"Froslass, you did an excellent job."
Aven gave her an approving nod.
"Until these Gastly can return to the Ghost World, I'll leave them under your care for now."
He agreed readily with Froslass's request — taking these Gastly in was not only harmless, it would also strengthen their overall power and add to their combat capabilities. It was a good opportunity on all fronts.
Then, turning around, he looked toward Berrin and said, "The matter with the Gastly has been resolved. Don't worry — Froslass will take good care of them. You should continue focusing on treating the wounded."
Hearing this, Berrin and the knights behind him all let out long, heavy sighs of relief.
If Aven hadn't arrived in time, Brambleford Village might have been able to withstand the Gastly's assault eventually but not without suffering disastrous losses.
Aven smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I just happened to sense a battle taking place while I was passing nearby, so I came to check it out."
"If you want to express gratitude, thank Petilil, Froslass, and Kirlia instead. They're the ones who first discovered what was happening here."
He chuckled lightly, shaking his head, and then his tone became serious again. "Now, tell me in detail what's been happening in the Abyssal Cavern these past two days."
Berrin nodded at once and led Aven toward the Pokémon breeding facility beside the training zone, explaining everything as they walked.
"Just two days?" Aven frowned slightly after hearing the report, glancing back toward the forest. "The gray mist has spread that far already?"
Compared to last year's slow spread, the speed this time was terrifying.
Back then, it had taken nearly two months for the gray mist to reach this extent. Now, it had expanded over the same distance in just two days — dozens of times faster.
Last year, when the fog reached the Black Forest, it still needed time to corrode the local Pokémon, which was why the Abyssal Beast Tide didn't erupt immediately.
But this time, because of the sudden appearance of these ghost-type Pokémon, the beast tide had formed simultaneously with the spread of the mist.
In fact, the presence of the ghost Pokémon seemed to have further accelerated the fog's expansion.
"How are the neighboring territories faring?" Aven asked.
"Not well," Berrin admitted grimly. "The sudden outbreak of the Abyssal Beast Tide caught everyone completely off guard."
"Our Brambleford Village has been barely holding on thanks to the Pokémon groups in the breeding area, who've been fighting alongside us. But as for the surrounding territories…" He trailed off, shaking his head, his expression filled with lingering fear.
It was clear that the situation was dire. In truth, Berrin had already made up his mind — if things continued like this, he would evacuate all his citizens and Pokémon tribes together.
"Star!"
Just then, a sharp cry pierced the air.
They looked up and saw a small bird, a Starly darting swiftly through the sky before diving straight toward them.
"That's… Father's messenger Starly!" Berrin's expression changed instantly.
He raised his arm, and the Starly landed neatly on it. Carefully, he untied the strip of cloth fastened to its leg and unfolded it to read the message.
Moments later, his face darkened. "The frontline fortress has come under attack by ghostly beasts as well. And not just Gastly — there are sightings of other ghost Pokémon too."
"Other ghost-types have started appearing already?" Aven's brows furrowed deeply.
"It seems the Ghost World passage is nearly fully open."
His expression grew grim.
According to the known pattern of the Ghost World's opening, the first Pokémon to emerge were always the weaker ones.
But as the passage gradually stabilized, stronger and more dangerous spirits would follow, able to pass through freely.
That must be what was happening with the Ghost World passage in the Abyssal Cavern.
"I have to head for the frontline fortress immediately," Aven said solemnly.
"That fortress currently shelters the vast majority of the northeastern territories' population. And with so much concentrated life and soul energy there, the ghost-types will undoubtedly be drawn to it in massive numbers."
He drew in a long breath. It had been a full year since he last set foot in that area.
And once again, his enemy would still be the Abyssal Beast Tide.
Berrin nodded heavily, determination in his eyes. "Then we'll entrust the fortress to you, Lord Aven. Once I finish evacuating the citizens, I'll lead everyone to regroup with the main force at the fortress."
After their brief farewell, Aven wasted no time. He leapt onto Luxray's back and sped off toward the front lines.
This time, however, he wasn't alone — more than a hundred Gastly followed him like a drifting purple cloud.
As he galloped along the edge of the Black Forest, Aven passed through several noble estates.
Each one lay desolate and silent — clear signs that their lords had long since evacuated with their people.
"Hehehe~"
Suddenly, low, eerie cries echoed through the forest.
Aven's eyes narrowed, his gaze locking onto several figures emerging from the misty woods — blue-green, doll-like shapes wrapped in swirling gray fog, their bodies floating gently in midair with skirt-like lower halves that swayed with each motion.
"Shuppet… and they've already been corrupted by the mist?" Aven muttered under his breath.
"Hehehe~"
The moment the Shuppet appeared, their crimson eyes fixed sharply on Aven.
Then, like starving wolves spotting prey, they lunged forward, their faces twisting with hunger and madness.
But just as they surged through the air —
— the ground below them erupted with fresh green grass, the blades shooting up and coiling around the Shuppets like living ropes.
Vibrant green energy flowed through the vines, binding them tighter and tighter no matter how fiercely they struggled.
"Lass~"
Froslass moved next.
She glided silently toward a bound Shuppet, lifted one pale hand, and grasped at the air.
Immediately, the gray mist enshrouding the Shuppet began to surge and writhe violently, causing the ghostly dolls to shriek in pain.
The fog roiled furiously, tugging toward Froslass but as the Shuppet struggled, it recoiled again, refusing to leave their bodies completely.
Against Pokémon still capable of resisting, even Froslass could not simply rip the gray mist out by force.
But then —
A faint fragrance filled the air.
Petilil's Aromatherapy once again spread across the field, calming the Shuppet's minds. Their movements slowed for a split second.
Seizing the moment, Froslass clenched her hand in midair —
"Lass~!"
The gray mist was torn free all at once, streaming toward her and merging into her body.
The Shuppet, freed from its control, blinked rapidly, their eyes gradually clearing as they looked around in bewilderment.
"Lil~!"
Petilil sighed softly in relief.
She loosened the vine ropes and gently set the freed Shuppet down on the grass.
But just when everyone thought it was over —
One of the Shuppet suddenly twitched, then lunged straight toward Aven!
For an instant, he froze, his gaze locking with the Shuppet's still-glowing red eyes.
Zzz~ crackle~ zzz~
A surge of electricity burst through the air!
Luxray reacted instantly, unleashing a blazing Electro Ball from its jaws.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the forest. The Shuppet were thrown backward, crashing into the dirt with a spray of debris.
"Lass!"
Froslass's expression darkened with anger.
She raised a hand, and a massive Shadow Ball coalesced before her, pulsing with the terrifying aura of a King-level Pokémon.
With a thunderous roar, it crashed into the Shuppet below. The impact detonated with a violent tremor that sent dust and leaves flying everywhere.
When the smoke finally cleared, a deep crater had formed in the ground — and several Shuppet lay unconscious at its bottom.
Aven exhaled quietly, then pulled several Poké Balls from his belt.
With a flick of his wrist, beams of red light shot out, capturing the fainted Shuppet one by one.
There was no resistance — each Poké Ball clicked shut with a soft ding.
"Lil~!"
"Lass~!"
"Kirlia~!"
The surrounding Pokémon immediately rushed over, their eyes full of concern, clearly worried for Aven's safety.
"I'm fine," he said with a small smile, shaking his head.
He used his telekinesis to lift the Poké Balls gently into his palm.
He hadn't expected one of the Shuppet to attack him after being freed.
Clearly, even without the gray mist's control, the life energy and soul aura radiating from him had drawn them like moths to a flame.
Ghost-type Pokémon were instinctively attracted to such energy — especially when their own hunger for souls was stirred.
In fact, throughout history, every large-scale Ghost World incursion had seen heavy casualties — precisely because of that primal hunger.
Cruel and violent Pokémon could appear among any species. That was how the winter beast tides had first emerged. But despite everything, the kind-hearted far outnumbered the vicious — for most, it was simply the instinct to survive.
"Let's move on," Aven said quietly, his expression firm. "We need to reach the fortress."
He already anticipated that ghost-types would be far more troublesome than ordinary Pokémon.
The gray mist itself contained potent ghost energy, capable of greatly empowering them.
Even without the fog, a large number of ghost-types appearing in human lands could easily become a massive threat if not properly contained.
"Gast~ Gast~"
The Gastly hovering above had floated lower, glancing uneasily between Aven and the crater where the Shuppet lay.
They looked hesitant — as though afraid Aven might mistake them for enemies as well.
"Lass~"
Froslass cast them a calm look, and Aven smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, Gastly," he said gently. "Truly evil Pokémon are always the minority. The vast majority like all of you are kind at heart."
The Gastly's eyes curved into joyful crescents, their black fog rippling happily in response.
With his team of Pokémon, Aven pressed onward toward the fortress.
Along the way, they encountered even more ghost-types that had been tainted by the gray mist.
Because of their ability to phase and move through solid matter, these ghost easily evaded patrol knights, drifting instinctively toward any source of life energy they sensed.
As a result, ghost Pokémon were now scattered across the Black Forest and nearby territories, not just at the frontline.
To deal with them efficiently, Aven ordered the horde of Gastly under Froslass's command to spread out in groups and begin hunting for corrupted Pokémon in the surrounding areas.
As they continued forward, Froslass's ghostly legion grew larger and larger.
Besides the Gastly, several Banette and Shuppet had joined their ranks as well.
Unlike the ones that had attacked earlier, these newcomers were gentle and obedient — a stark contrast that reminded Aven that kindness was still the dominant nature among Pokémon.
Those who had truly experienced darkness and despair were the ones who understood best how precious light and freedom truly were.
To these rescued Pokémon, Aven was their savior and they would willingly stand guard at his side, protecting him with all their might.
Just like the once-corrupted Abyssal beasts before them, these ghost Pokémon too had chosen to follow him.
And seeing this only strengthened Aven's resolve — to save every Pokémon he could from the corruption of the gray mist.
"Lass~"
As they advanced, Froslass suddenly halted midair.
Her gaze turned ahead — she could already see the faint outline of a massive fortress in the distance.
At the same time, a powerful surge of ghost-type energy and the heavy stench of death wafted through the air.
"Lil!"
"Kir!"
Petilil and Kirlia exchanged a grave look and immediately moved closer, flanking Aven protectively.
"The frontline fortress…" Aven murmured, eyes narrowing. "We've arrived."
The sight before him was bleak — thick gray mist churned endlessly above the fortress walls.
And in the western sky, the sun had already begun to sink below the horizon.
Night was about to fall upon the land.
And for the ghost Pokémon —
— night was when their true power began.
(End of Chapter)