"That Crobat… that's the evolved form of Golbat—it's the beast belonging to that traitor!"
Shaco's eyes locked firmly onto the Crobat soaring through the skies. He recognized that Pokémon immediately, for he knew it all too well!
It was precisely because of Crobat that the vice-captain of the Ironblood Fortress' Knight Order had chosen to defect. That man had since been placed on the capture list of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild.
And the reason he was to be captured rather than executed was simple—he likely held the secret method of evolving Golbat into Crobat. This was a technique the Ironblood Fortress was determined to seize no matter the cost!
"Captain Shaco, quickly! Take the remaining beast and break through—I'll stay behind to hold off the pursuers!" one of the assassins said through gritted teeth, his expression dark and ugly.
But Shaco only gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh. "Escape? And where exactly can we possibly run to?"
His gaze swept across the battlefield around them. Everywhere he looked, magical beasts were collapsing one after another. Defeat was already an inevitable outcome!
"But… but even so, we still have to try!" the assassin urged, his face filled with anxious desperation.
Yet before he could even finish speaking, a sudden, searing pain exploded from his back. His eyes dropped to see the tip of a sword bursting out from his chest.
With great difficulty, he turned his head, only to see that the one who had stabbed him was none other than his own captain. Shaco stood behind him, gripping the hilt of a gleaming longsword that had pierced straight through his loyal subordinate's body!
"Captain… why?" The assassin's eyes widened with disbelief, unable to comprehend.
Shaco met the gaze of his faithful follower, his own expression twisted into another bitter laugh. Without hesitation, he yanked the sword free, then immediately swung it toward another assassin beside him!
"Murkrow—kill them!"
The instant his command was given, the Murkrow perched on his shoulder suddenly lunged. Its talons, sharp as blades, tore straight into the body of yet another assassin standing nearby!
"Ah! Captain Shaco, why?!"
Screams of agony rang out one after another. Shaco, with sword in hand, joined forces with Murkrow to slaughter his own comrades.
One by one, the assassins fell beneath his blade. When at last the final comrade lay dead, Shaco stood trembling, his sword still gripped tightly in his hands, both arms quivering uncontrollably.
Then, in a single motion, he raised the sword and pressed it against his own neck. With one heavy slash, crimson blood spurted out violently!
"Caw—caw—caw—caw!"
As its master's body slowly collapsed to the ground, Murkrow let out a string of sorrowful cries toward the sky.
Then, with a sudden beat of its wings, it shot into the air, charging straight toward a distant Yanma with unstoppable determination!
Silence fell over the battlefield. The only sound left was the steady dripping of blood that dyed the grass beneath into a deep, ghastly crimson.
"…He committed suicide."
From afar, Aven stood wordlessly, watching the scene of self-slaughter unfold.
It was painfully clear that, once they realized defeat was certain, the assassin captain had chosen to take his own life along with his subordinates.
And the reason was obvious—he would rather die than allow any secrets they carried to be exposed. After all, each assassin bore countless lives upon their hands.
If their information were to leak, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild behind them would face utter ruin, hounded endlessly by the vengeance of the families and friends of all those victims.
Meanwhile, deeper in the forest, Sutter, Peter, and the other knights advanced rapidly, their faces etched with urgency.
At first, they had not known of Aven's plan. Only after he entered the Black Forest did word finally reach them.
When they first read the strategy Aven had written, all of them were utterly stunned.
Had they known earlier, they would never have permitted Aven to enter the Black Coast Forest alone.
Even if his plan had a hundred percent chance of success, they would not have allowed him to shoulder the risk. The possible consequences were simply too great to bear!
"Faster! Everyone, faster!"
"Split into two groups—one to search for the assassins, and the rest follow me to find Lord Aven!"
Sutter bellowed commands, riding his Rhyhorn straight through the dense forest, its armored body forcing open a path where none existed.
"So, this… is what a battlefield looks like?"
"Such intensity! Only advanced-level Pokémon could have caused this scale of destruction!"
As they pressed deeper, the knights saw from afar the terrible traces of battle. Their eyes narrowed sharply.
Yet even as shock churned in their hearts, their pace never faltered. The sounds of combat still echoed faintly in the distance, urging them onward.
But when they finally reached the battlefield itself, every one of them froze. Their eyes fell upon the blood-soaked meadow, littered with the bodies of assassins.
"…It seems we came too late." Sutter exhaled slowly.
Drawing his gaze back from the field of crimson, he swept his eyes across the surroundings.
By now, the Mightyena pack that had arrived earlier had already finished off the remaining foes and surrounded Lord Aven protectively.
And when Sutter saw the large number of Pokémon at Aven's side, he paused in surprise. He hadn't expected that Lord Aven had brought all of his Pokémon with him.
Earlier, when Mado and the others reported that he had only taken a few, Sutter had been beside himself with worry. But now, it was clear—Lord Aven had already prepared thoroughly in advance!
"Pay respects to Lord Aven!" The knights dismounted and saluted in unison.
Seeing that Aven bore no injuries, Sutter, Peter, and the rest all breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness—he had returned safely. Had anything happened to him, they would never have been able to face the villagers of Fruitvale Village again.
"You've all worked hard." Meeting their anxious gazes, Aven gave them a reassuring smile.
The knights opened their mouths as if to speak, but in the end, swallowed their words.
"Lord Aven… please, do not take such risks again next time." Sutter sighed heavily.
Aven nodded immediately. "Rest assured, I won't take such a risk again."
In truth, this time had been dangerous—even though he had prepared contingencies with Nidoking and Ralts.
That quasi-king-level Spiritomb had indeed exceeded his expectations. Of course, in the end it had only made things somewhat risky.
Unless he encountered a true king-class magical beast, with his full force assembled, there was no way he could truly be trapped. If he wished to retreat, none could stop him.
"Now comes the aftermath—the cleanup."
"This time, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild truly went all-out to assassinate me."
"Search the Black Coast Forest thoroughly. Do not let a single assassin escape."
The knights all gave solemn nods and led their Mightyena packs to sweep through the woods.
With Fruitvale Village's Knight Order encircling the forest on all sides, not a single enemy could possibly escape!
"…Find a white cloth. Cover the corpses." Aven's gaze lingered on the fallen assassins, and he sighed.
Originally, he had intended to capture them alive and extract information about the Ironblood Fortress and the Guild. That had been part of his plan.
But he had not expected their captain's resolve to be so absolute. To prevent him from gaining even a shred of intel, he had chosen death itself.
Now, even if he brought their existence before the Tribunal, the Ironblood Fortress and the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild would simply disavow any ties to them.
Still, this did not derail his long-term plans. Not every battle required a definitive outcome. Sometimes, the mere exposure of these assassins' identities was already a heavy warning.
The loss of such an elite secret unit, and especially that quasi-king-class Spiritomb, was a devastating blow to the Guild!
"Sutter, how is the situation in the village?" Aven asked.
"Please rest assured, Lord Aven," Sutter replied respectfully.
"We've already apprehended every spy on the list you provided. And before we left for the Black Coast Forest, I had the Combee swarm put the village under strict guard. No one will dare stir up trouble inside."
Hearing this, Sutter felt a surge of admiration. Lord Aven had clearly laid out his plans long in advance.
This battle was a resounding victory. The Gilded Fang Merchant Guild had fallen straight into his trap, without the ability to resist!
"Good. But from here on, we must tread even more carefully."
"The true counterattack begins now. Between us and the Ironblood Fortress, only one side will remain standing in the end!"
At his words, every knight's expression grew solemn. Their conflict with the Ironblood Fortress had already reached the point of no return.
…
Fruitvale Village farm.
Upon returning, Aven released his Pokémon from their Poké Balls.
For them, this battle had been nothing short of grueling.
Even the heavily armored Rhydon and Torterra, renowned for their defenses, were covered in wounds.
And Nidoking, who had unleashed power beyond his limits in the quasi-king battle, remained unconscious.
"You've all worked hard. Now, get some proper rest." Aven moved among them, soothing each Pokémon in turn.
Hearing his words, the Pokémon all responded warmly. Glancing at one another, they exchanged smiles. The bond between them felt closer than ever after such a fierce fight.
"Lil, lil!"
Of course, Petilil was the one exception.
At that moment, it was focused entirely on healing the unconscious Nidoking, while Nidorino and Nidorina hovered nearby, faces full of worry.
"Lil, lil!"
Petilil reassured them softly as streams of life energy poured continuously into Nidoking's body.
That desperate final move had placed an enormous burden on him—on top of the strain from wielding the Life Orb's power.
The stronger a Pokémon, the greater the toll of channeling the Life Orb. Toward the end of the battle, Nidoking had been fighting mostly by consuming his own life energy to sustain it.
Now, Petilil's role was to replenish him, restoring his life force before permanent harm was done.
"…Hah." Aven exhaled deeply. "Since my Pokémon are all giving their best, I cannot fall behind."
He sat down at the wooden table in the courtyard, where a stack of notebooks awaited him. They contained detailed training records, and now, after this battle, he had even more valuable data to add.
Among the items on the table sat a special incubator, within which a Chansey egg floated gently.
Perhaps sensing the cheerful atmosphere around it, the egg bobbed up and down as though eager to join the other Pokémon in their joy.
"Ralts, Ralts~"
Ralts, seated at the table, patted the egg lightly to calm it.
Then it rested its chin on its hand, watching the wounded Pokémon being healed. Its eyes held a trace of longing.
Though it had participated in the battle and served as Aven's final safeguard, playing a crucial role, it still felt regretful that it had not been able to join the fight directly.
In truth, it knew the reason—it was still too weak. Battles of that scale were only suited for advanced-level Pokémon.
I must reach advanced-level as soon as possible, Ralts resolved inwardly, closing its eyes and sinking into deep meditation.
For Psychic-type Pokémon, mental strength was the foundation of all power. And the fastest way to cultivate that strength was through relentless meditation.
(End of Chapter)