At that very moment, by the Fair River, Aven had just received the rangers' urgent report.
"Hm? A disturbance inside Drapion's territory?"
"Did something intrude into their lands… or is this a case of infighting among their own tribe?"
Aven's brows furrowed with doubt. By all logic, with a quasi-king level Drapion as their leader, such a thing should have been impossible.
But since trouble had indeed broken out, he could not afford to ignore it. The destructive potential of a quasi-king tribe's rampage was far too great!
He swiftly recalled all of his Pokémon into their Poké Balls, then turned his gaze to Ralts.
"Ralts, Teleport!"
In the blink of an eye, Aven vanished from where he stood. The next moment, he reappeared before a swampy marshland.
Without pause, Ralts triggered Teleport again. This time, they materialized directly at the outskirts of Drapion's territory.
After so much training and meditation, Ralts's strength had improved dramatically. It was now capable of chaining multiple uses of Teleport in succession without strain.
"DRAAA!"
Just as Aven arrived outside the Skorupi King's territory, a deep roar suddenly echoed out.
"Ralts~"
The small figure of Ralts floated quietly at Aven's side.
At this moment, the little horn on its head trembled slightly. Its expression changed as it picked up on the emotions carried within that roar—there was unmistakable anger hidden inside it.
Right now, the Drapion seemed to be engaged in a battle, and judging from the fluctuations Ralts sensed, it appeared to be at a disadvantage.
"DRAAA!"
Another furious roar broke through the air, but this time, the cry carried a trace of shrill desperation within it!
"What on earth is happening inside the Drapion's territory?" Aven's expression grew heavy and serious.
From the roars alone, one could tell—the Drapion were enduring a bitter struggle!
But Drapion were supposed to be the absolute overlords of this poisonous domain. What could possibly be pushing even them to such a state?
"Should I go in and take a look?" Aven's eyes flickered with thought.
His gaze lowered to the belt fastened around his waist, where more than a dozen Poké Balls hung.
This time, he had come here with the intention of thoroughly exploring and breaking new ground within the Black Coast Forest. For that reason, he had brought along all of his Pokémon companions.
It was just unfortunate that the Nidoking leader was not by his side. If it were here, he would not even need to hesitate—he would have charged in immediately without a second thought.
"Ralts, are you able to manage it?" he asked.
Hearing his words, Ralts immediately nodded, indicating that it was still capable of using Teleport.
"Good. Then we'll go in and take a look. If danger arises, we'll rely on Teleport to retreat."
Having made his decision, Aven tossed out several Poké Balls. From within, Vileplume, Nidorino, and Nidorina emerged, three Poison-type Pokémon joining at his side.
As soon as they entered the range of the dense poison fog, Petilil immediately activated Aromatherapy, releasing waves of fragrance that dispelled and blocked out the toxic miasma, ensuring Aven was not eroded by the poisonous haze.
…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meanwhile, at the very heart of Drapion territory—
Empoleon was wrapped in surging currents of water. With one sweep of its wing, a razor-sharp blade of water erupted outward, slicing through the air!
Boom!
The Drapion in front narrowed its pupils sharply.
The twin stingers on its tail gleamed with a sinister light as it braced itself, directly intercepting the incoming water blade head-on!
With a thunderous crash, the Drapion was blasted backward, its heavy frame forced to retreat several steps. The water blade, after colliding with such force, gradually dissipated into the air.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Empoleon panted heavily, its breaths ragged. In its eyes flickered faint traces of despair.
"Empoleon… don't mind me anymore, just run!"
From within Empoleon's embrace, Kale had unknowingly regained consciousness.
His gaze fell upon Empoleon's body, which was covered in cuts and bruises, battered almost beyond recognition. His heart filled with both gratitude and sorrow.
Even at such a time, Empoleon had not abandoned him. It stayed faithfully at his side, unwavering in its protection. That loyalty touched Kale deeply—but he no longer wanted to drag Empoleon down with him.
He could tell that Empoleon still retained considerable strength. If it tried to break through, none of the Drapion would be able to stop it. The only obstacle was himself—he was nothing but a burden.
"EMPO! LEON!"
But to Kale's plea, Empoleon roared its firm refusal.
So long as it still breathed, it would never allow these Drapion to get even one step closer to its trainer!
With a furious cry, Empoleon's beak gathered torrents of water once more. A massive Hydro Pump burst forth, blasting back several Drapion that dared to close in.
Then its body moved again, jets of water propelling its frame. Its speed abruptly spiked as it spread its shining wings, slashing down upon the Drapion before it!
Boom!
The collision rang out like a clap of thunder.
One Drapion was struck and sent hurtling through the air, its massive body flung aside as though weightless.
Facing an Empoleon that wielded the power of a true "king-class" combatant, none of the Drapion—save for their leader—could hope to withstand its strikes.
But just as Empoleon sought to push through and escape, the Drapion swarmed around once again, hemming it in, determined not to let it flee.
At the same time, the Skorupi that had gathered nearby spewed streams of venom toward Empoleon. But every droplet of poison was deflected by its steel wings, spread wide like an impenetrable shield.
"DRAAA!"
At last, the Drapion moved in unison.
All eight of them glowed with purple light surging from their stingers as they lunged forward in a deadly charge, their attack generating a shrieking whistle that tore through the air.
"EMPOLEON!!"
Empoleon roared defiantly in response.
From its body, a violent torrent of water erupted outward, sweeping in every direction in a crashing wave!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The currents smashed against the Drapion, forcing several of the weaker ones to stagger backward immediately.
But the stronger Drapion—those whose power had already reached the level of advanced-level—remained unshaken. Their tails gleamed with concentrated venomous light as they smashed through the water waves with brute force!
The Drapion leader, its power nearly at the threshold of king-class, reacted the fastest. With ease, it split apart the surging water and thrust its massive stinger forward, aiming straight for Empoleon!
"Empoleon!"
Empoleon slashed back in retaliation!
Steel wings and twin venomous stingers collided, locking in a deadlock mid-air!
But then, the leader's second tail suddenly rose from behind, striking like lightning and crashing heavily against Empoleon's chest!
This time, Empoleon could no longer resist—it was hurled backward with crushing force.
Spiraling through the air, Empoleon folded its wings tightly around Kale, protecting him with its body. Together, they slammed into a towering tree with a deafening crash.
"Empo…"
Gasping violently, Empoleon felt its strength drain away. A wave of weakness flooded its body all at once.
The battle had pushed it to its absolute limits. Even lifting its wings again felt impossibly heavy.
"Empoleon… please, don't worry about me anymore…" Kale bit down hard on his lip, drawing blood, his voice nearly a desperate plea.
Struggling, he crawled out of Empoleon's embrace, collapsing onto the ground. His fists clenched tightly as his gaze fixed on the Drapion closing in once more.
But in the very next instant, a looming shadow fell over him. Empoleon's battered frame once again stepped forward, tall and unyielding, shielding him as it faced down the encroaching Drapion once more.
"That's enough! I said… enough!" Kale suddenly shouted with all his might.
And as his shout rang out—
Whoosh!
A strange whistling sound split the air.
The next moment, something struck Empoleon, and Empoleon did not resist in the slightest.
A flash of red light engulfed its body, and in the blink of an eye, Empoleon transformed into a beam of crimson, sucked into the confines of an apricorn-crafted Poké Ball!
The ball shook lightly on the ground, then lay still, silent.
"What… what just happened?" Kale's eyes were filled with bewilderment.
He looked up—only to see the Drapion charging toward him, their figures swelling larger and larger in his vision.
But just as their attack was about to strike—an unexpected change erupted!
A sudden burst of white light flared between them. As the light twisted and writhed, a mass of purple sludge suddenly materialized, blocking the way!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Two Drapion at the front slammed hard into the purple sludge, colliding violently.
The sludge churned and twisted, absorbing the force of their venomous strikes, then quivered and heaved, pushing the Drapion back!
"Froslass, unleash Blizzard!"
At that moment, a voice rang out.
In the very next instant, howling winds swept through, followed by an overwhelming cascade of snow and ice, rapidly freezing the ground beneath them in a thick layer of frost!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Drapion stumbled backward, straining to resist the frost rapidly climbing up their bodies.
When they finally forced their eyes open again, the battlefield had been transformed into a frozen world of ice and snow.
The enemy that had encircled them only moments ago was gone—vanished without a trace.
The land fell into silence, broken only by the moan of the cold wind that swept across the frost-covered battlefield…
(End of Chapter)