At the temporary dock, the ironwood ship lay quietly at anchor.
Surrounding the vessel were numerous massive Gyarados, their enormous bodies partially rising above the sea. On the head of each Gyarados stood a knight—this was none other than the Gyarados Sea Guard of the Pokémon Domain.
After this period of development, the Pokémon Domain now possessed a total of fifty Gyarados. Coupled with the tremendous power each one wielded, this force had already begun to take shape as a formidable combat unit.
Farther out, surrounding them on the outer perimeter, were the Tentacruel. Knights and trainers stood atop their bodies as well, and compared to the Gyarados, the number of Tentacruel was far greater.
In addition to the original Tentacruel from earlier days, many Tentacool had completed their evolution during this time.
Tentacool had always existed in enormous numbers to begin with. With the focused training of Pokémon Domain trainers, even if only a very small fraction successfully evolved, their numbers still reached several hundred.
Moreover, during this period, the knights had continuously led the Tentacruel into the open seas to search for additional Tentacruel tribes, causing the size of the entire population to increase dramatically once again…
Through this gradual accumulation from all sides, the Sea Guard had expanded to nearly a thousand members—more than sufficient to escort the ironwood ship as it sailed across the ocean.
In addition to them, large numbers of Bibarel and Bidoof followed closely behind. Across the entirety of Aspiration City, the Bibarel population had already reached several tens of thousands.
Although most Bibarel and Bidoof lived around Bibarel Lake or were scattered across various regions participating in agricultural work, a considerable number of Bibarel had still joined the Knight Order.
Now, they too would serve as part of the Sea Guard, participating in the management of aquatic Pokémon breeding zones and the coastline, further strengthening the Pokémon Domain's naval power.
The Bibarel tribes, the Gyarados tribes, and the Tentacruel tribes—these were currently the most important maritime forces of the Pokémon Domain. Beyond them, the aquatic Pokémon breeding zones also gathered large numbers of other Water-type Pokémon.
However, by comparison, these other Water-type Pokémon had not yet formed sizable tribes. Only through continued reproduction and aggregation could they gradually establish stable populations within the aquatic breeding zones.
"Your Highness Aven, the Sea Guard has assembled!" Mado reported, standing atop a Gyarados.
As he looked at the knights gathered behind him, he could not help but puff out his chest with pride. The scale of his naval knight order was no longer inferior to Jorah's aerial knight corps!
"Good. Then we set off now. First, we'll head to Marina City to rendezvous with the Marina City Knight Order, and then we'll follow the coastline all the way to Meteor City," Aven said, nodding in satisfaction.
This voyage marked the first sailing of the newly completed ironwood ship, and it was also a major test for the Sea Guard. Now was the time to inspect the results of their efforts.
With his command issued, the ironwood ship majestically departed from the dock, sailing along the coastline toward Marina City.
At this moment, at the docks of Marina City, the Marina City Knight Order had likewise completed its assembly. Large numbers of Pelipper and Wingull soared through the sky, while on the ground stood knights mounted on Bibarel.
City Lord Kale stood at the front of the formation alongside his Empoleon. He had already received word that Prince Aven would arrive today aboard the newly launched ironwood ship and would then lead them on their first long-distance voyage.
Behind him, the knights all wore expressions of excitement. Ever since experiencing the spring plowing and seeing the successfully cultivated fields, their hearts had been filled with hope and motivation. They were more than willing to follow Prince Aven wherever he led.
Beyond these knights, Marina City now also possessed a large number of patrol members and newly trained forest rangers.
Ever since the construction of the Pokémon breeding zones and Pokémon breeding houses, the common people of Marina City had begun interacting with Pokémon. Almost instantly, they were captivated by Pokémon power and became trainers themselves.
According to the records of the Marina City Trainer Association, Marina City already had over a thousand civilian trainers, and that number was still increasing at a very rapid pace.
Even for those who did not wish to become knights, simply becoming a trainer brought tremendous convenience to daily life. The Pokémon Domain had already proven this beyond doubt—Marina City merely needed to follow the same path.
"City Lord Kale, His Highness has arrived!" At this moment, the captain of the Marina City Knight Order suddenly spoke.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the distant coastline. The first thing they saw were more than ten massive Gyarados, their huge bodies towering several meters above the sea surface.
These Gyarados looked ferocious and intimidating, but under the command of their trainers, they were disciplined and orderly, calmly protecting the trainers atop them and the ship sailing behind.
"So that's Gyarados… It's really hard to imagine this evolved from a Magikarp," Kale said with a sigh, quickly stepping forward to greet them.
Seeing this, Aven teleported down from the ship and appeared before Kale to exchange greetings. He was extremely satisfied with the voyage they had just completed.
"Greetings, Your Highness Aven. The Marina City Knight Order is fully prepared and ready to depart at any time!" Kale knelt on one knee in salute.
"Rise, Lord Kale," Aven said, helping him up.
His gaze then shifted to the knights and trainers behind Kale. He was somewhat surprised by the current scale of Marina City's trainer population.
It was clear that the Pokémon League was developing exceptionally well in Marina City. After all, establishing the Pokémon League directly within an entire city was far easier than operating it as just part of the Pokémon Domain within Aspiration City.
As long as City Lord Kale issued an order, the entire Marina City could mobilize rapidly. There were no obstacles in this process at all—the efficiency was truly on another level.
"Then let's set off. This trip to Stark Island will require your hard work," Aven said.
Hearing this, Kale saluted once more. "The Marina City Knight Order is honored to serve you."
Afterward, Aven brought Kale back aboard the ironwood ship. With the Marina City Knight Order joining the long-distance expedition, the fleet once again set sail, moving in grand formation toward Meteor City.
At this moment, the Lord of Meteor City was in an extremely complicated state of mind. If possible, he would naturally have liked to claim Heatran for himself. But now, everything had slipped beyond his control, and this left him deeply uncomfortable.
However, it was clear that matters had already exceeded his expectations. Facing an existence he could not possibly defeat—and with his very life held firmly in the other party's grasp—the only thing he could do was comply.
Of course, this did not stop him from seeking ways to elevate his own standing. As long as he could contribute during this operation to subdue Heatran, he believed he could still obtain what he desired.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, he saw the Pokémon Domain's knight order appear along the distant coastline. This time, as a believer of Heatran, he too would follow them to the Stark Mountains to seek the god they worshipped.
(End of Chapter)