The enormous body of the Torterra moved forward, grass-type energy surging and condensing in front of it to form a gigantic wooden mallet, which it then swung heavily toward the pack of Mightyena charging straight at it!
When they saw the Torterra recklessly ramming forward alone, the eyes of the Mightyenas all sharpened at once. None of them retreated in the slightest, instead lowering their heads and charging head-on to clash with the Torterra!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous collisions echoed throughout the battlefield.
The Torterra, relying only on its own massive frame, was actually able to hold off the Mightyenas charging at it all at once, and it was standing firm, not being pushed back in the least!
"It stopped them… This Torterra, how can it possibly be this strong?!"
From a distance, the assassins who were watching the scene couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock. The terrifying combat power displayed by the Torterra left them dazed and momentarily stupefied.
But wait—this was clearly not the time to be marveling at Torterra's strength! What they should really be asking themselves was: why had this Torterra, along with that Rhydon, suddenly appeared here on the battlefield in the first place?!
Their gazes soon shifted toward Aven—or rather, the strange ball-like object—in Aven's hand. It seemed that the Torterra and Rhydon had been released from that very sphere just moments ago!
"He possesses some kind of method to summon magical beasts! Don't hesitate—everyone, attack together and kill him!"
One of the assassins gritted his teeth and barked out the command. At the same time, a Luxray at his side suddenly burst forward with lightning speed.
This Luxray was not an ordinary beast—it had already reached the level of a quasi-advanced magical beast, and it was the assassin's personal trump card. As it sprinted, electricity crackled and danced wildly across its body, arcs of current wrapping around it like living serpents.
Zzzzt—Zzzzt—Zzzzt!
Sparks crackled furiously, and in the blink of an eye, a jagged bolt of electricity shot out, tearing through the air and streaking straight toward Aven!
But just as the electric blast was about to strike Aven, a sudden flash of white light erupted in front of him. From within that flash, the form of a Luxio appeared, materializing to shield its trainer!
"Meooowrrr!"
The Luxio let out a fierce growl, bracing itself as it directly absorbed the lightning attack head-on!
The electricity surged across its body but did not harm it—instead, under the effects of the move Charge, the Luxio drew the electrical energy into itself, its fur standing on end as currents flared brightly and swelled in intensity. Its aura of electricity grew even stronger, doubling in ferocity!
Zzzzt—Zzzzt—Zzzzt!
Fixing its sharp eyes on the Luxray in the distance, Luxio crouched low, its body sinking like a predator ready to pounce. In the next instant, it transformed into a streak of lightning, dashing forward at astonishing speed!
Its movements were incredibly fast—faster than the eye could follow—and as it ran, the electricity around it built up, spreading outward with violent intensity. The very air filled with the explosive crackling of thunder as the sound of pop-pop-pop rang out in all directions.
"Another magical beast appearing out of nowhere?!"
The assassin who had ordered his Luxray to attack clenched his teeth in frustration.
Just as he was reaching for his crossbow to join the fight personally, a sudden whistling sound roared from behind him.
The next moment, he felt his body abruptly lifted into the air, followed by a searing, tearing pain exploding across his back. The agony was so intense that his consciousness was torn away in an instant.
"Watch out!"
It was only then that his companions' warning cries rang out—but far too late.
The other assassins could only watch helplessly as their comrade's body was hurled across the air, blood splattering through the sky before he crashed down limply, lifeless.
Their horrified eyes snapped toward the source, and there they saw it: a Mothim hovering in midair. The razor-sharp wind blade from before—it had come from this Mothim's attack!
Having struck its target, the Mothim's form blurred again, melting seamlessly back into the surroundings until it was completely invisible.
"Be on your guard! It's a Mothim capable of turning invisible!"
The assassins jolted as if struck by lightning themselves, quickly regrouping and drawing closer together in a defensive formation.
"Awooo—Awooo—Awooo!"
The Mightyensa howled relentlessly, hackles raised. Their noses twitched as they tried to sniff out the hidden foe, but no matter how they searched, the Mothim seemed to have vanished completely.
"Don't panic. That Mothim isn't particularly strong."
"Leave two Mightyena to stand guard. As for the rest, release all your beasts—we need to finish this battle as quickly as possible!"
At the assassin's order, not only the Mightyena but also a swarm of Golbat from above swooped into the fray.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The air filled with the sound of wings. The Golbats flapped furiously, sending down a barrage of slicing Air Cutters that rained toward Aven.
At this moment, Aven had no flying Pokémon to rely on, so his only defense was the grass shield conjured by Petilil, which lashed upward desperately to intercept the storm of blades.
"Ralts—use Teleport!"
Ralts nodded, its body glowing with a soft blue light as it wrapped both itself and Aven within its psychic aura.
In the blink of an eye, their figures vanished from the battlefield. When they reappeared, they were already hidden deep within the forest.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the same time, the rain of Air Cutters slammed into the ground where they had stood, leaving the terrain below scarred and riddled with countless gashes.
Now within the forest's cover, Aven immediately drew out two more Poké Balls and released Vileplume and Tangrowth.
Both of these Pokémon were absolute rulers of the forest environment. The moment they appeared, green light enveloped their bodies, and they immediately began to manipulate the surrounding vegetation!
From afar, the Golbat, realizing their targets had disappeared, swooped down in pursuit. They unleashed another round of Air Slashes, howling through the forest canopy—but this time, the dense trees shielded against the onslaught.
"TANG!"
Tangrowth let out a guttural roar, its vines writhing.
Green light surged from its body as it used Growth, empowering itself.
All at once, the trees of the forest began to grow wildly. Thick vines snaked up the trunks and lashed violently toward the Golbat above.
The ambush was too sudden. One of the Golbat had no time to evade and was whipped mercilessly, smashed out of the sky and sent crashing down!
"Petilil—use Energy Ball!"
At once, Petilil raised its arms, gathering grass energy between its hands. A glowing orb condensed and shot upward like a comet.
The Energy Ball soared into the air before detonating among the flock of Golbat, erupting with explosive force. Those caught at the center of the blast were hurled aside, wings tattered and cries echoing through the forest canopy.
Meanwhile, Rhydon and Torterra, fighting side by side, had slowly pulled back until they stood near the forest's edge.
Soothing green light enveloped them, rapidly mending their wounds. Already immensely powerful to begin with, the two Pokémon were now quickly regaining full strength.
"Tangrowth—use Growth again!"
Once more, Tangrowth pulsed with green light, channeling strengthening energy into both Rhydon and Torterra.
Empowered, the two titans exchanged a glance and then surged forward again to meet the charging Mightyena head-on. Rhydon even found time to launch a deadly Rock Blast into the sky, scattering the Golbat further.
"The aerial forces are being countered too?!"
The assassins exchanged grim looks and quickly sent more of their own beasts charging into the forest after Aven. At the same time, they raised their crossbows, loosing volleys of arrows in his direction—but at best, these arrows could only serve as auxiliary pressure.
Bzzzt!
Just then, the Mothim reappeared once more.
The two Mightyena left behind immediately wheeled around, baring their fangs as they lunged straight at it!
"Moth!"
The Mothim flapped frantically, wings carrying it upward. At the same time, it clutched a peculiar ball in its hands, releasing a burst of radiant light that the assassins instantly recognized.
A flash erupted on the ground, and from the glow emerged the towering form of a Bibarel!
"Biii!"
Bibarel appeared with a fierce glint in its eyes.
Its body exuded an overwhelming power as it threw itself against the two Mightyena charging its way.
Boom!
The impact thundered.
For a brief moment they locked in a stalemate—but then, both Mightyena were smashed away like ragdolls, sent sprawling heavily to the ground!
Though the pair were already close to the advanced level, they were still no match for Bibarel, who had undergone rigorous training under a knight order. Even among advanced-level Pokémon, this Bibarel's strength was top-tier!
"Biii!"
Having hurled them aside, Bibarel's eyes locked onto the assassins in the distance.
Its gaze glinted with killing intent before its jaws opened wide, unleashing a surging Hydro Pump that roared forward and crashed mercilessly into one of the assassins!
The overwhelming torrent struck with such force that the man couldn't even resist. He felt as though his organs were being shattered by the sheer pressure.
Boom!
His body slammed brutally into a massive tree, blood spraying from his mouth as he collapsed limply at its base, life draining from him.
"That Bibarel… it's also at an advanced-level beast!"
The assassins' faces turned pale with dread.
In the battlefield now, this Earl Aven had already revealed five advanced-level magical beast!
And to think—they, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, had scraped together the entire might of their organization just to field five advanced-level magical beast in total.
Yet this so-called commonner-born earl already possessed five of his own—by himself! His strength was simply terrifying!
But this was not the time to dwell on shock. Right now, they were staring death in the face—a single misstep meant instant annihilation under the claws and fangs of an advanced-level beast!
Thinking this, the assassins quickly drew daggers, their eyes wary as they glared at Bibarel in the distance. The Pokémon, seeing their masters under attack, were now rushing frantically back to defend them.
"Awooo—Awooo—Awooo!"
The two battered Mightyena, despite their injuries, charged again at Bibarel.
"Biii!"
Bibarel ignored them completely.
Instead, it stomped down hard, water bursting beneath its feet as its body shot forward like a cannonball.
This was Aqua Jet—a move Aven had specially focused on teaching Bibarel recently, dramatically boosting its close-combat ability.
Bibarel's natural affinity for Water-type moves had always been strong, which was why its former knight trainer had focused on raising attacks like Hydro Pump.
But while Hydro Pump was a special attack, a Bibarel's strengths lay in physical attack and speed. Aqua Jet, on the other hand, was a perfect fit—bolstering both its speed and offensive power at once!
As water sprayed in its wake, Bibarel's body blurred from sight. The next instant, it reappeared directly before an assassin, ramming into him with crushing force.
With a scream, the man was hurled away, blood gushing violently as his body tumbled across the ground.
Without sparing a glance, Bibarel continued its relentless charge toward the other assassins. Blue flashes streaked again and again across the battlefield, and one after another, assassins were flung aside, broken and bleeding.
At this moment, Bibarel became the true assassin among assassins. Against an advanced-level Pokémon, mere humans were fragile as paper—utterly incapable of resistance.
(End of Chapter)