
If the men dared to lie, Ralts was fully prepared to punish them using its psychic powers.
"Yes, sir," Sutter bowed and then turned toward the hunters with a cold glare.
"State your identities."
The hunters clenched their jaws and remained silent. Seeing this, Sutter showed no mercy.
He raised his whip and struck.
Snap—
A sharp sound rang out as a red welt appeared on Quinn's body.
Roar—
Nidoking clenched his fists at the sight, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction rising in his chest.
He wished he could whip the two himself but restrained himself, sticking to his agreement with Aven.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The whip snapped again and again.
Aven silently watched from the table, eventually sighing. He stood up, holding Ralts, and turned to leave.
About two hours later, Sutter returned, carrying a confession stamped with the hunters' fingerprints.
Aven glanced at the blood stains on Sutter's clothes.
"Make sure they don't die," he instructed calmly.
"They're going to be key witnesses in this case."
Aven's eyes fell on the confession, focusing on the names Keystone Town and the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild.
"Viscount Kilton…" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He had originally suspected the Ironblood Fortress was behind this, but to his surprise, a viscount was involved.
Aven remembered Viscount Kilton. A branch headquarters of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild was located in Keystone Town.
"Lord Aven," Sutter said hesitantly, noting Aven's grim expression. "What should we do next?"
Aven nodded slightly.
"My original target was just the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild," he said.
"But since Viscount Kilton has inserted himself into this matter, then let's destroy Keystone Town as well!"
Cold light flashed in Aven's eyes. He didn't consider himself a warmonger, but now that they had struck first, he wouldn't hold back.
War was the best way to demonstrate one's strength.
Only by launching a fierce counterattack could they deter other factions from trying the same. It would also serve to better protect his territory.
Furthermore, annihilating the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild branch in the Aspiration City territory would send a strong warning to other magic beast hunters and boost Aven's reputation—paving the way for the expansion of the Breeding House plan.
Many lords were still on the fence, unsure of Aven's current strength.
But if, in this war, he could show power equal to or even beyond that of Ironblood Fortress, many of those hesitant lords would be convinced.
What Fruitvale Village needed now was a victory—and this war against Keystone Town and the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild was the perfect opportunity.
"Lord Aven!" Sutter looked up sharply. He hadn't expected Aven to make such a decisive move.
After all, Kilton was also a noble enfeoffed by Aspiration City, and for one noble to attack another wasn't a trivial matter.
"Sutter, you need to understand," Aven said firmly.
"We're not the ones who started this war."
"Keystone Town and the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild stole Nidoking's child, lured the entire Nidoking tribe to attack Fruitvale Village—that was an open declaration of war."
"If Torterra hadn't blocked the Nidoking leader, who knows what might have happened?"
"What we're doing now is simply a defensive response. To stop their next move, we must strike first!"
As he spoke, Aven turned to gaze out the window.
A year ago, he wouldn't have made such a decision. But after a year of growth, he had changed.
Life was full of helpless moments. It was rarely about what you wanted to do—survival required hard choices.
Sutter froze, then broke into a small, unintentional smile.
He immediately knelt on one knee.
"Yes, Lord Aven. Your will shall be carried out!"
….
Keystone Town – Gilded Fang Merchant Guild
"President Reagan, has there been any news from Fruitvale Village?"
Viscount Kilton frowned, looking at the branch president beside him. He was confused by the village's continued silence.
According to reports from other beast hunters, the Nidoking tribe had mobilized en masse from the valley.
By all logic, the Nidoking should have already invaded the southeast corner of the territory and clashed with Fruitvale Village.
But the scouts in Fruitvale Village reported no activity among their stationed magical beasts.
"Still nothing," Reagan replied, also puzzled.
After all, this was the strongest magical beast tribe in the entire Eastern Black Forest, second only to the Staraptor tribe.
Led by a quasi-king-tier Nidoking, even if Fruitvale Village somehow held its ground, they would suffer severe losses.
Yet the village remained too quiet. Could it be that the Nidoking never entered the territory? But if so, where had they gone?
"Could something have happened to the hunters?" Viscount Kilton said grimly.
If the hunters failed to bring the kidnapped Nidoking child to the southeastern territory, then the Nidoking would never have attacked.
And the worst-case scenario was that the hunters had been captured by Fruitvale Village.
If that happened, their entire plan might be exposed, along with Viscount Kilton himself.
"Unlikely," Reagan shook his head confidently.
"Quinn is our best hunter at staying hidden. If he wanted to disappear, no one could find him quickly."
"Perhaps Fruitvale Village is just suppressing the news. We'll hear something soon."
Besides, Reagan had instructed the hunter this mission was personally ordered by the Marquis—he had every reason to go all in.
"Even if the plan is exposed, we still have the Marquis protecting us," Reagan added.
"Our conflict with Fruitvale Village isn't new. One more incident won't matter."
Viscount Kilton nodded. Even if the sky fell, the Marquis would catch it.
"Enough. Let's not worry for now."
"Start preparing. As soon as we hear back, we'll enter the forest to capture magical beasts."
"If we can capture that quasi-king-tier Nidoking leader, the Marquis will reward us handsomely!"
Reagan's excitement was obvious. This entire plan had never been just about revenge—
It was a chance to capture wounded magical beasts, the Nidoking tribe, and especially the leader himself.
The plan to lure the Nidoking into attacking Fruitvale Village would serve both the Marquis's interests and line their own pockets.
…
Back at the Breeding House, the Nidoking leader was seething with rage.
It had just learned the full truth—this was all a scheme by the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild to lure the tribe into attacking Fruitvale Village.
And the plan had nearly worked.
If Aven hadn't stopped the battle by defeating the Nidoking leader, the tribe would've suffered huge losses.
Learning that the Guild captures and sells magical beasts like commodities only infuriated Nidoking more.
He wanted to crush the Merchant Guild underfoot and make them feel his wrath!
"Nidoking, perhaps we should talk," Aven approached, his gaze steady.
"Nido…"
Nidoking gave a gentle nod.
Now that it understood everything, its opinion of Aven had improved dramatically.
Without Aven, his children would be dead, and the tribe would be ruined.
"This incident—you know the full story now," Aven said.
"I believe that beyond weakening my territory, your tribe was also a target."
Nidoking paused, not fully grasping the meaning.
"You know the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild captures Pokémon."
"If a battle broke out, your tribe would take heavy losses—and that would be the perfect time for them to strike."
"Even you might have been a target."
At that, Nidoking's eyes widened in shock. The implications hit instantly.
If he returned to the valley in this weakened state, the Guild could easily attack—and possibly capture him!
Just thinking about how those two hunters treated his child made Nidoking shudder.
"Roar—!!"
The Nidoking roared in fury.
They dared to target his tribe? Unforgivable!
"That's why I came," Aven continued.
"I plan to attack the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild—and I want your strength to help."
It wasn't that Fruitvale Village couldn't win alone, but war always carried a cost.
With Nidoking's help, the resistance would crumble faster.
Besides, Aven wanted to showcase Fruitvale Village's true strength.
With the Nidoking tribe on his side, their visible power would soar—and leave a lasting impression on other lords.
"Roar!"
Nidoking agreed instantly.
He already wanted to attack Keystone Town. Aven's proposal just hit the mark. There was no reason to say no!
"Great. Then it's settled."
"Let's inform your tribe of our plan."
"Oh, and let them know—I'll provide enough Pokémon food during the war."
Nidoking paused at that, then let out an even more excited roar.
…
On the grassy fields outside the Black Forest, the Nidoking tribe was camped.
Though they could've returned to the valley, they stayed for better treatment for Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀.
Yes… that was the reason. Definitely not because they had grown fond of the delicious Pokémon food.
As mealtime approached, restlessness stirred. Dozens of greedy little Nidorans wandered to the edge of the camp, gazing into the grasslands.
Soon, they saw a cart pulled by Rhyhorns approaching—cheers erupted from the little ones.
After the meal, Nidoking returned to the camp and shared the news.
Roars of fury (and a touch of excitement) echoed through the valley.
(End of Chapter)