At some point, the night had already given way to dawn.
The battle before the fortress had ended. Hundreds of ghost-type Pokémon floated serenely in the morning mist, no longer hostile.
Every one of them had been purified of the gray corruption and accepted into Froslass's command—now protectors of the fortress rather than its enemies.
On the ramparts, the knights and soldiers stood at their posts, still vigilant. It was only the third day of the Abyss's invasion, and they all knew the trials ahead would be far more severe.
"Froslass, how do you feel? Can you still hold on?" Aven asked softly.
Though Petilil's healing had helped, exhaustion still lingered on the icy maiden's face.
"Lass~"
Froslass smiled faintly, her crescent-shaped eyes curving as she nodded firmly.
She was tired—but the ghost energy now coursing through her body made her stronger than ever.
"Good," Aven said, nodding. "Then rest well. We'll need your strength again soon."
He looked down at Petilil in his arms, already fast asleep from fatigue.
Gently brushing its head with affection, Aven turned to Kirlia beside him.
"Kirlia," he said softly, "please take me to the meeting room."
"Kir~"
Kirlia nodded slightly, its body shimmering as it swiftly cast Teleport.
…
At this moment, within the fortress's grand conference hall, all the lords of the northeastern territories had already gathered.
Aside from them, several commanders and captains from other nearby knightly orders were also present. Everyone's expressions were solemn and tense.
Ever since the outbreak of the gray mist, Aspiration City had, just like last time, issued an emergency mobilization order. Now, the city's entire military strength was converging toward this fortress.
As the gathered lords murmured quietly among themselves, Aven's figure suddenly materialized in the center of the room.
"Lord Aven!"
The moment they saw him arrive, all the lords quickly rose to their feet.
By now, Aven's status had already risen to an extraordinary level — he was, without question, the most prominent and respected person in all of Aspiration City beside Lady Mira.
"My apologies for being late," Aven said calmly.
"Since everyone is here, let's begin the meeting immediately."
He nodded politely to the gathered nobles as his gaze swept across the crowded chamber. Every seat was filled except for one — the central chair at the head of the long table.
Even Earl Ruize, who normally presided over such meetings, was now seated to the side as vice host — a clear sign that this main seat had been reserved especially for Aven.
Seeing this, Aven did not decline the honor. He strode directly toward the head of the table. This time, the coming war against the Abyssal Beast Tide would indeed revolve entirely around him.
Once seated, Aven turned to Ruize and said, "Time is short. Let's start with you, Earl Ruize. Please brief everyone on the current situation with the Abyssal Beast Tide."
Hearing that, Earl Ruize immediately stood and began to report the intelligence he had gathered regarding the Abyssal Cavern.
"Thanks to Lord Aven's earlier guidance, the primary threat we currently face is the swarm of ghost-type magi— Pokémon," he explained.
The other lords all turned to glance at Aven — eyes filled with respect and gratitude.
Thinking back on Aven's previous suggestion, they realized how much it had helped them. His foresight had greatly reduced the overall scale of the beast tide. Otherwise, aside from the ghost-type Pokémon, they would have been forced to fight against an overwhelming number of ordinary beasts as well.
Now, instead of being a liability, the Pokémon tribes living in their breeding zones had become valuable allies even helping to repel several waves of ghost-type invasions. It was, without a doubt, a tremendous help.
"Hmm," Aven said after a pause. "That roughly sums it up."
"Allow me to add one more point. The ghost-type Pokémon appearing throughout our lands all originate from the Ghost World."
"Previously, a rift to the Ghost World was discovered deep within the Black Forest — proving that the boundary between our world and the Ghost World has already begun to overlap. In other words, a portal has opened."
"And now, it appears that this very Ghost World Passage lies within the Abyssal Cavern. The gray mist likely emanates from the same place. That's why its spread has been so rapid this time."
As Aven explained the situation he had pieced together, the expressions of everyone present grew increasingly grim.
The appearance of a Ghost World Passage… Did that mean ghost-type Pokémon would continue to emerge endlessly from within it?
Could it be that the ghostly Pokémon attacking the frontline fortress were only a small fraction of what was yet to come — that they would have to face even more in the near future?
"In that case," Aven said solemnly, "the most important thing now is to seal off the Ghost World Passage!"
"If my hypothesis is correct, once the passage is closed, all ghost-type energies and the gray mist that accompanies them — will vanish together."
"If that happens, we can completely end this Abyssal Beast Tide. In fact, we might even go one step further and bring an end to the gray mist itself!"
The lords' expressions shifted. Aven's tone was firm — he had spoken his goal aloud.
If they failed to close the passage, ghost-type Pokémon would continue to pour into their world without end.
In his previous life, Aven remembered clearly how the invasion of the Ghost World had been stopped: by utterly destroying the portals themselves. It wasn't difficult in principle — with sufficient concentrated energy, the entire rift could be annihilated.
"Lord Aven… are you suggesting that we take the initiative to attack the Abyssal Cavern?" one of the lords asked, wide-eyed.
"That's right," Aven replied without hesitation. "We're going to take the initiative — and strike first!"
"Moreover, we must move quickly. The longer we wait, the more corrupted Pokémon will cross over into our world!"
Hearing his firm response, the lords exchanged uncertain glances. Their brows furrowed as they silently weighed the risks and potential losses.
At present, they were in a defensive position — well-prepared and fortified, waiting for the beast tide to come to them.
But if they launched an offensive instead, the price would undoubtedly be great.
Yet, recalling Aven's warning, they realized they no longer had any real choice. Waiting would only bring stronger and stronger enemies until their defenses were finally overwhelmed.
In that case, their only remaining path was to attack — to destroy the Ghost World Passage before it was too late. It was their one and only chance at survival.
"In that case," one lord said finally, rising to his feet, "we can only march on the Abyssal Cavern ourselves!"
It was Baron Berrin who spoke first — his decisive stance setting an example for the others.
One by one, the other lords followed suit, rising and declaring their support. Each pledged to follow Lord Aven into battle to storm the Abyssal Cavern!
"Lord Aven, when do we depart?" another lord asked urgently.
Aven looked up at him, his expression resolute. "I hope to leave immediately. Otherwise, the number of ghost-type Pokémon attacking the front lines will only continue to grow."
"Right now, the strongest among them are only at the advanced level. The more powerful ghost-types have likely not yet managed to cross through the passage."
"But as time passes, the Ghost World rift will stabilize and once that happens, stronger and more terrifying beings will begin to enter our world."
Having made their decision, none of the lords hesitated further. Earl Ruize, too, nodded gravely and quickly departed with the others to begin mustering their forces.
When the hall had mostly cleared, Berrin lingered for a moment, leaning closer to whisper:
"Lord Aven… do you truly have confidence in this?"
Aven shook his head slightly. "Not much," he admitted softly. "But we have to try."
"Don't worry — if the worst comes to pass, we still have the protection of Azelf."
He turned his gaze toward Aspiration City in the distance, his eyes calm yet deep.
He was certain that this was the work of the sorcerer organization and their real goal was Azelf itself.
If possible, Aven wanted to resolve everything through his own power. After all, for Azelf to descend fully into the real world required a tremendous cost.
If Azelf revealed itself now to end this beast tide, then when the true enemy appeared later… there might be no strength left to fight.
With the meeting concluded, the entire fortress came alive with motion.
Knights assembled in formation, Pokémon roared, and countless figures gathered in disciplined ranks. The frontline fortress was now a sea of steel and various energy — preparing to advance toward the Abyssal Cavern.
"Lord Aven, all knights are assembled and ready," Earl Ruize reported as he approached, exhaustion hidden behind his focused eyes.
He hadn't slept at all after last night's battle, but his spirit was unwavering. As the former commander of Aspiration City's knight order, he burned with the same desire as his men — to end the corruption of the gray mist and abyssal beast tide entirely.
"Well done," Aven nodded. "You set out first. I'll join you shortly."
Just then—
"ROOAAAR!"
A deafening dragon's roar tore through the sky!
Aven froze for a heartbeat, then swiftly turned toward the western horizon.
There stomping at an astonishing speed was a familiar figure.
It was Garchomp!
When Aven first arrived at the fortress, he had already made preparations for this operation, sending a knight ahead to summon his partner.
And now, true to its unmatched speed Garchomp had finally arrived at the front lines just in time.
"ROAAR!"
Spotting Aven in distance, Garchomp let out an elated cry and went straight to him excitedly.
"Garchomp — long time no see." Aven smiled warmly.
But before he could say more, the dragon-type Pokémon suddenly swooped past him — rushing straight toward Kirlia, who stood nearby.
"Kir~ lia~"
Kirlia waved cheerfully in greeting, stretching out a tiny hand.
With a rumbling growl, Garchomp lowered its head, pressing its snout gently into Kirlia's palm.
(End of Chapter)