Inside the headquarters of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, the assembled lords were busy taking inventory of the wealth.
This time, their sole purpose in coming here was to claim the debts that rightfully belonged to them.
One by one, treasures, coin chests, and precious goods were hauled out and piled in the open square. Earl Ruize personally oversaw order in the square, ensuring that everything was accounted for.
From time to time, his gaze would drift toward the direction of the colosseum. At that very moment, injured civilians were still being transported there in a steady stream.
Because Marquis Hormay had, in his final desperate gamble, attempted to destroy the entire Ironblood Fortress along with everyone inside, countless innocent civilians had been gravely wounded.
Thus, the colosseum had been hastily converted into a massive emergency healing center. Within, Aven personally led his Pokémon in treating the wounded, saving as many lives as possible.
The once vast and crowded colosseum now had large areas cleared out. Those with lighter injuries had already been given medicinal potions and were stabilized.
The ones whose injuries were severe—those at death's door—were laid out in the central battlefield area. The arena floor, which had been torn apart into ruins during combat, had since been repaired by Rhydon's abilities.
Now, the entire field was shrouded beneath the effect of Grassy Terrain, rich waves of healing energy surging continuously across the ground, bathing the wounded and accelerating their recovery.
As a large-scale group-healing technique, Grassy Terrain was proving invaluable in this situation. It healed without discrimination, covering everyone within its range, and required no specific targeting.
Because of its existence, the efficiency of treatment had increased dramatically, and the once-unstable conditions of the wounded civilians were finally being stabilized one after another.
"Chansey, use Heal Pulse."
Aven was kneeling beside a civilian whose chest had been pierced clean through, leaving a gaping wound.
First, Aven skillfully stopped the bleeding with his own hands. Then, with calm authority, he instructed Chansey to unleash her Heal Pulse.
Chansey, naturally gifted in healing, had become even more proficient after long training and guidance from Kirlia. By now, it could wield Heal Pulse with expert precision.
As the warm pink glow gathered at Chansey's palms and enveloped the man's chest, new flesh began knitting rapidly, muscle and skin reforming at a pace visible to the naked eye. Before long, the gaping hole had completely sealed.
The man stirred, eyes fluttering open in a daze, confusion etched across his face.
At this sight, the other civilians nearby erupted in cheers, voices trembling with relief. They were overjoyed to see yet another companion snatched back from death.
Had it been any other time, they would have already resigned themselves to this man's death. With such wounds, survival was impossible. Yet under Aven's hands and his Pokémon's miraculous healing, the impossible had been reversed—it was nothing short of divine intervention.
Moved by the miracle before them, the civilians bowed their heads deeply toward Aven, tears in their eyes. Truly, this man had saved far too many lives. For them, Aven was no longer just a lord—he was their savior.
Families who had been waiting in agonizing fear rushed forward to embrace their revived loved ones. Their sobs and cries of joy filled the colosseum.
"What… what happened to me?" the rescued civilian asked, still disoriented.
His family hurriedly explained through choked voices: "It was Lord Aven who saved you…"
Hearing this, the man blinked in stunned silence before finally turning his head toward Aven, who was still moving swiftly among the wounded. Gratitude filled his expression.
But before he could rise to speak, a nearby civilian stopped him quickly. "Don't disturb Lord Aven. You can thank him later."
Everyone's eyes turned toward Aven with unmasked reverence.
"Phew… that takes care of the last of the severely wounded."
Straightening his back, Aven stretched with a sigh. Though he was a man who trained regularly and kept his body strong, prolonged work treating the wounded had been exhausting. Yet thanks to his formidable mental strength, he still remained remarkably clear-headed and focused.
"Kir~lia"
Kirlia floated toward him, its elegant figure shimmering faintly in the air.
Just earlier, it too had been tirelessly pouring out its own Heal Pulses again and again to aid the wounded.
Compared to Grassy Terrain, which excelled at wide coverage and stabilizing many people at once, Heal Pulse was far more potent for deep treatment. Especially when dealing with those suffering mental and emotional trauma, Heal Pulse was immeasurably effective.
Of course, if Petilil had chosen to pour her grass energy directly into healing, the results would have been on an entirely different level. But such methods consumed her energy too quickly and could not be sustained for long.
"You've done wonderfully, Kirlia." Aven smiled warmly as he scooped Kirlia into his arms.
His eyes then drifted toward Petilil in the distance. The little one was patiently helping Drapion and Nidoking recover from their own brutal injuries.
In the recent battle, the leaders of the Drapion and Nidoking tribes had given everything they had. Drapion, in particular, had suffered terribly—both of its deadly stingers atop its head had been torn completely off in its last desperate strike.
The memory replayed vividly in Aven's mind: Drapion driving its stingers deep into Garchomp's flesh, even at the cost of mutilating itself. The sight stirred a pang of heartache within him.
"Drapion… from now on, I'll be counting on you." Taking a deep breath, Aven finally gave full recognition to the Drapion leader. From this day forward, he would treat it as one of his own treasured Pokémon.
"Lil! Lil!"
Petilil's body glowed with overflowing life energy, pouring into Drapion's wounds.
Fortunately, Drapion's regenerative abilities were robust. Given time, its stingers would grow back. Already, fresh pink flesh was wriggling at the severed ends, though it would take patience before they fully regenerated.
"Draa!"
Drapion growled deeply, its fierce eyes softening as it turned back to express gratitude to Petilil.
"Lil!"
Petilil waved its tiny arms dismissively, chirping happily. No thanks were needed—they were all family now.
"Nido~ Nido~ Nido~"
Not far away, Nidoking was sprawled across the ground, catching his breath. His wounds were lighter than Drapion's, which was why Petilil had prioritized Drapion first. Basic treatment was done; the rest, Nidoking could recover from on his own.
Yet Nidoking's eyes gleamed as it stared at its own hands. Over and over, it replayed in its mind the sensation of that one devastating strike—when it fused poison energy with ground energy, unleashing power unlike anything it had known before.
That single attack had made it feel the unmistakable touch of king-level strength.
It was certain: once it fully mastered this fusion of energies, it too would break through and become king-level!
The thought filled it with giddy excitement. For the first time, pain no longer seemed to matter—it chuckled foolishly to itself. King-level! It was finally within reach!
"It seems Nidoking's condition is quite good." Aven allowed himself a relieved smile. He didn't disturb it.
Then, he suddenly reached into his pocket and withdrew a Poké Ball. "Petilil, come over and treat Garchomp first."
The moment his words fell, the atmosphere grew heavier.
All of his Pokémon tensed.
Immediately after the battle had ended, Aven had captured the fallen Garchomp within a Poké Ball. And now, seeing him preparing to release it, none of his companions could stay calm.
After all, this was a king-level Pokémon —a creature of unimaginable destructive power.
They instinctively gathered closer, ready to act at the first sign of danger.
"Alright, there's no need to be so nervous."
Aven's voice was steady, reassuring.
"Yes, Garchomp had been our enemy just moments ago… but that was only because it was under the control of the mist."
Aven comforted the few Pokémon still standing in the arena, then led them toward the exit of the colosseum. Even though he spoke as if everything was fine, he remained cautious—after all, being careful was always necessary.
"Lass~!"
Froslass slowly revealed her form, patting her chest as if to say, with me here, there's nothing to worry about.
At that, all the Pokémon present fell into silence. Petilil, however, only pouted and curled her lips.
What's so special about a King-ranked strength? It won't be long before I break through to the King rank myself!
"Rhy!"
Rhydon, on the other hand, simply stared blankly at Froslass.
Then, without warning, it suddenly turned around and began striding toward the distant street.
In such a big city, there had to be blacksmith shops somewhere. Its whole body was feeling itchy, craving the tempering of hammer and flame! Just as well—it had recently perfected mastery over its move, Heat Crash. Being forged under both scorching heat and crushing weight would surely feel wonderfully satisfying.
Watching the odd atmosphere of silence settle over the arena, Aven's heart stirred. "It seems Froslass's breakthrough has touched them deeply…"
This battle had brought them great improvement as well. Once they returned, Aven planned to draft new, more advanced training regimens for each of his Pokémon.
From now on, his goal was clear: to elevate the strength of all his Pokémon to the King rank. Only then would they be able to face even more powerful enemies. The sorcerers they were destined to confront were by no means simple adversaries.
Before long, Aven left the colosseum with his Pokémon. Passing quickly through the empty streets, he headed for the outskirts of the city.
Based on Garchomp's earlier condition, he could tell that because of the black mist, it had lost much of its sanity. In such a state, the only safe option was to release it somewhere far from the city.
If Garchomp went berserk again, it would erupt into another massive battle. Aven had no confidence in being able to both fight and protect the civilians if such a thing happened inside the city walls.
He moved swiftly through the streets, and before long he arrived outside the city gates. There, he pressed the button on the Poké Ball in his hand.
Garchomp's figure slowly emerged in a flash of white light. At the moment, it was still unconscious, though the poison in its body had already been purged.
"Petilil, I'll trouble you."
Petilil nodded gently. The grass energy turn to life energy radiating from her body condensed into a glowing sphere, which floated toward Garchomp.
As the light sphere enveloped Garchomp's body, its wounds began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, rapidly knitting closed under the soft energy.
Yet, even after Petilil's treatment, Garchomp did not immediately regain consciousness.
"Hm? Could it be that its spirit has been injured?"
Aven frowned slightly, recalling the strange black miasma that had once controlled Garchomp.
Since that black fog had been able to dominate Garchomp's will, it must have been some kind of power aimed at the mind, and quite possibly left spiritual damage behind.
"Kirlia, try using Heal Pulse."
"Kir~lia!"
Kirlia nodded, her body releasing gentle waves of pink energy.
Her psychic power merged with her life energy, condensing into a radiant beam of healing light. It shot outward and wrapped around Garchomp.
Under the glow of Heal Pulse, the strained expression on Garchomp's face visibly eased.
After a few moments, Garchomp's eyes suddenly snapped open.
Clearly, Kirlia's healing had taken effect, successfully waking it.
"Grooarrr!"
Garchomp staggered to its feet in a daze, shaking its head vigorously, confusion flashing in its eyes as it looked around.
But in the very next second, countless images surged into its mind. Its pupils shrank sharply, and with a sudden movement, it leapt up into a battle stance, ready to fight.
Seeing this, Froslass instantly moved in front of Aven, ghostly energy surging from her body as she prepared to attack at any moment.
"Garchomp, calm down. It's over now—everything is already finished."
Aven quickly stopped his nervous Pokémon and began gently soothing Garchomp.
""Gar… Chomp!"
Garchomp slowly stepped back, still tense.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Sorry if the translation a bit subpar, I blame Mondays.