Inside the conference hall of Aspiration City, the routine meeting was currently underway.
The officials present were reporting on the recent administrative affairs of Aspiration City, and the topic mentioned most frequently was the Pokémon League.
As more and more territories joined the Pokémon League, the entire Aspiration City had truly undergone earth-shaking changes.
There was no denying that Aspiration City had now become stronger. The people were wealthier, and public security throughout the territory had improved significantly.
Especially in terms of food production—relying on fertilizer from the Pokémon Domain and the power of Pokémon, vast stretches of wasteland had been reclaimed and planted with crops. This year was certain to be a bumper harvest.
In addition, the construction of Pokémon breeding zones had progressed rapidly. More civilians had become Trainers, and the threats from the Black Forest and the winter migrations of Pokémon from Aspiration Mountains had basically been resolved.
However, despite all this, the lords still felt a vague sense of unease. The development of the Pokémon League was simply too fast, and many lords could clearly feel that their authority within their own territories was gradually weakening.
Originally, in order to develop their lands, some lords had established Pokémon breeding zones and Pokémon breeding houses, allowing more civilians to become Trainers and thus strengthening their territories…
But at some point, these civilians who had become Trainers began to gradually slip out of their control. They started to gather around the breeding zones and breeding houses, continuing to grow stronger on their own.
The power held by the civilians within the territory was slowly beginning to surpass that of the lords, and this was by no means a good sign. It dealt a heavy blow to the privileges the lords had long enjoyed within their own lands.
In the past, relying on the strength of their knight orders, the lords could essentially act with absolute authority in their territories. Even killing civilians would not result in severe punishment.
But now, the situation was completely different. Even within their own lands, lords had to strictly act in accordance with the law, and these Trainers were also under the protection of the Trainer Association.
Of course, while Trainers were protected by the Trainer Association, they were also subject to its management. If they violated the Trainer Code, they would be punished by the association.
Although the rules in the Trainer Handbook were not as strict as territorial law, just a single clause of revocation of Trainer status or even being blacklisted by the Pokémon League was enough to intimidate the vast majority of Trainers.
At present, most registered Trainers in the Trainer Association were civilians. This was an opportunity to change their fate, and very few civilians would risk violating the Trainer Code.
Under such circumstances, public security across the territories had indeed improved greatly. These Trainers abided by local laws and rarely violated them, and with Trainers helping to maintain order, territorial safety had risen dramatically.
Yet it was precisely this situation—where Trainers only followed the Trainer Handbook and obeyed territorial law under the supervision of the Trainer Association—that made the lords extremely dissatisfied. They felt their authority was being severely challenged!
No matter how good the current state of the territory was, it was not what they wanted to see. What they desired was absolute control over their lands, not governance maintained through the Trainer Association. The very existence of the Trainer Association was a provocation to noble authority!
More than once, they had wondered: if the Pokémon Domain were to attack their lands, which side would these Trainers choose?
And the answer they arrived at filled them with fear—those Trainers would undoubtedly choose the Pokémon Domain, wouldn't they?
The atmosphere in the hall grew somewhat oppressive. Many nobles harbored these thoughts in their hearts, yet not a single one dared to voice them openly. After all, the true great nobles did not share their worries.
Although the Trainer Association was becoming increasingly powerful, major forces such as the Frontline Fortress and the Western Border Fortress possessed extremely strong knight orders of their own. Their territorial authority would not truly be affected by the Trainer Association.
Moreover, the backing of the Trainer Association was the Pokémon Domain, which had already become the strongest force in Aspiration City. Many of the nobles present were now allies of the Pokémon Domain.
In addition, this matter concerned His Highness Aven. None of them wished to offend him individually. What they hoped for most was for all the nobles to unite and jointly address the issues arising within their territories, negotiating properly with the Trainer Association.
Just as the nobles were exchanging glances, waiting for the right moment to propose suggestions, a servant suddenly entered the hall and whispered to Princess Mira, "Your Highness Mira, His Highness Aven has returned!"
"Aven… he's finally back?" Mira brushed her hair aside, anticipation flashing in her eyes. "Make preparations. We'll go to the plaza to welcome His Highness Aven."
As she spoke, Mira's gaze swept over the nobles present. She had already learned from Azelf what had happened on Stark Island, and she was rather looking forward to seeing the expressions on these nobles' faces later.
Her words were not concealed in the slightest. The nobles all heard her clearly, their expressions changing at once. They hurriedly suppressed their thoughts and followed Mira toward the plaza outside the castle.
Before long, Aven arrived at the plaza in front of the castle with his Pokémon. In addition to the familiar Lilligant, Froslass, and Gardevoir, Rhyperior and Heatran were also by his side!
Rhyperior carried a large wooden crate on its shoulder. With every step it took, the entire plaza trembled slightly. This immediately drew the attention of all the nobles present, their gazes locking onto Rhyperior, eyes flickering intensely.
"Princess Mira, I have returned," Aven said as he stepped forward and performed a knight's salute.
Mira smiled gently and helped him up. "Mm, it's good that you're back." Then her gaze shifted to Heatran.
In the astonished eyes of all the nobles present, Mira stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Heatran, and said, "Greetings, Lord Heatran."
The moment they heard the name Heatran and the honorific "Lord," all the nobles froze. They looked at their city lord, then at Heatran, and a thought suddenly surfaced in their minds.
The only beings who could receive a bow from Princess Mira, the ruler of Aspiration City, and be addressed as "Lord," were guardian deities!
Could it be that the Pokémon following His Highness Aven was actually a guardian deity?
This was something none of them had ever imagined—a living, breathing guardian deity had appeared before them just like that!
"Heatran? The guardian deity of Meteor City?" Earl Ruize reacted with surprise. As the lord of the Frontline Fortress bordering Meteor City, he naturally knew of that guardian deity.
He was also curious as to why this guardian deity was following His Highness Aven. But recalling the news he had heard about Aven having already subdued the guardian deity Darkrai, he fell silent.
For some reason, the fact that His Highness Aven had captured a guardian deity didn't surprise him at all. Aven truly possessed that kind of charisma—after all, he was someone who had saved Aspiration City multiple times and earned Azelf's recognition!
"This is Heatran, the guardian deity of Meteor City," Mira explained to the nobles.
"Heatran had long been sealed on Stark Island. It was His Highness Aven who lifted that seal."
As she spoke, the nobles—who had already suspected as much, still couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
They swallowed hard, forcibly suppressing their earlier thoughts. The Pokémon Domain had already grown so powerful that none of them dared to provoke it any longer!
Afterward, Aven exchanged a few more words with Mira. Upon learning that Aven had come to meet Azelf, she immediately had the officials withdraw and personally led Aven toward Lake Valor.
The officials opened their mouths as if wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing. After bowing respectfully, they withdrew.
When they arrived at Lake Valor, Azelf was already waiting by the lakeside. Its form was projected into reality from another dimension, and unless it fully manifested, only Aven and Mira could see it.
"Aven, Mira, you're here," Azelf said excitedly as it saw them, quickly floating over.
"Azelf, I've come because there's something I need to ask of you," Aven said with a smile.
"Of course, no problem at all," Azelf replied without hesitation, then led Aven and Mira to the island at the center of the lake.
(End of Chapter)