Meanwhile, atop Marina's city walls, ragged soldiers stood huddled in the freezing wind. Their faces were blue from the cold, but they still clutched their bows tightly, firing arrows down again and again.
Below them, a mass of ravenous magical beast swarmed at the walls, roaring and striking the stone. Some capable of using moves spat bursts of energy that blasted against the fortifications, shaking the entire wall with booming force.
Amid the chaos, the beasts began turning on each other as well—different species fighting and biting one another in violent confusion.
"Never thought I'd see the day Marina City itself would be besieged by magical beast…" one of the officials muttered bitterly, watching the scene from atop the wall.
In the past, these wild magical beasts would never have been able to reach the very gates of Marina City. But now, the soldiers had no choice but to rely on the mutual slaughter among the magical beasts outside the walls just to barely hold on.
The thick city walls might still offer them a semblance of safety, but all they could do was cower behind those walls like frightened turtles, trembling in fear as they hid away from the chaos outside.
Their eyes then turned toward the defenders atop the battlements. At this moment, Marina City couldn't even muster a complete knight squad—such a thing was downright ironic.
As they thought of the new lord who had taken away all of Marina City's knights, the officials' faces darkened. This new lord, they thought bitterly, cared nothing for the city's safety or its people.
Their minds couldn't help but drift back to the former lord, Lord Kale. In comparison, Kale had always put the wellbeing of Marina City's citizens first. Even during the harshest winters, when he refused to march to war, it was because he prioritized the lives of his people above all else.
The officials silently recalled all that Marina City had gone through over the past half year. Enormous quantities of supplies had been poured into the war effort, leaving the common folk struggling to find even enough to eat.
And now, this was only the beginning. They couldn't even imagine how many civilians would die from hunger and cold before winter's end.
If only Lord Kale were still here, they thought bitterly. This never would have happened.
Even if Kale couldn't make Marina City prosperous overnight, at the very least, he could have ensured his people were fed and warm—and that alone had been a great achievement.
Back then, Marina City had just begun to improve, to thrive again. So why had the knights rebelled? Why did they drive Lord Kale away? Was attacking Aspiration City really so important that it justified all this?
The more desperate things became, the more everyone in the city longed for their old lord. People fear comparison the most—once they remembered how wise and kind Lord Kale had been, the new Lord, Hill's incompetence seemed all the more unbearable.
"PELLL! PEEELLL!"
Just as the nobles were gazing gloomily at the battle below, a sudden bird cry echoed through the air.
They looked up to see a Pelipper soaring toward the city from afar, and upon its back rode a scout knight.
"That's… that's a scout from the Marina Knight Order!" one official gasped in shock.
When Lord Hill had departed, he had taken every knight with him—including the airborne Pelipper unit. So why was a scout from that very unit returning here now?
Instantly, the officials' expressions turned grave. Though they harbored deep resentment toward Lord Hill for stripping the city of its defenders, they still didn't wish harm upon the Marina City Knights.
But as they looked closer, they realized that the Pelipper was injured—its feathers ragged, its flight sluggish and labored. A dreadful premonition filled their hearts. Could it be… that this knight was fleeing back here?
Flapping its short wings with difficulty, the plump bird finally reached the city and descended clumsily onto the square. The knight leapt off its back, gasping for breath.
"Scribe! My lord Scribe!" he shouted between pants. "His Highness Aven… His Highness Aven is coming!"
The officials stared blankly for a moment, the words taking time to register. Then the Scribe lunged forward, grabbing the scout by his collar.
"What did you say?! Who is coming?!"
"His… His Highness Aven!"
For a moment, silence blanketed the ramparts. Then every official's face drained of color. Fear spread among them like wildfire as they stared at the exhausted knight, praying that fatigue had simply made him misspeak.
But that name, Aven, was far too familiar.
Ever since the disastrous defeat at Fruitvale Village, they would never forget it. And now, the Marina City Knights had marched to war against the Pokémon Domain—Aven's territory.
If what this scout said was true—that Aven himself was on his way here, then that could only mean one thing: Marina City's army had been crushed, and Aven was already pursuing them to their gates.
The realization hit like a bolt of lightning. Several officials' legs nearly gave out as panic set in. Some even considered fleeing at once.
But before they could speak, the knight hastily added, "Yes—His Highness Aven, and Lord Kale as well!"
Hearing Kale's name threw everyone into confusion again. Their frightened expressions wavered, and a hint of confusion appeared in their eyes.
The scout quickly recounted everything that had happened on the battlefield. The officials listened in stunned silence, their faces filled with disbelief.
The Sorcerer Organization had completely defeated with their tails tucked between their legs. Even Darkrai, the Pokémon said to be able to destroy an entire city by itself, had been sealed away by Aven. It was almost too much to believe.
And when they heard about Hill's betrayal and his murder of Captain Paul, silence descended once again. Now it all made sense—everything had been a conspiracy orchestrated by Hill and the Sorcerers Organization!
Finally, when the knight explained that both Lord Kale and the Marina City Knights had recognized Aven as the new Lord of Marina City, every official exchanged glances, their hearts heavy with mixed emotions.
Aven was, after all, the ruler of the Pokémon Domain—a noble of Aspiration City. Did this mean that Marina City had already been annexed into Aspiration's domain?
None of them could have imagined it—after years of defiance against Aspiration City, Marina City had ultimately fallen into its hands. Yet, at this point, there was nothing they could do about it.
"And also…" the knight went on, his tone growing excited, "His Highness Aven has brought an enormous amount of supplies with him!"
"With these supplies, the citizens of Marina City will be able to survive the winter!"
At that, the officials' grim faces suddenly brightened with surprise and relief.
Just moments ago, they had been agonizing over how the people would survive the cold months ahead—and now, it seemed that problem had already been solved.
As they processed this revelation, many of them felt their resistance toward Aven melt away. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing for him to rule Marina City after all.
They had all heard rumors of how swiftly the Pokémon Domain had developed under Aven's leadership. If Marina City could flourish like that too… maybe this was actually a blessing in disguise.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
While the officials were still wrestling with their thoughts, the ground began to tremble.
They turned toward the horizon—and saw a great host approaching at high speed.
At the front of the formation ran countless Bibarels, large and sturdy, carrying crates of cargo. Behind them came Bidoofs and the knights of Marina City—alive and largely unscathed.
The officials sighed in relief.
The magical beasts besieging the walls below had noticed the approaching force as well and began roaring, rushing toward the incoming army.
But compared to the disciplined Marina City Knights, their numbers were insignificant. Within moments, the tide of beasts was pushed back, many sent flying by the powerful Water Gun attacks unleashed by the Bibarel.
"Don't use excessive force," Aven commanded calmly. "Just incapacitate them."
The knights nodded and obeyed.
Then Aven, riding beside Kale, advanced along the newly cleared path straight toward Marina City. The gates, which had been barred moments before, swung open. A handful of weary knights emerged to greet them.
At the sight of Kale leading the way, they immediately dismounted and knelt on one knee.
"Welcome home, Lord Kale!" they cried. "Our lord has returned at last!"
Behind them, the city officials hurried forward, their faces filled with emotion. Even the nobles who had once sided against Kale now looked deeply conflicted.
Kale glanced around at the familiar faces, then gave a faint, carefree smile. "The past is the past. Let it stay that way."
He then gestured to Aven beside him. "This is His Highness Aven. After I left Marina City, it was he who saved me."
The officials froze.
His Highness? they thought in shock.
In all of Sinnoh, only three people had ever been granted the divine recognition necessary to bear that title. Yet here stood a fourth.
Their minds instantly leapt to the rumor the knight had mentioned—Aven had sealed Darkrai with his own power. Could it be that he had been acknowledged by that legendary Pokémon itself?
If so, then this man before them was not just a noble—he was someone touched by the divine.
Awed, the officials and nobles dropped to one knee in unison. "We pay our respects to Your Highness Aven!"
Aven nodded slightly. "Please, rise. Let's head inside first. Clear an area where the supplies can be stored."
"Yes, Your Highness!" the officials replied, quickly leading Aven and Kale through the gates.
Upon entering the city, Aven immediately noticed the makeshift tents erected across the main square.
Huddled together before them were countless gaunt-faced citizens, their bodies pressed close to share warmth. The scene was one of utter misery.
"Lord Kale," the scribe said softly, "these are the refugees from the surrounding villages. When the knights marched to war, they took nearly all the supplies with them. There's very little food left in the city."
Kale's eyes dimmed with sorrow, but he nodded. "You've done well, keeping them alive until now." He then turned to Aven.
Aven took one look at the pitiful tents and spoke decisively. "We'll open the castle district."
The words struck everyone like a thunderbolt.
"The… the castle district?"
That was the nobles' residential area, strictly off-limits to commoners and serfs—and Aven wanted to open it to the commoners?
The officials were stunned. None of them had ever even dared to imagine such a thing, yet the command came effortlessly from Aven's lips. Did he truly understand what that meant?
Kale, however, only smiled knowingly. Having once been a commoner himself, Aven's way of thinking was unlike that of any aristocrat—something Kale had realized long ago.
"What are you standing around for?" Kale barked, snapping the officials from their daze. "Do as His Highness commands!"
Still in disbelief, they scrambled to obey, though inwardly they were still reeling.
"Also," Aven added, "inform everyone in the city to gather at the castle square. Marina City will distribute winter relief supplies there."
The officials visibly relaxed at that, their eyes turning toward the gate once more—where a long line of Bibarel and Bidoof were steadily carrying crates into the city.
Following them, Aven led the Pokémon toward the castle district. Once inside, the Bibarel and Bidoof let out weary but contented cries—they had finally returned home.
(End of Chapter)