The patrol knights hurriedly reported everything they had seen.
When Berrin heard that it was indeed the gray mist, his heart sank heavily with a dull thud.
His fears were confirmed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At that moment, the battle raging within the field was still continuing fiercely.
Fortunately, the number of ghostly Pokémon that had been corrupted by the gray mist wasn't very high, and the Pokémon within the breeding zone had already managed to suppress them steadily.
"Phew… thank goodness for the defense line Lord Berrin set up in the Pokémon Breeding District," the knight captain said, exhaling a long breath of relief. "If we had to rely solely on our knights, I'm afraid we might not have been able to hold these monsters back."
"Mhm," another knight agreed solemnly. "The Pokémon tribes truly helped us a great deal this time."
Berrin nodded slightly. "Later, make sure to prepare plenty of Pokémon food to reward them properly."
A faint warmth rose in his heart. Seeing the Pokémon Breeding District he had painstakingly built truly playing its role—it was the most gratifying feeling he could imagine.
However, the moment he thought of the gray mist spreading from the Abyssal Cavern, his good mood quickly dissipated.
If the Abyssal Beast Tide were to break out again, the territory he had worked so hard to build would suffer catastrophic devastation.
"But still… as long as Aven is around, the gray mist might not be an unsolvable problem," he murmured thoughtfully. Then he turned toward the Gloom beside him and commanded, "Use Sleep Powder to subdue those beasts!"
"Gloo!"
Gloom nodded briskly and led its tribe forward.
Light-blue powder began drifting through the air, spreading across the battlefield like misty rain, enveloping all of the corrupted monsters within it.
But to Berrin's astonishment, these Pokémon showed no reaction whatsoever to the Sleep Powder.
They continued to attack relentlessly, seemingly oblivious to pain, and would only fall once they were truly dead!
Berrin's pupils shrank as he suddenly remembered—this was one of the defining traits of Pokémon corrupted by the gray mist.
He quickly ordered the Glooms to change tactics: use their vines to capture the ghosts instead of trying to put them to sleep.
He intended to capture some of these strange ghost Pokémon alive and send them to Aven, so that the latter could study what exactly they were, why they appeared in the Abyssal Cavern, and how they had become tainted by the mist.
After a long period of fierce fighting, the battle finally began to subside.
Most of the ghostly Pokémon had dissipated completely within the field—together with the gray mist that had enveloped them.
"The Pokémon within the Breeding District actually managed to fend off the invasion of the abyssal beast," said a neighboring lord who had rushed over to assist. His eyes widened as he witnessed the scene himself, gaining a whole new level of understanding toward the Pokémon in Berrin's territory.
It was true—so long as these Pokémon were given adequate food and habitat, they could become humanity's best allies, defending against outside threats together.
"Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!"
The Mightyena pack leader let out a few triumphant howls after the invading enemies were annihilated.
Then it turned back to glance at its companions behind it, and at Berrin, the human who had taken them in. There was a rare gentleness in its eyes.
This was the home they had finally found after so much hardship.
It would never allow this place to be destroyed.
If anyone wanted to invade this land, they would have to step over its dead body first!
"Thank you for your hard work, Mightyena," Berrin said softly as he approached the pack leader.
He crouched down, gently patting its fur, and handed it a potion. "Here, drink this healing medicine. It'll help you recover some strength and heal your wounds."
"Awoo~"
The Mightyena whimpered happily. As it lapped up the potion, memories surfaced in its mind—of the first time it met Berrin.
Back then, it and its pack had suffered grievous injuries during a brutal battle, losing their territory and wandering into this land, desperate and hungry.
If they hadn't encountered Berrin at that time, they and their injured kin would never have survived, nor would they have found such a peaceful home.
That was why it cherished the life here deeply, and even more so, cherished its bond with Berrin.
It would protect everything here with all its strength.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
After drinking the healing potion, the Mightyena quickly felt its strength returning and its pain easing.
However, fully recovering through potion alone was still unrealistic—its wounds were far too deep.
"If only my territory could establish a Pokémon Center someday," Berrin sighed softly.
"If that day comes, both injured Pokémon and citizens could all receive proper treatment."
The image of the Pokémon Center he had seen in Aven's territory surfaced in his mind—the Chansey there had performed healing moves that were truly astonishing.
Thinking of that, Berrin clenched his fists firmly.
His territory was developing rapidly, and he believed that one day, he would also establish a Pokémon Center of his own.
"Lord Berrin, what should we do next?" the knight captain came up and asked.
"Hmm." Berrin's face grew solemn. "The fact that corrupted Pokémon appeared in the Abyssal Cavern—this must be reported to my father immediately!"
He gave his orders clearly: "For now, strengthen the territory's patrols and defensive lines. I'll head to see my father right away."
"And as for those few ghost Pokémon we captured alive—watch over them carefully. Lord Aven might recognize them and uncover the mystery behind all this!"
…
Meanwhile, in the Pokémon Domain, Aven was continuing his usual training with his Pokémon.
With the addition of the master blacksmith Makin, the production of Poké Balls had gradually started moving in the right direction.
Ever since Makin first saw the Poké Ball, he had finally discovered something that fascinated him just as much as his transmutation of stone into mental goal.
A creation that could seal and release living Pokémon at will was, in his eyes, nothing short of a divine miracle!
Because of this, he and Aven had spent the past several days researching Poké Ball technology alongside their other work, and had already succeeded in crafting several functional Poké Balls together.
Of course, even a master craftsman's energy was limited.
If they wanted large-scale production, they needed to train more blacksmiths capable of forging Poké Balls.
Especially the internal miniature components—these precision parts were the most time-consuming and mentally draining to make.
To address this, Makin had already begun recruiting specialized artisans, especially those skilled in jewelry and goldsmithing, whose expertise in delicate craftsmanship made them ideal for the work.
Compared to full-time weapon forgers, such jewelers were much easier to find.
The next step was to establish multiple workshops dedicated to fabricating parts. Once those factories were running, they could produce the necessary Poké Ball components continuously and deliver them for final assembly and reforging under Makin's supervision—
thus completing the production of a fully functional Poké Ball.
Originally, Aven had believed everything would continue progressing smoothly—
until a letter arrived from the Northeastern Domains, completely shattering that calm.
"The gray mist within the Abyssal Cavern has already spread beyond the cave?"
As Aven read the opening lines of the letter, his eyes narrowed sharply.
The deeper he read, the more serious his expression became.
"These ghostly Pokémon… could it be Gastly?"
There was a crude sketch attached to the back of the letter. The moment Aven saw it, he recognized the Pokémon at once.
Gastly—an enigmatic Pokémon composed entirely of toxic gas, a Ghost- and Poison-type Pokémon.
He had never imagined such Pokémon would appear within the Abyssal Cavern!
In the past, the caverns had contained only the gray mist itself.
But this time, in addition to the mist, Ghost-type Pokémon had emerged within it.
This deviation immediately made Aven sense that something unusual was happening.
Even more disturbing was how rapidly the gray mist had spread—escaping the cavern in mere days, expanding far faster than it ever had before.
"It seems these ghostly energies within the mist really do originate from the Ghost World," Aven muttered gravely.
"This time, the reason for the sudden expansion may be that a Ghost World portal connected to the Abyssal Cavern has been opened."
"That would explain the abnormal spread of the gray mist… and why Ghost-type Pokémon have begun entering our world through it."
Aven closed his eyes, piecing everything together.
Yes—it all matched. The rift that had appeared within the Black Forest earlier had already proven the existence of such Ghost World passages.
But as he followed this line of reasoning, his face darkened further.
He had originally ordered the relocation of the Pokémon around the Abyssal Forest precisely to prevent the outbreak of another Abyssal Beast Tide.
Yet now, if large numbers of Ghost-type Pokémon corrupted by the gray mist were entering through the Ghost World portal, it could only mean one thing—
The Abyssal Beast Tide was bound to erupt again.
His heart tensed with urgency. Without wasting a second, Aven summoned his officials for an emergency meeting.
If the Beast Tide was truly about to reoccur, he would have to personally travel to the Northeast Territory—and before he left, he needed to make careful arrangements.
Because of the urgency of his message, all of the key officials arrived quickly—among them were Kale, the former Lord of Marina City, and Makin, the blacksmith master who had just joined the territory.
"Lord Aven," said Master Olai irritably, "what is so important that you called us here in such haste?"
He had been in the middle of concocting a brand-new potion, nearly at the final step, when he was suddenly summoned. The interruption clearly left him a little annoyed.
"The matter is urgent indeed," Aven said gravely. "So, I'll get straight to the point—the gray mist in the Abyssal Cavern has erupted again, and this time, the situation is far worse than before."
As he quickly explained the details, the expressions of everyone in the hall shifted drastically.
Even Master Olai, who had been the most impatient, fell completely silent, his eyes wide with alarm.
As a former master apothecary of Aspiration City, he understood all too well what an Abyssal Mist outbreak meant. In times like this, all apothecaries and potion masters would be requisitioned for emergency supply production!
"Lord Aven, you mentioned the possibility of a Ghost World passage existing within the Abyssal Caverns?" Kale asked, frowning deeply.
He himself had explored the caverns not long ago and had found nothing of the sort—had he missed some hidden clue?
"It's only my hypothesis," Aven replied.
"But if such a passage exists, one capable of generating gray mist, then it must differ greatly from ordinary Ghost World channels."
He patted Kale's shoulder and explained, "If it truly is a Ghost World portal, it should emit distinct spiritual waves. Luxray would've detected them easily."
Kale nodded thoughtfully, then straightened with resolve. "Understood, Lord Aven. What do you need us to do?"
"I will be traveling to the Northeastern domains personally," Aven said solemnly. "So, the governance of this land must be entrusted to you all during my absence."
All the officials exchanged glances, understanding the gravity of the situation, then stood up together.
"Please rest assured, Lord Aven—we will manage the territory properly!"
"I know your capabilities well," Aven nodded.
"But this upcoming battle will be unlike anything before. If the Abyssal Beast Tide truly erupts, we'll need a constant flow of resources to sustain the frontlines."
"So, your top priority now is to stockpile supplies and ensure that resources can be delivered to the battlefield at any time."
He gave detailed instructions, then turned toward Makin. "Master Makin, you must also accelerate the preparations for Poké Ball production."
The officials were not strangers to the concept of Poké Balls—Aven had demonstrated their effects before.
Now that he intended to formally introduce Poké Balls to the world, there was no reason to conceal them anymore.
The upcoming industrial line for their creation would require the full cooperation of his administrative team.
And when the officials first learned that Poké Balls could be mass-produced and that it wasn't merely Aven's unique sealing ability, they were utterly stunned.
Once the shock passed, their faces were filled with pure excitement.
They could already imagine what such a development meant for the entire world.
Thus, their enthusiasm for the Poké Ball production line soared even higher not only Makin, but all officials began actively supporting the factory construction. Even though skilled craftsmen were still being recruited, the workshops for fabricating the components had already begun operations.
"Lord Aven, please leave the Poké Ball production to me!" Makin declared, taking a deep breath. His face was resolute, and his voice carried firm conviction.
His gaze swept across the gathered officials. Over this period, he had deeply felt Aven's trust and respect toward him, and a wave of emotion rose within his heart.
To Makin, Aven was not only a friend and research partner, but also his benefactor and the lord to whom he would pledge his full loyalty.
"I will not let you down, my lord."
"Good." Aven nodded with satisfaction. "Now, there's one final matter."
His expression turned serious as he looked toward Kale. "Kale, tell me—can I trust you?"
Kale froze for a moment, then immediately understood what Aven meant.
He dropped to one knee and performed a knight's salute. "I swear absolute loyalty to Lord Aven!"
"Excellent." Aven's voice softened slightly. "Then after I leave, the governance of the Pokémon Domain will be handed over to you."
"You were once the Lord of Marina City, you already know how to manage a city properly."
"Moreover, you've spent recent months living among the commoners, personally learning how our policies function. You understand the workings of the Pokémon Domain well."
"The current situation demands strong coordination in all affairs and I trust that you have the capability to protect this land in my stead."
Kale was stunned speechless.
He had never expected Aven to entrust him with the entire Pokémon Domain.
This was an extraordinary responsibility—proof of immense trust.
A surge of indescribable emotion welled up in his chest, and he bowed deeply, eyes burning with resolve.
He would live up to that trust—no matter the cost.
(End of Chapter)