"Make them stop!"
Abruptly, Aven's deep, low voice rang out across the scene.
At the same time, Lilligant, Froslass, and Gardevoir at his side all released an overwhelming and terrifying aura.
In an instant, that immense pressure descended upon the Meteor City Lord and every knight present, causing their bodies to shudder violently as goosebumps rose all over their skin.
The Meteor City Lord's pupils shrank sharply. With a trembling voice, he looked at Aven beside him.
"Earl Aven… what do you mean by this?"
"Isn't my meaning clear enough?" Aven lowered his gaze, his eyelids drooping slightly. "I told you to stop. Did you not hear me clearly?"
This time, he actively channeled his psychic power, allowing his voice to spread far and wide so that everyone present could hear him distinctly.
"Earl Aven wants us to stop stripping the shells off the Crawdaunt?" The Meteor City Lord frowned deeply.
At this moment, he truly could not understand what Aven meant. These Crawdaunt were their spoils of war—could it be that this Earl from Aspiration City intended to seize them by force?
"Come out, Darkrai!" Aven said calmly, without offering any further explanation.
As the Poké Ball opened, Darkrai's figure appeared in midair, and waves of terrifying psychic pressure instantly spread outward in all directions!
At the very moment Darkrai manifested, everyone present felt an indescribable fear surge from the deepest part of their hearts.
"This… this is the guardian deity Darkrai!" The Meteor City Lord's trembling voice rang out.
At this moment, disbelief filled the city lord's eyes. His gaze locked onto Darkrai, and the image before him slowly overlapped with the figure engraved deep within his memories.
"Darkrai! It really is Darkrai!"
"How is this possible?! How could you possibly possess such a terrifying existence?!"
Madness seeped into the Meteor City Lord's voice. Earlier, when he witnessed this earl commanding magical beast with nearly the power of a guardian deity, he had already found it hard to believe.
And now, an actual guardian deity had appeared right before their eyes. The shock of it was simply beyond imagination!
However, before anyone could say anything more, an intense wave of drowsiness surged directly into their minds, causing their bodies to sway unsteadily.
Although Darkrai had not yet regained full consciousness, it continued to unconsciously emit its nightmare power. Ordinary beings were simply incapable of resisting such dream-inducing force.
Thud—thud—
In an instant, the knights around them collapsed one after another, their faces twisted with struggle as they were forcibly dragged into deep sleep.
At the same time, Froslass and Gardevoir beside Aven also activated their psychic power, shielding themselves from Darkrai's nightmare aura.
Relying on their formidable mental strength, resisting the nightmare power unconsciously released by Darkrai was not particularly difficult.
Before long, all the knights in the area had fallen unconscious. Only Aven and the horrified Meteor City Lord remained awake. In that moment, time itself seemed to freeze, and the surroundings fell into absolute silence.
"Thank you for your hard work. Come back now, Darkrai." Aven broke the silence, taking out a Poké Ball and recalling Darkrai.
Then his gaze shifted to the Meteor City Lord, who was retreating again and again in terror.
"I think we can have a proper conversation now."
"Earl Aven… what exactly do you want to do?" the Meteor City Lord asked, his voice trembling.
In his eyes, Aven now represented an utterly invincible existence. Four terrifying King-;eve; magical beasts, plus Darkrai— even if Meteor City exhausted all its strength, it would still be impossible to contend with such power!
"Perhaps now, you may address me as His Highness Aven," Aven paused slightly before continuing. "I forgot to tell you, I have gained Azelf's recognition and now possess the qualification to participate in the royal selection."
Upon hearing this, the Meteor City Lord's pupils contracted violently once again. Behind this man stood not one, but two guardian deities? If that were the case, there were very few cities left on the entire continent that could oppose him.
"I understand, Your Highness Aven."
"May I ask… what orders you wish to give me?"
The Meteor City Lord opened his mouth, and the last trace of pride in his heart was completely crushed. He lowered his head involuntarily and spoke with deep respect.
Though he was fiercely warlike by nature, when facing an opponent he could never hope to defeat, he naturally knew what choice to make.
"It's very simple. Submit to me. From this day forward, Meteor City will belong to Aspiration City," Aven said bluntly.
Originally, he had indeed planned to come here and discuss cooperation in good faith. However, everything he had observed along the way caused his plans to change.
And the actions of the Meteor City knight order just now had completely solidified his resolve. Meteor City, as it was now, simply could not cooperate with the Pokémon League.
The Meteor City Lord's attitude toward Pokémon made harmonious coexistence all but impossible. Moreover, the city's current development was largely built upon the slaughter and heavy labor of Pokémon.
Beyond the various sets of beast gear, there were also vast quantities of weapons crafted from the body parts of Pokémon. From a certain perspective, Meteor City was nothing more than a stronger, even more blood-soaked Ironblood Fortress, completely opposed to the goals of the Pokémon League!
At this point, the only solution Aven could think of was the same one he had used against the Ironblood Fortress in the past: destroy the old Meteor City, establish a new order, and allow the light of the Pokémon League to shine upon this land!
"What did you say?! You want to seize Meteor City from my hands?!" The Meteor City Lord suddenly raised his head.
At this moment, he had completely forgotten his fear. A surge of rage exploded within his chest as he glared furiously at Aven.
"Seize it? If that's how you wish to understand it, then you wouldn't be wrong," Aven replied calmly.
When he dealt with the Ironblood Fortress back then, his strength had been insufficient, forcing him to weaken it through trade wars first then isolating it and leaving it helpless before finally destroying it.
But now, with the power he held in his hands, and with Aspiration City itself as his backing, there was no longer any need for such complications. He could simply take it directly!
Moreover, at present, the Meteor City Lord was accompanied by only a small number of knights, sparing Aven a great deal of trouble. Otherwise, facing the entire Meteor City knight order head-on would have been extremely troublesome.
If the Meteor City Lord agreed, that would naturally be the best outcome—Aspiration City could peacefully absorb Meteor City and incorporate it into its territory.
But if he refused, then Aven would have no choice but to bring him back to Aspiration City and fabricate a pretext to directly dispatch knights to attack Meteor City!
Of course, even for Aspiration City as it was now, capturing Meteor City would require paying a considerable price. After all, the sheer number of Meteor City's knights was simply too great.
Additionally, the aftermath would be exceedingly troublesome. To the common people of Meteor City, they would be invaders, and it would take a great deal of time to change the populace's mindset.
After all, his goal in seizing Meteor City was to reform its existing system, allow more people to become Trainers, and establish the framework of the Pokémon League!
…
Author's Note:
I'd like to say a few things. As you all know, this book has already entered its latter half.
The main storyline of this novel has always been the establishment of the Pokémon League, and now that foundation is nearly complete.
When the Pokémon League is truly established, that will also be the moment this book comes to an end~
(End of Chapter)