The reclamation of the Black Coast Forest was still ongoing.
Although the clearing had already been underway for several months, only a very small portion of the area had been developed.
At present, Fruitvale Village's plan was to open up a road that led straight through to the Black Coast first, and then, only afterward, gradually expand the clearing work to both sides.
Early in the morning, Aven set out together with Petilil, Ralts, Nidoran♀, and Nidoran♂, heading once more toward the Black Coast Forest.
In this period of time, apart from briefly returning once to the Pokémon breeding grounds, he had practically been making trips to the Black Coast Forest every single day.
After all, the reclamation had already pushed deep into the forest's interior, and it required strong combat power to support the operation. Some of the stronger Pokémon tribes had to be gradually driven out or migrated to the Safari Zone to ensure the continued progress of the work.
"Hm? Are they tailing me again?"
While quickly striding along the southern street that led out of Fruitvale Village, Ralts on his shoulder suddenly gave a warning.
Within Ralts's telepathic sense, a knight appeared to be coincidentally passing through the South Gate, entering Fruitvale Village as though by chance.
Even though the face changed every day—sometimes it was a knight, sometimes merely a retainer—these people had long since been fully within Ralts's scope of perception and surveillance.
Aven cast a glance at the distant green line of the forest on the horizon, murmuring in a low voice:
"After following me this many times, they should have already more or less grasped my usual patterns and movements by now, right?"
He lightly shook his head, choosing not to concern himself with it any further. Instead, he strode more quickly toward the Black Coast Forest. Drawing out those lurking assassins was only one part of the reason for his excursions—his main purpose remained the reclamation itself.
"Good day, Lord Aven! Good morning, Lord Aven!"
As soon as the knights responsible for guarding the forest's edge spotted Aven's arrival, they immediately came forward, saluting him with respect.
The commoners, on the other hand, upon catching sight of Aven, dropped to their knees quickly, offering their heartfelt reverence to the lord who had given them hope.
"Everyone, please rise. Let's keep working hard together. If we put in our best effort, we should be able to open up a road to the Black Coast before winter arrives."
Aven encouraged them warmly.
Afterward, he called for Mado, who was currently in charge of the reclamation efforts. The disabled knight now stood accompanied by his Pokémon—Skuntank, Gloom, and Yanma—each faithfully by his side.
"Lord Aven, this time we've encountered a colony of Raticate," Mado reported immediately upon approaching.
"The Raticate leader has strength approaching that of an advanced-level Pokémon, and under its command, there's no small number of Raticate and Rattata as well."
Even though Mado was now maimed and no longer a full knight, his background as a former scout knight meant his work was still executed swiftly and efficiently, without flaw.
Once he finished speaking, Mado nodded toward his Gloom. Gloom, holding something carefully in its hands, stepped forward and presented a map for Aven to examine.
Because Mado had lost one of his arms, his Gloom now served as his other "hand." Day to day, Gloom helped him accomplish all manner of tasks—an inseparable partner.
Jorah was the same. Though he had lost one leg and could no longer walk properly, his Yanma carried him through the air in low flight, perfectly compensating for his disability.
There were many such cases. Thanks to the help of Pokémon, many wounded and disabled knights had been given a new life. Their daily existence—every aspect of it—was now inseparable from their partners.
"A colony of Raticate, huh? Yes, that area definitely has to be dealt with, otherwise it will pose a danger to the laborers clearing the forest."
Aven nodded, putting the map away carefully.
"You all just continue patrolling here. I'll handle that Raticate colony myself."
Leaving those instructions, he took his own Pokémon and ventured deeper into the Black Coast Forest alone.
Watching Aven's figure disappear into the distance, Mado slowly withdrew his gaze, eyes filled with deep respect. In this forest, there was practically nothing left that could truly threaten Lord Aven.
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
Deeper within the forest, large numbers of lumberjacks were hard at work felling trees.
In recent weeks, many commoners who had nowhere else to go had come to Fruitvale Village. Quite a few had joined the lumber teams, adding their labor to the reclamation efforts.
With every heavy swing of their axes, massive trees toppled one after another. The timber was quickly hauled away, sent back to the construction site to be used as building material.
"Phew… I'm exhausted. I need to take a short break."
One lumberjack wiped the sweat from his brow, panting.
But as he rested, his gaze flicked—seemingly unconsciously—toward the forest's edge, where he caught a glimpse of Aven disappearing alone into the depths of the Black Forest.
Only when Aven's figure completely vanished from sight did the lumberjack look back again, heft his axe onto his shoulder, and stride toward another towering tree. He raised the axe high, then chopped down with all his strength, striking the trunk heavily.
Elsewhere in the Black Forest, large numbers of women were still scouring the undergrowth for herbs that remained hidden in the shadows. But after so many months of harvesting, the number of herbs still left to find was steadily dwindling.
"Greetings, Lord Aven."
The women all stopped their work and bowed respectfully when they saw him approach.
"There's no need for such formalities. Carry on with your work. I'll be scouting further ahead. Before long, you'll be able to continue deeper into the Black Forest as well."
Nodding kindly to them, Aven pressed forward, leaving behind the women whose eyes shone with admiration and reverence.
"Nidoran♂, Nidoran♀, this battle will depend on you two as the main force."
"However, this time your opponents will be rather numerous. Petilil and the others will assist from the flanks when needed."
Hearing Aven's words, both Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ perked up in excitement, nodding enthusiastically.
Through countless battles, they had keenly felt themselves growing stronger.
By now, even when fighting separately, their individual power had reached the intermediate-level. If they fought side by side, they could even take on the stronger members of the intermediate-level with confidence!
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The moment they stepped into Raticate territory, a cacophony of noise broke out all around them.
Exchanging a glance, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ reacted instantly. Both launched Poison Sting at once, the toxic barbs streaking toward the bushes where the sound had originated!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The sharp whistling of the projectiles filled the air as the poisonous needles embedded themselves in the undergrowth.
An instant later, more than a dozen Rattata leapt from the bushes, glaring aggressively at the intruders.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
Their cries summoned others, and soon, rustling sounded throughout the surrounding trees.
The first to emerge was a tan-colored Raticate. Immediately afterward, waves of Rattata surged forth, swarming until they practically filled the forest floor, shoulder to shoulder, forming a teeming carpet of purple fur.
Rattata were a quintessentially social Pokémon. At the call of their kin, they gathered with astonishing speed, relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm any foe!
"Lil, lil!"
Petilil, standing in Aven's arms, tensed up with vigilance at the sight of the growing swarm.
Leaping lightly to the ground, it pressed its tiny foot into the earth. A verdant green radiance rippled outward in an instant, sweeping across the clearing.
Within moments, the Grassy Terrain was fully deployed—lush green grass sprouted rapidly from the ground, covering everything beneath a soft emerald glow.
And as the Grassy Terrain expanded, a sudden ripple shimmered into existence in midair. Out of it, Mothim slowly revealed itself, having shed the camouflage of Camouflage that had hidden it seamlessly until now.
Yet, just as swiftly, a wave of normal energy enveloped Mothim's form once more. Its body shimmered with green light before it faded again, vanishing perfectly into the air.
This was the natural effect of Camouflage within Grassy Terrain. Regardless of the environment around, in the Grassy Terrain, Camouflage would always alter the user into Grass-type.
"Stay sharp. The Raticate horde is coming."
Aven gave a calm but firm reminder to the Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ standing before him.
At the same time, his hand slipped into his pocket, fingers brushing over a Poké Ball, discreetly ready to release the Pokémon within at any moment should the need arise.
"Nido! Nido!"
Both Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ turned back, nodding resolutely at Aven.
Then, emotion welled between them. Waves of energy began to stir, and in unison, they activated their Rivalry ability.
As Rivalry surged to life, their attack power rapidly climbed. Even more astonishingly, the energy auras of both Pokémon gradually intertwined, faintly linking together.
The two little ones charged forward as one. While running, their bodies flared with a faint white glow.
Almost immediately, the two strands of white light intertwined, fusing together rapidly. The moment of fusion caused the light to swell explosively, burning even brighter and stronger!
"Squeak! Squeak!"
The horde of Rattata faltered momentarily at the sight of the intruders exuding such power.
But then, one Raticate gave a sharp cry and, with a swarm of dozens of Rattata behind it, surged straight toward Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀.
The other Raticate and Rattata shifted their focus to Petilil, their instincts warning them of the dangerous energy radiating from its small body.
The numbers were truly overwhelming. In the open clearing, the charging Rattata stretched in a vast line, a purple wave threatening to crash down. Against that tide, the two small Nidoran looked almost pathetically small—such a stark contrast it was almost laughable.
"Ralts! Ralts!"
Ralts clenched its tiny fists tightly, eyes filled with tension as it watched Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ charge.
In recent weeks, it had spent nearly all of its time together with the pair, studying the use of emotional energy. Their relationship had grown extremely close. Now, as it watched the emotional energy overflowing from their bodies, Ralts felt as though it were participating in the battle itself.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two little Pokémon collided head-on with the onrushing Rattata.
In the next instant, the white light around their bodies exploded outward, blasting away the Rattata at the very front!
Then, like two sharp blades of light, they pierced directly into the horde. Every Rattata in their path was struck and sent flying with no resistance at all!
"Squeak, squeak!"
Sensing the strength of their foes, the Rattata quickly shifted aside, parting to reveal the large Raticate in the center.
"Nido! Nido!"
Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ glanced at each other once more. The white light around them condensed tightly.
With a loud cry, they accelerated again, colliding directly with the Raticate, which had unleashed a full-force Tackle!
Boom!
The impact rang out thunderously, both sides grinding against each other in a moment of deadlock!
"Squeak!"
Raticate poured all its strength into the clash. Its massive body amplified its momentum, driving tremendous force behind the collision.
But after only a short instant of resistance, Raticate felt the overwhelming power pressing against it. Even with every ounce of strength, it was futile. A sense of helplessness welled up within it.
The next second, its massive body was blasted into the air. Mid-flight, its eyes rolled back, consciousness fading instantly. With a heavy crash, it slammed down in front of the Raticate colony—completely defeated.
"Squeak, squeak!"
The horde erupted in chaos at the swift downfall of their leader.
"Ralts! Ralts!"
Ralts seeing the two little Pokémon beat the Raticate beamed with joy, delighted.
For so long, it had been training with the pair in the manipulation of emotional energy.
Now, the immense power Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ displayed was proof of their mastery—a tangible application of that energy!
"That's… the move Return!?"
"I only mentioned it briefly before, and they actually managed to learn it!"
"It seems their talent in wielding emotional energy is truly extraordinary… though of course, Ralts has helped them tremendously as well."
Aven's eyes gleamed with admiration as he watched the purple-and-blue pair in the distance.
The move Return was a technique that harnessed emotional energy in battle—transforming the bond of intimacy into a force of devastating strength!
Right now, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ were drawing directly upon the deep bond of intimacy between them, mutually amplifying one another's power to unleash incredible force!
And beyond that, their Rivalry ability was also exerting tremendous effect. In fact, to some extent, Rivalry and Return had even fused together, further magnifying the might of the attack!
(End of Chapter)