"Lord Aven..."
Matthew, the one in charge of guarding the area, approached.
Behind him were several other patrol members, each also accompanied by a Mightyena.
These patrolmen had originally been magical beast hunters, but now they had joined Fruitvale and served as rangers under Matthew.
Their duties weren't very different from patrolmen, except rangers were more focused on forest protection.
These former hunters were deeply familiar with the Black Forest and well-suited for the role.
Compared to the dangerous life of a hunter, Aven offered generous pay and far more security.
As a result, many hunters had applied to become rangers.
Aven didn't reject them just because of their pasts.
Catching magical beasts wasn't inherently right or wrong—it was a matter of survival.
He was willing to give them a chance.
Now that the Eastern Gilded Fang Merchant Guild had been destroyed, Aven believed even more hunters would come to join the rangers, expanding their numbers.
As the territory continued to grow, the Safari Zone would become increasingly important.
Once the Breeding House launched its adoption services, more and more civilians would visit the area, and it would become even livelier.
But with more people, chaos could also follow.
That's where the rangers would come in—to maintain order in the Safari Zone.
"No need for formalities. Thank you all for guarding these Pokémon," Aven said with a nod to Matthew.
After observing for a while, he had become very satisfied with Matthew's management.
As the former vice-captain of the Ironblood Knights, Matthew was well-qualified to lead the rangers.
"I live to serve you, Lord Aven," Matthew said, bowing deeply.
After Aven's success in destroying the Eastern Branch of Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, Matthew had grown even more respectful.
He now fully believed that Fruitvale could stand against the Ironblood Fortress.
This was where his future lay, no longer under threat from his former overlords.
The other rangers also bowed respectfully.
Their eyes brimmed with admiration for Aven.
After all, the Guild and Keystone Pokémon Town had been taken down so easily—it was almost unbelievable.
But they had seen it with their own eyes.
They believed that by following Lord Aven, they would all have a brighter future.
Aven greeted them with a smile, then turned his gaze to a chained Mightyena, sighing slightly.
He felt helpless about these Pokémon.
Though he didn't want to keep them locked up, releasing them could lead to chaos.
So for now, they would remain in captivity, and hopefully, in time, come to understand that the danger was over.
They could start a new life.
"Damn that Guild..."
Aven couldn't help but curse again in his heart.
If this were still within the Guild, these failed tamed beasts would most likely have been killed outright.
One could only imagine how many were slaughtered each year...
Fortunately, this time, he managed to rescue many Pokémon that had just been captured and had not yet undergone domestication. Now, these Pokémon had gained their freedom, and a large number of them chose to stay behind.
These Pokémon were extremely grateful to Aven for saving them, and thus voluntarily remained as members of his territory. At this moment, they were living in the Pokémon Wilds—this was also the greatest reward he gained from destroying the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild.
Leaving behind the somewhat oppressive Pokémon Orchard, he galloped across the plains on his Mightyena. His mood gradually relaxed, and seeing the Pokémon appearing here and there across the wildlands filled his heart with satisfaction.
With the Mightyena's galloping pace, he quickly approached the edge of the Black Forest.
Currently, outside the Black Forest, a large number of Grass-type Pokémon had gathered, forming a line of defense for the Pokémon Safari Zone.
In addition, Aven had also established numerous orchards on the outskirts of the forest—these were meant to provide food for the Pokémon within the Safari Zone.
Right now, the Pokémon inside the Safari Zone were still heavily reliant on Pokémon food, which was not something Aven wished to see.
Thus, planting a large number of berry trees and other crops within the Safari Zone, and introducing ordinary animals to fulfill the Pokémon's dietary needs, was absolutely necessary.
His goal was to build a complete biological chain here, allowing the Pokémon to thrive and multiply for generations without relying solely on humans to survive.
In the future, the forest would be filled with fruit-bearing trees, much like Kanto's largest forest—Viridian Forest.
This was the largest forest in all of Kanto, and although it was close to human settlements, the resources within it were abundant enough to support Pokémon's survival. As such, incidents of Pokémon attacking human towns were extremely rare.
This was the so-called "Forest Ranger Defense Line," which, beyond protecting humans, was also a way of protecting Pokémon—ensuring that both sides could coexist in harmony.
…
In the deepest part of Nidoking Valley's vast grasslands...
The Nidoking leader lay lazily on the ground, its body wrapped in bandages.
In the distance, on the grasslands, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ were happily playing together.
Aside from them, there was also a group of Oddish playing with the Nidoran.
If other Pokémon saw Oddish playing with Nidoran here, they would be utterly shocked—after all, this was Nidoking's territory. Most Pokémon only dared to live on the outskirts of the valley and would never dare step into the deeper parts.
"Nido~ Nido~!"
Nidoran♀ cheerfully chased after an Oddish.
This particular Nidoran♀ was the one that had been captured before. After a period of recovery, it could now run freely again.
On the side, Nidoran♂ walked more cautiously. Compared to Nidoran♀, his injuries had been more severe and he hadn't yet recovered enough to run freely.
Even so, this alone made the Nidoking leader feel deeply grateful. If not for Aven, both Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ would have surely perished.
In fact, even the Nidoking himself had been saved by Aven this time. Without Aven's help, he would have been in real danger during that frenzied battle against the magical beast hunters!
Its gaze then turned toward the Oddish playing with the Nidoran—this was the very same Oddish that had discovered Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ in the first place, so it could be considered their savior as well.
As such, the Oddish were now allowed to freely enter and leave the valley. They had become honored guests of Nidoking Valley.
And for the Oddish themselves, living in Nidoking Valley felt incredibly comfortable.
Oddish could absorb moonlight to grow, and Nidoking Valley happened to contain a rich concentration of lunar energy.
Especially at night, the moonlight would gather within the valley, and this moonlight served as a vital energy source for the Oddish's growth.
At that moment, a Nidorino came running back at high speed.
Ever since the kidnapping of the hunters, the Nidoking tribe had become much more vigilant.
On normal days, they would send Nidorino and Nidorina to patrol the surrounding area.
These evolved forms were far stronger than the unevolved Nidoran, and not so easily subdued by magical beast hunters.
"Nido-nido~!"
The Nidoking leader raised its head to inquire about the situation.
"Nidoking, long time no see. It looks like you've recovered quite well."
Aven's voice rang out at that moment. He was riding his Mightyena, with his Rhydon by his side.
Seeing that it was Aven, the Nidoking leader immediately stood up with excitement. The Oddish and the two Nidoran who had been playing quickly gathered around.
Aven picked up the charging Nidoran♀ and examined her. "You're already running around freely? Looks like you've mostly recovered."
"Lil lil~ Lil lil~"
Petilil glanced sideways at Nidoran♀, then turned her gaze toward Nidoran♂.
She could tell that Nidoran♂'s injuries weren't fully healed yet, so she began to gather life energy.
As life energy enveloped his body, Nidoran♂ let out a comfortable cry, rubbing his head gently against Petilil to express his gratitude.
"Looks like the bones have healed."
Aven placed Nidoran♀ back on the ground and turned his gaze to Nidoran♂.
Although Nidoran♂ still couldn't run, he had no problem walking—what remained was functional recovery.
Aven took out a bone-growth stimulant he had prepared and gave it to Nidoran♂ to drink, then began massaging his muscles to promote healing.
Helping Pokémon relax their muscles through massage to aid recovery was a required skill for any competent breeder.
"Nido~ Nido~"
The Nidoking leader came closer as well.
After Aven finished massaging Nidoran♂, Nidoking let out two grateful cries.
"We're already friends—this is the least I can do."
Aven smiled at the Nidoking leader and said, "If I ever run into trouble, you'd definitely help me too, wouldn't you?"
Hearing this, the Nidoking leader nodded firmly without hesitation and pounded its chest, promising that if Aven was ever in danger, it would certainly help!
"So, there's no need to be polite with me."
"If any of your tribe members are injured, feel free to come find me at the Safari Zone."
Aven patted Nidoking's shoulder and began examining its injuries.
As expected of a quasi-King-level combatant, Nidoking's recovery ability was frighteningly strong. After a few days of treatment, it had recovered almost completely.
"Looks like you're all better now," Aven said with a smile.
"Rhhyyy!"
Hearing this, Rhydon's eyes lit up.
The reason it had come to Nidoking Valley today was to challenge the Nidoking leader and see how far behind it was in strength.
Now that the Nidoking had recovered, it meant the challenge could begin!
"If Nidoking is willing, I have no objections."
Aven chuckled and shook his head. After witnessing the Nidoking's quasi-King-level strength, it was clear Rhydon had now chosen it as its next goal to pursue!
"Nido-nido~?"
The Nidoking leader scratched its head, still unaware of what was happening.
But since Rhydon had already issued the challenge, it couldn't refuse and immediately accepted!
The battle was straightforward: with its quasi-King-level strength, Nidoking completely suppressed Rhydon.
In a head-on fight, Rhydon was no match at all.
"RHYY~!"
Despite the defeat, Rhydon didn't lose heart.
Its eyes sparkled brightly—it clearly planned to train even harder and continue challenging again in the future.
It was easy to imagine that in the days to come, Nidoking would likely endure the same treatment as Torterra—being repeatedly challenged by Rhydon!
"Rhy~!"
Rhydon was filled with motivation!
After the battle, it pulled out two healing potions from its headband.
It tossed one into its own mouth, and handed the other over to Nidoking with enthusiasm, earning a look of gratitude in return.
At this moment, Aven ignored the two Pokémon exchanging battle insights and turned his attention to the No. 7 in front of him.
After this period of training, the growth progress of the Oddish No. 7 was clearly much improved.
"Looks like Nidoking Valley is indeed perfect for training Oddish!" Aven's eyes lit up.
The appearance of so many Oddish in Nidoking Valley was no coincidence—it had been his idea to have them train here.
Now, his hypothesis was confirmed, and it gave him a new idea: to turn Nidoking Valley into a training ground for Oddish.
With the valley's benefits and the support of the move Moonlight, their strength could be improved at a remarkable rate.
Originally, it would have taken two months to raise a batch of capable Oddish, but now that time might be reduced to just one month.
Raising a batch of combat-ready Oddish in only a month—that was an astonishing level of efficiency!
Although Oddish weren't very strong individually, in large numbers they could produce tremendous power.
If they evolved into Gloom, their potential would drastically increase!
After the recent battle in Keystone Town, a clash between Fruitvale Village and Ironblood Fortress was inevitable, and Aven felt an urgent need to strengthen his territory!
Besides that, using moonlight to raise Oddish would greatly reduce the demand for fertilizer—helping ease the territory's current fertilizer shortage.
"We can start by focusing on raising Berrin's Oddish first."
"This will also serve as excellent advertising for the Breeding House's development."
"Also, the Gloom evolution ceremony needs to be prepared soon. Vileplume should be ready for another evolution ritual too."
Aven pondered silently. He had deliberately postponed this matter for a while, but now that the Breeding House plan was underway, it was time to follow through.
He believed that once the Gloom evolution ceremonies were publicized, the hesitant lords would make their choice—and side with Fruitvale Village.
With their support, the Pokémon Breeding House would continue to grow, and the territory's strength would keep rising—eventually becoming military force.
The battle between Ironblood Fortress and Fruitvale Village...
The battle between the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild and the Pokémon Breeding House...
The marketplace was also a battlefield—this would be a brutal struggle!
Time passed quickly.
Night soon fell upon Nidoking Valley.
After nightfall, the Nidoking tribe clearly became more active.
As Pokémon that could evolve through Moon Stones, they also had a strong affinity for moonlight.
Meanwhile, the Oddish began to dance under the moonlight.
Number Seven's silhouette swayed gracefully, already enveloped in a soft pink glow.
It was using Moonlight—as the move was cast, silvery radiance descended from the sky, bathing the entire area in a gentle silver glow.
"Ralts~"
Seeing this scene, Ralts joined the dancing Oddish.
Its figure twirled like a fairy beneath the moon, also surrounded by a faint glow.
While dancing the Moonlight Dance, Ralts released its psychic power and soon sensed faint glimmers of light beneath the dark earth.
The light extended downward, growing more intense, until it finally converged into a glowing lake beneath the ground.
"Ralts~"
Ralts suddenly opened its eyes and looked toward the earth beneath its feet.
It knew that what it was sensing must be a Moon Stone—and that glowing lake was likely an entire Moon Stone vein!
With that realization, it immediately used telepathy to inform Aven.
"A Moon Stone vein, just as I suspected."
Aven glanced down at the earth below, his face calm.
He had already suspected the presence of a Moon Stone vein and had originally planned to mine it.
But now that he had established a bond with the Nidoking tribe, he naturally wouldn't destroy their habitat.
Compared to mining the Moon Stones, using this valley to continually nurture Nidoking and Oddish would unleash its full value—just like the Water Stone Lake he was developing.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: I think I mess up with the Pokémon Breeding House translation since the mtl refer to them all the same but has probably different meanings in Chinese and Chatgpt has the same translation as Google translate but lately (250s) had been calling the Pokémon breeding house as Pokémon nursery. I'm not gonna change them as we are too deep now but I'll warn you guys since it's a bit confusing to me.
The Pokemon Breeding House in the village, the Breeding Center in the City, the Breeding Facility and the Safari Zone will be generally called as Pokemon Breeding House as a program that Aven had been promoting to others.
Btw I think the Breeding Facility and the Safari Zone is the same but I'm not sure yet. The Safari Zone was originally called the Pokemon Breeding Zone but I changed it since its confusing me with all the names all about breeding, so I changed it to Safari Zone, something we're all familiar with and since it kinda have same function.
Sorry for the long explanation, I'm translating late at night on weekdays, so I'm tired and sleepy for most chapters so I tend to mistranslate a lot and confuse myself the next day.)