Pella was an outstanding magical beast tamer.
Inside the magical beast taming chamber, his bloodshot eyes were locked in a fierce stare-down with a Mightyena.
Exhaustion, hunger, sleep deprivation, and pain—these were the most commonly used methods by tamers to subjugate magical beasts.
Awwoooo! Awwoooo! Awwoooo!
The Mightyena kept letting out heart-wrenching howls, the iron chains digging deeply into its flesh.
As it struggled, its howls gradually became dull and lifeless—a sign that it was about to submit.
Upon witnessing this, a smile formed on Pella's face. He knew he was on the verge of taming yet another proud and powerful Mightyena.
Over the years, he had tamed countless magical beasts for the Eastern Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, and he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of having beasts kneel beneath his feet.
Owooo… owoo…
Just as Pella was about to proceed with the next stage of breaking the beast, an urgent horn blast suddenly echoed through the air.
Normally, the taming chambers were built to be incredibly quiet, with sounds from outside rarely penetrating. But this time, the horn was so clear—it must have originated from within the merchant guild's grounds themselves, a sign that danger had arisen from inside.
"Damn it! I was just about to succeed!"
"Did some fool fail to tame their beast and accidentally let it loose?"
Frowning, Pella walked toward the door. He opened the thick iron gate, rubbing his temples in frustration as he stepped outside.
BOOM!
Just as he stepped out, something flew toward him at high speed. With a thunderous crash, the figure slammed hard against the wall, and something warm and wet suddenly splattered across his face.
Stunned, Pella touched his cheek and looked at his hand—his eyes widened at the sight of vivid crimson.
"This is… blood."
His eyes snapped open wide in shock. Turning his head stiffly, he saw a familiar figure lying slumped in the corner.
It was another beast tamer—someone he had shared breakfast with earlier that very morning.
But now, the man lay lifeless in a pool of blood. His blood-soaked silhouette on the wall was a horrific sight to behold.
"What's going on?" Pella muttered, his body trembling as he turned to look ahead.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Suddenly, a series of heavy footsteps echoed in the air. Around the corner of the street appeared a looming purple figure with blood-red eyes—staring straight at him.
"Nidoking! It's a Nidoking!"
"Why? Why is there a Nidoking here?!"
His body shaking, Pella retreated quickly into the room, backing up against the wall. His mind couldn't process what was happening.
Awwooo! Awwooo! Awwooo!
The Mightyena howled loudly once again, reacting to Pella's sudden return.
"Shut up, damn it!" Pella roared, panicked.
His eyes darted toward the Mightyena—but then he suddenly saw a terrifying silhouette cast against the floor, projected through the open door.
The room fell into an eerie silence. Pella could hear his own heartbeat pounding violently, as if it was about to leap from his chest.
The Nidoking leader's expression remained calm and cold.
Along the way, it had seen too much suffering—things too cruel to bear.
From the fury it felt when it first entered the Merchant Guild to the current cold indifference, there was only one thought in its mind now: destroy everything before its eyes.
Spotting another magical beast tamer, the Nidoking walked slowly into the room. The first thing it saw was the heavily injured Mightyena chained and bleeding.
Without a word, it turned its gaze from the Mightyena to the trembling man huddled against the wall.
"Stay away from me, you monster!"
"Someone—anyone! Get over here and drive this thing away!"
Pella's voice was laced with panic as he screamed, inching further into the corner.
But the next moment, his voice cut off abruptly—his neck had been seized by the Nidoking, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
As Nidoking's hand slowly tightened, Pella's eyes nearly popped from their sockets, filled with boundless terror—and regret.
In the final moments of his life, visions of the magical beasts he had once tortured to death suddenly flashed through his mind.
So this… this must've been how they felt.
With a casual toss, the Nidoking flung the tamer aside and turned to the chained Mightyena.
Grrrr...
Letting out a deep growl, the Nidoking walked to the Pokémon's side and struck the chains with a Poison Jab.
These chains, designed to restrain powerful magical beasts, were extremely sturdy—so even Nidoking's blow didn't shatter them.
Undeterred, it opened its mouth and spat corrosive venom onto the chains. Hissing noises filled the air as the metal began to corrode.
Using all its strength, it finally tore the chains apart.
It glanced at the Mightyena once more, then turned and left without a sound.
AWOOOO!
Behind it, the newly freed Mightyena howled with intense emotion.
At this point, the entire Merchant Guild compound was in utter chaos. After breaking into the city, the Nidoking tribe had made a beeline straight for the Merchant Guild, ignoring all other districts.
Under their fierce assault, many buildings collapsed. Though the magical beast hunters attempted to organize a defense, they were no match for the Nidokings.
Grrraaahh! Grrraaahh!
Inside the beast market, tamed magical beasts paced anxiously within their cages. Though the cages had been opened, they hesitated to step out—they had long since forgotten what freedom was.
But as the blood of their captors soaked the iron bars, a flicker of clarity returned to their eyes. Their long-dormant instincts began to awaken.
And when they saw their captors dead, it felt as if something that had always shackled them suddenly vanished.
Trembling, they began to step out of their cages.
Grrraaahhh!
Just then, a battered and bloodied Mightyena appeared before them.
It was like a sledgehammer had smashed into their hearts. Memories they had long buried deep came rushing back.
GRRAAAHHH!!
The injured Mightyena leapt at a nearby hunter.
But already gravely wounded, it was easily knocked aside by a charging Skuntank.
"Damn it! Who let those untamed beasts out?!" the beast hunter cursed.
He looked around and saw the other magical beasts still standing in place. Judging by the brands on their bodies, he could tell they had already been tamed.
He sighed in relief and walked forward to gather them for battle.
But just as he approached, he saw a glint of crimson in one of the beasts' eyes.
The next moment, something struck him hard, sending him flying. Agonizing pain shot through his entire body before darkness swallowed his mind forever.
GRAAAHHH!!
The magical beast that had attacked him roared victoriously, then began lashing out at nearby buildings—releasing its pent-up fear and rage.
"Damn it! Why are the tamed ones rebelling too?!"
"Back off! Have you forgotten the taste of the iron whip?!"
"No! No, stay back! Somebody help me! HELP!"
The eastern district of Keystone Town had descended into absolute hell. Magical beast hunters screamed, cried, and fought desperately as magical beasts tore through everything in their path.
Grrraaahh!!
Rhydon silently watched the chaos unfolding before it.
Images flashed through its mind—until one froze: Aven's face.
Compared to these Pokémon, it realized just how lucky it was. It had a master who truly cared for it.
"RHYYY!!"
With a loud bellow, Rhydon used Dig and burrowed into the ground, disappearing beneath the earth.
Its mission was complete. Now, all it wanted was to return to Aven—to hear his voice again.
Meanwhile, on the southern battlefield…
Torterra stood with its Grass-type brethren, facing off from a distance against the soldiers on the city wall.
Zzzzz!
From the sky, a Yanma zipped through the air and landed on Aven's outstretched hand.
"Ralts! Ralts!"
Ralts immediately began communicating with the Yanma.
Using its telepathy, it relayed the information it had received to Aven.
"The Nidoking tribe is attacking the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild?"
Aven fell silent for a moment. So far, everything was going exactly as planned.
The southern battlefront had served its purpose, drawing Keystone Town's attention. Meanwhile, the Nidoking tribe launched a surprise attack from the Black Forest, storming the city's east gate.
With Rhydon's cooperation from within, the gate had fallen, allowing the Nidoking tribe to flood into the city.
The entire goal of this operation had always been the same: destroy the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild—uproot its eastern branch entirely.
And everything had gone just as he envisioned.
Now, his job was to keep Torterra's forces pressing against the southern gate, ensuring no reinforcements could be sent east.
Once the southern gate defenders were forced to abandon their posts, Aven would launch a full assault—crushing the weakened gate with ease.
Still, upon hearing about the Nidokings slaughtering magical beast hunters, Aven felt conflicted.
He could only hope the tribe wouldn't harm ordinary civilians.
At the southern gate, Viscount Kilton had also received the news.
After retreating with his forces, President Reagan of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild joined him there.
Upon learning that the Nidoking tribe was destroying the Guild, their faces turned grim.
The Merchant Guild was the foundation of Keystone Town. If it fell, the town—even if saved—would be as good as ruined.
"Damn it! What are they trying to do?!" Viscount Kilton snarled.
He could tell that the Nidokings weren't interested in the city itself. Their true target was the Merchant Guild.
Normally, such beasts would have rushed straight to the southern district and teamed up with the Grass-type army outside the walls.
If that had happened, he could've used the gate itself as a choke point and held out until the Ironblood Knights arrived.
But now, the Nidokings had gone straight for the Merchant Guild, throwing his plans into chaos.
Clearly, this Aven's goal wasn't to conquer the city—but to obliterate the Merchant Guild.
"We can't let this continue! We must stop the Nidokings!"
"If the Merchant Guild falls, we'll never be able to explain it to the Marquis!" Reagan said anxiously.
That association was his life's work. And within it lay a hoard of amassed wealth and resources.
"I know already!" Viscount Kilton shouted in frustration.
He knew just how important the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild was—it was the reason the Marquis favored him.
If it was destroyed, the Marquis would be furious, and he, who failed to stop it, would surely be punished.
But even now, danger loomed outside the southern gate. If he pulled troops away, he'd be vulnerable to a pincer attack—and might not hold out until reinforcements arrived.
Now, he had to choose: abandon the southern gate to defend the Merchant Guild, or give up on the Merchant Guild and hold the southern gate.
Bwaaaaaaa!
Just then, another horn blast echoed across the battlefield.
Torterra and its forces were once again advancing. They were already close to the gate.
Aven was clearly forcing him to stay and defend, ensuring no one could help the eastern district.
"Damn it! Damn it all!" Viscount Kilton clutched his sword tightly. He was so enraged he could vomit blood.
On one side was Reagan's desperate urging. On the other was Aven's relentless pressure.
His thoughts were a mess—he couldn't think straight.
"If you save the Merchant Guild, the Marquis will reward you!" Reagan pleaded.
At last, Viscount Kilton made his decision.
He left a token force to defend the gate and led the knights to the east, abandoning the entire southern district.
Before departing, he ordered the conscription of all serfs to defend the gate.
Though weak, they could at least buy some time—and he didn't believe Aven would massacre innocent serfs the way the Nidokings had slaughtered beast hunters.
As the knights withdrew, the southern gate's defenses weakened.
Through Yanma's surveillance, Aven learned of their retreat and immediately ordered the horn to be blown—for the final assault to begin!
"Toaaaarrr!"
Torterra led its forces in a charge.
Reaching the southern gate, it used Wood Hammer and slammed into the gate with full force!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Each strike sent splinters flying. Cracks spread rapidly across the gate's surface.
And with one last blow—
The southern gate shattered.
(End of Chapter)