After continuously devouring those highly toxic medicinal concoctions, Poipole's growth had accelerated at an astonishing rate. Its original strength had already been close to that of a intermediate-level Pokémon, and now, after consuming a large amount of potent poison formulas, its power had fully reached the intermediate-leve.
For a Pokémon that had been born for barely over a month, this pace of improvement was already terrifyingly fast. And from here on, its strength would only increase at an even quicker rate.
In the end, as long as it successfully evolved into a Naganadel, its strength would soon surge to the level of a King-level Pokémon, or perhaps even reach the Guardian Deity tier—becoming one of the Legendary Guardian of the Pokémon Domain.
(TN: I don't what level this Guardian Deity is maybe above Champion-level?)
Aside from this, one had to mention the unique Totem Aura possessed by Ultra Beasts. The exact source of this special power was still unknown, but most scholars of Pokémon believed it was closely connected to the Ultra Wormholes.
With the help of the Totem Aura, a Pokémon's overall physical attributes could be enhanced to a certain degree. At the same time, it carried an intimidating pressure similar to the "Intimidate" ability, exerting a spiritual oppression on its opponent.
This oppression had the strongest effect on Pokémon of the same species, making those who possessed a Totem Aura capable of easily establishing themselves as the ruler of their group. The effect was weaker on other Pokémon, but still extremely powerful.
As for Poipole's Totem Aura, perhaps because it was an Ultra Beast in the first place, was far stronger than that of an ordinary Totem Pokémon. Even when not facing its own species, it emitted a remarkably intense and overwhelming dominance.
In particular, among the poison-type Pokémon living in Drapion's territory, this oppressive aura could directly suppress the Drapion leader's combat power by a huge margin. When standing before Poipole, it could barely even muster the desire to fight.
Thus, even though Poipole's strength was still relatively low, it had already become the unquestioned king of all poison-type Pokémon in the area. Every poison-type Pokémon willingly followed its commands.
Another point worth mentioning was that the toxins naturally produced by Poipole had tremendous benefits for these poison-type Pokémon. Using Poipole's venom, Aven could formulate even stronger poisonous potions.
With these enhanced poisonous medicines, the poison-type Pokémon's strength could also increase at an even faster pace.
"Poi… Pole~?"
In a daze, Poipole slowly opened its eyes.
Its pair of blue eyes scanned the room, and soon locked onto Aven's figure. It happily floated upward, diving straight into Aven's arms.
Since the moment it was born, this little creature had always stayed by Aven's side. It was incredibly clingy, with its favorite place in the world was being in Aven's embrace. What used to be the exclusive spot of Lilligant had now been completely taken over by Poipole.
"Lilli~"
From afar, upon seeing Poipole throw itself into Aven's arms, Lilligant's leafy crown twitched slightly. She turned her head away.
She repeated to herself again and again that Poipole was still just a newborn baby. She must not take it too seriously.
Besides, this little Poipole had been successfully hatched thanks to both her efforts and Aven's. Thinking of this, a faint blush crept across Lilligant's face.
"All right now, Poipole," Aven said with a smile, stopping the wiggly little thing in his arms.
Poipole's species was naturally expressive in their emotions and loved to display them straightforwardly and without restraint.
"Lilli~"
Lilligant gently called out.
Poipole heard her voice and quickly floated up again, flitting over to her side.
While still in its egg, Poipole had grown by absorbing the life energy meticulously gathered by Lilligant, giving it a very special emotional bond with her.
Seeing Poipole fly over, Lilligant immediately gathered more life energy for it to absorb.
Even though Poipole had already hatched, life energy was still extremely beneficial for its growth, greatly helping its physical development.
"Poi~ Poi~"
Circling around Lilligant, Poipole absorbed the life energy nonstop, feeling completely delighted.
"RHYYYY!"
Suddenly, a deep roar echoed from outside the window.
The already-awake Rhydon had arrived downstairs, calling for Aven to get up.
Standing at the foot of the building, Rhydon looked as if it had traveled through wind and dust. Its white headband fluttered fiercely in the breeze.
Clearly, Rhydon had woken up long ago. It had even finished its morning training already. Among all of Aven's Pokémon, Rhydon was undoubtedly the most diligent.
Aside from Rhydon, several other Pokémon were also approaching from the distance. They were all waiting for breakfast time to begin.
"It's time to prepare breakfast," Aven said, stretching lazily as he glanced over the group of Pokémon. He stood up and headed downstairs.
As a Pokémon Breeder, preparing food for Pokémon was a responsibility he had always treated as his personal mission. A way to constantly remind himself not to forget his original purpose.
Thankfully, both Lilligant, Froslass, and Kirlia had long since learned how to help him prepare Pokémon food.
The Oddish living in the castle were already awake as well. Using the leaves on their heads, they swept tirelessly through the halls, ensuring the castle remained spotless and free of even a speck of dust.
When they saw Aven walking out, the Oddish lowered their heads slightly in greeting. Aven smiled and greeted them back before heading toward the kitchen.
"Lilli~"
Lilligant lifted the leaf skirt around her waist, then picked up an apron and tied it neatly around her body—ready to help Aven prepare breakfast.
"Kir~ lia~"
Kirlia headed straight to the food storage warehouse.
Its psychic ability activated, making all the ingredients rise into the air before floating toward the distant kitchen.
"Lass~"
Froslass's main contribution was to help defrost any frozen ingredients.
Of course, preparing a refreshing, icy beverage was also something she excelled at.
Before long, portions of Pokémon food were ready. Kirlia and Froslass wrapped each serving in psychic energy and floated them out of the castle, delivering them to the Pokémon in the courtyard.
Aven prepared a serving for himself as well and sat down at the dining table to enjoy breakfast.
"Odd~ Odd~"
Just then, an Oddish suddenly came running over.
It let out two soft calls toward Aven while pointing one of its leafy tendrils toward the outside of the castle.
"Someone's here?" Aven nodded.
He walked outside and soon saw Fessen waiting at the gate.
"Lord Aven," Fessen greeted respectfully.
Aven waved his hand. "No need for formalities. Come to my stud, we'll talk there."
Hearing this, Fessen nodded and followed Aven into the study, quietly closing the door behind them.
Even though he knew no one in the castle would eavesdrop, Fessen maintained strict caution—and that was the correct attitude.
"Did Baron Cass agree?" Aven asked, resting his chin on his hand.
"Yes, sir. Baron Cass has agreed to have the branch of the Pokémon League constructed in Casston."
"And he also promised to pass the barony to me. I will bring honor to the Cass family."
Fessen spoke with deep respect, a faint relief showing on his face. Now that Casston Town was secured, the Pokémon Domain's control over the northern region would greatly strengthen.
Even though he had finally obtained control of Casston Town, he had no intention of staying there as an independent lord. Instead, he planned to turn Casston Town into one of the official Pokémon Domain holdings—directly operating under Pokémon Domain policies.
In other words, he would give up his autonomy over the town and hand all governing authority to the Pokémon Domain. Casston Town would follow the same laws, rules, and centralized departments as the Pokémon Domain itself.
This was exactly the Pokémon League system that Aven had mentioned. Now that Fessen had successfully taken Casston Town, they could begin implementing this system there first.
Originally, Baron Cass had no real vassals or subordinate nobles, so there were no issues of divided territories or multiple competing lords. This made Casston Town the perfect place to begin implementing the League system.
"You've worked hard, Fessen," Aven said gently.
"To serve you is my greatest honor," Fessen replied.
"Besides, this has always been one of my personal goals. One day, I will return to Casston Town with my mother in glory. And now… that day is very close."
His hands slowly clenched into fists. The image of his father surfaced in his mind, and a quiet sense of fulfillment washed over him.
"Mm. From here on, both the City Hall and Casston Town will require your continued management. Things will only get busier."
"So, this summer, I will hold the first official government recruitment examination for the Pokémon Domain. You should prepare early and choose some capable individuals to join the City Hall."
Aven laid out his entire plan in detail. Offical Trainer Qualification Examinations would be held in the spring and autumn seasons, while in the summer and winter he would conduct the selection of civil officials. The arrangement was quite reasonable and well-balanced.
"Besides that," he continued, "see if there are any officials willing to go to the municipal hall of Casstown and take charge of its administration."
"As for this matter, I can make a guarantee: any official who is willing to serve in Casstown will have their rank raised by one tier, and after completing a full five-year term, they will be allowed to return to Pokémon Domain."
Fessen recorded Aven's instructions one by one. Deep down, he faintly sensed that His Highness Aven seemed to be preparing something larger, but he did not ask. His duty was not to question—it was to carry out every order Aven gave him without fail.
After receiving the instructions, Fessen immediately excused himself. Now that the Pokémon League Conference was about to begin, the territory had become noticeably much busier. Many lords from other regions had arrived, and every one of them required his arrangements and coordination.
Ever since Baron Cass's arrival, the other lords of various territories had also come to the Pokémon Domain one after another. Their purpose was more or less similar to Baron Cass's—they all wished to gather useful information before the conference officially began.
"In that case, the first move of the Pokémon League has been completed."
(End of Chapter)