"Lord Lucien, aren't there a lot of dangerous beasts down there?" one of the miners asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Lucien hummed thoughtfully, glancing around. The exposed veins of ore gleamed faintly under the torchlight, rough, impure, but valuable enough for what he needed.
"For crafting Poké Balls, this should be more than sufficient," he murmured.
The miners exchanged uneasy looks.
"Will those monsters come to the surface?" another asked nervously.
Lucien shook his head. "Most of the monsters down there live deep underground. As long as no one disturbs them, they're unlikely to come up."
Still, his expression darkened. The knights currently guarding the mining site were brave, but if they were to encounter a truly powerful Pokémon, even they might not be able to hold it off.
He considered sending trained handlers, but there were only two qualified trainers within his inner territory.
So, he made up his mind.
He would ask Anna and Zorua for help.
With Zorua's mastery of illusion, they could protect the miners, or at least give them enough time to escape if something dangerous appeared.
"I'll send someone to guard you shortly," Lucien said after a moment's thought.
The miners exhaled, visibly relieved.
As Lucien turned to leave with Dratini and Snivy, several of them called after him, "Please take care, Your Highness!"
He nodded briefly and departed.
The miners, still uncertain, exchanged murmurs as they returned to their work.
"Hey, Allen," one whispered, "who do you think His Highness will send to protect us?"
"No idea… probably someone from the Knights, right? They're the only ones who can actually fight those beasts."
"I hope it's Lord Ryan. With his swordsmanship, we'd be safe for sure."
"Or Lord Geralt…" another said softly.
At that name, everyone fell silent.
Last winter, Lord Geralt had led a pack of rampaging monsters away from Lucien's caravan, alone.
He hadn't returned since.
Even for someone of his strength, facing that many monsters was suicide.
"Ahh…" one miner sighed, shaking his head.
Just as the group began speculating again, they saw a small figure sprinting toward them.
"Wait, isn't that Anna?" someone blurted out.
A miner who knew her well immediately stepped forward, alarmed. "Anna! What are you doing here? It's dangerous! Go back at once!"
Anna stopped, her face flushed from running, but her eyes shone with determination.
"Lord Lucien asked me to protect you!" she declared proudly.
The miners froze.
"What?"
Lucien had sent… her?
"She's barely ten!" one of them whispered in disbelief.
But Anna's expression was unwavering.
"Zorua!" she said firmly, turning to her partner. "Let's show them what we can do!"
"Zoruaaa~!"
The small fox Pokémon padded forward, eyes glowing an eerie azure.
A ripple of psychic-like illusion energy spread from its body, invisible yet palpable.
Crack!
With a deafening boom, a boulder the size of a cart shattered into fragments, dust swirling into the air.
"Wha...?!"
The miners stumbled back, wide-eyed.
"By the gods…" one whispered. "Was that the power of a magical beast?"
But what shocked the miners even more was that Anna could command the monster beside her, just like a real beast master.
The little girl stood proudly amid the stunned miners, the soft light of the shattered boulder still gleaming in her eyes.
She smiled and asked playfully,
"So… do you believe me now?"
The miners exchanged glances, unable to speak.
In that instant, their doubt turned to awe.
This child, no, this young beast master, was someone handpicked by Lord Lucien himself.
And somehow, they suddenly felt much safer.
...
In the herb garden, Lila was busily observing the three Pokémon known as Petilil, jotting notes on parchment.
"Petilil seem timid by nature," she wrote, "but they possess a strong affinity for flowers and plants. Their diet is still unclear, though it appears they draw nourishment from sunlight, much like plants themselves."
"Lili~!"
The three Petilil danced happily among the herbs and blossoms.
As Grass-type Pokémon, they could clearly sense the rich vitality in the soil beneath their roots. Bathed in sunlight, they swayed gently, their leaves shimmering with dew, completely at ease.
The fenced garden around them provided safety and peace, no wild Pokémon prowled here, no harsh winds disturbed the flowers.
For the Petilil, it felt like paradise.
Then, noticing Lila watching them with fascination, the trio tilted their round heads curiously.
"Lili…?"
Lila smiled, rubbing her hands in anticipation.
"Hello, little ones! Could I take a closer look at one of your leaves?"
"Lili~!"
One Petilil gave a cheerful twirl, and a single green leaf drifted down from its head like a falling feather.
Lila's eyes widened as she picked it up. Almost instantly, a new leaf had sprouted in its place!
"Incredible…" she whispered.
The Petilil chirped proudly.
To them, those leaves were nothing special; if one fell, another would grow right away.
Seeing how delighted Lila was, the other two Petilil happily dropped a few of their leaves as well.
"So generous!" Lila exclaimed, momentarily taken aback before quickly bowing in gratitude.
"Thank you, Petilil! I promise I'll make good use of these!"
Gathering the precious leaves, Lila hurried back to her cabin.
To an herbalist like her, potion-making was an essential craft, one that could heal wounds and save lives.
She picked up a leaf and tasted it carefully.
A sharp bitterness filled her mouth… followed by a surge of warmth through her body.
"It really works!" she gasped. "There's genuine restorative energy in these leaves!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
She recalled old folk tales saying that a soup made from Petilil leaves could repel insects.
"If that's true," she murmured with a smile, "then this summer, we won't have to worry about mosquitoes anymore!"