At the same time the development in Marina City was formalized, summer had finally arrived. The wheat sown earlier in the year had now reached harvest season.
For the people of Marina City, who had long endured poverty, this was nothing short of a miracle. From now on, they could finally grow wheat on their own land.
As for the Bibarel and Oddish that had brought about all of this, they now held an entirely different significance in the eyes of the farmers. Nearly every farmer was eager to find a way to capture one or two Bibarel or Oddish of their own.
Compared to the intricate and complex structure of Aspiration City, the people of Marina City were much simpler, and their acceptance of Pokémon was far higher. Aside from designated Pokémon Breeding Zones, Pokémon were free to live throughout the territory of Marina City.
Along the coastline of Marina City's domain, Aven and Lord Kale stood side by side, gazing at the endlessly surging sea in the distance.
"With the city hall handling territorial finances, things really are much easier," Kale said as he stretched lazily. Now that the reforms in Marina City had largely stabilized, he finally felt relieved.
He looked out toward the sea, where numerous Water-type Pokémon could be seen swimming about. This area was naturally the Water Pokémon Breeding Zone established by Marina City.
Ever since the Water Pokémon Breeding Zone at Black Coast had been established, its range had continued expanding along the coastline toward Marina City, eventually linking up with it.
In the future, this area would not only serve as a Water Pokémon Breeding Zone, but also as a highly secure maritime passage, allowing ships to travel safely between the two regions.
Although the mountain route through the Coastal Mountains was now open, transporting certain goods by sea would still be far more efficient, saving both labor and cost while greatly improving transportation efficiency.
"Yes. In that case, we can devote more time to strengthening our power and exploring the seas," Aven said with a nod and a smile.
At the mention of increasing strength, Kale's expression grew serious. Although the Black-robed Grand Sorcerer had already been captured, he knew very well that future enemies would only grow stronger.
If he wanted to continue fighting alongside Lord Aven, even the King-level strength of his Empoleon was beginning to feel insufficient. He needed to obtain even greater power.
The solution he had in mind was to seek out Marina City's guardian deity—Manaphy. Thus, he planned to sail into other seas to search for traces of Manaphy.
In particular, the Fiore region he had once seen in the Temple of Manaphy came to mind. According to information Aven had obtained from Meteorite City, among the two other continents near Almia, one might very well be the Fiore Continent.
Unfortunately, Aven had not found any information related to the Fiore region in the memories of the Black-robed Grand Sorcerer. As such, everything would have to be explored firsthand.
"Kale, are you truly planning to personally go to sea in search of the Fiore Continent?" Aven asked with some hesitation. Even though they now had ironwood ships capable of ocean voyages, the risks of maritime exploration remained extremely high.
"Rest assured, Your Highness," Kale replied confidently. "I believe the Sea Guard will be more than capable of ensuring my safety."
"Moreover, Marina City has now cultivated a large number of Cherrim. With their presence, even if storms appear at sea, they can be directly dispersed."
A confident smile appeared on Kale's face. He firmly believed that he would succeed in finding the Fiore Continent, locate their guardian deity Manaphy, and safely bring it back to Marina City.
"Yes, I believe you will definitely find the Fiore Continent," Aven said with a nod.
"In that case, begin your preparations now. When the time is right to set sail, I will have the Sea Guard accompany you on this voyage of exploration."
Aven nodded again. In order to awaken Darkrai, it would also be necessary to travel to the Almia Region to search for the remaining yellow and blue crystals. This long voyage was unavoidable.
Among all the candidates, Kale, who had grown up by the sea was indeed an excellent choice. His King-level Empoleon was strong enough to protect him at sea, and his identity as one of the People of the Water allowed him to approach Manaphy.
If they could gain Manaphy's recognition, then in the future, there would be no obstacles remaining in the ocean. They would be able to freely navigate the seas, traveling unhindered between continents.
Splash—!
Just as the two were conversing, the sound of rushing water suddenly rang out from the sea.
Moments later, a Gyarados swiftly swam over from the ocean, with a knight seated atop its back.
"Your Highness Aven, City Lord Kale," the knight said as he dismounted and bowed respectfully.
He then took a booklet from a waterproof beast-hide pouch at his waist and handed it over. "This contains the current species and numbers of Water-type Pokémon living within the Water Pokémon Breeding Zone."
"In addition to the Pokémon within the bay, it also includes data from several nearby islands. These islands have large lakes inhabited by numerous Water-type Pokémon, some of which are Pokémon that only live on land."
Upon hearing this, Aven immediately took the booklet and began flipping through it. Ever since the Breeding Zone had been established, he had people regularly record the species and numbers of Pokémon living within it.
A deeper understanding of Pokémon growth conditions, species distribution, and the effects of human intervention was crucial to maintaining a healthy Breeding Zone, after all—it was itself a vast ecological system.
"Hm? This Water-type Pokémon…" Suddenly, Aven's gaze was drawn to a particular name in the booklet.
Marill—that was the Pokémon's name. It had been discovered on a small island far from the coastline, where a group of more than thirty Marill lived together.
"Do you remember the island where these Marill live?" Aven looked up at the knight. "I'd like to go take a look."
The knight quickly acknowledged. Seeing this, Aven immediately released his own Gyarados, and the group swiftly set off toward the island.
"Your Highness, is there something special about Marill?" Kale asked, somewhat puzzled.
The excitement on Aven's face was impossible to hide, yet Kale couldn't see anything particularly special about these round, blue, water-mouse-like Pokémon.
"Strictly speaking, Marill itself isn't particularly special," Aven explained with a smile.
"However, Marill is one of the very rare Pokémon that belongs to the Fairy Egg Group."
Aven smiled as he explained, though Kale still looked confused, completely unfamiliar with what an Egg Group even was.
"Egg Groups are related to Pokémon reproduction," Aven continued patiently. "As long as Pokémon belong to the same Egg Group, they have the ability to reproduce with one another."
"Egg Groups?" Kale was clearly taken aback. Although Aven's explanation was easy to understand, he knew that it involved extremely complex knowledge.
Moreover, Aven's ability to accurately identify Marill's Egg Group further demonstrated the depth of his scholarly knowledge.
"That's right—Egg Groups," Aven nodded.
"You could say this is an advanced course for Pokémon Breeders."
"When the Pokémon Breeder Academy is established, I'll include Egg Group-related courses as part of the curriculum."
A trace of nostalgia appeared in Aven's eyes. In his previous life, Egg Group knowledge had been relatively obscure. Fortunately, when he had once planned to run a Pokémon Breeding House, he had studied every aspect of Pokémon breeding in depth.
Now, seeing this knowledge take root and flourish in this world filled him with great satisfaction. From here on, he intended to pass on everything he knew, further promoting the development of the Pokémon world.
"With this knowledge, the Pokémon League will surely grow even stronger," Kale nodded. Still, he remained somewhat puzzled, unable to see what made Marill so special.
This time, Aven did not answer.
In truth, he had been searching for other Fairy Egg Group Pokémon for quite some time now, Marill included—and all of this was naturally for the sake of breeding with Blissey.
Compared to Pokémon like Roselia or Cherrim, Marill and Blissey were much closer in nature. There would be far fewer barriers between them, making Marill an excellent breeding partner for Blissey.
Splash—!
Gyarados surged forward across the sea.
Before long, they arrived at the island where the Marill lived, and soon located the Marill tribe at the lake in the island's center.
Marill looked like a round, blue mouse. Its belly was white, its ears were large and pink, its body plump with short limbs, and its black tail resembled an electrical cable, ending in a blue spherical tip.
Spring was the season for Pokémon breeding, and at this moment, the Marill were gathered in small groups, playfully frolicking with one another.
"Your Highness, how do you plan to bring these Marill back?" Kale asked, turning his gaze toward Aven.
"That, of course, depends on letting the Marill choose of their own free will," Aven replied with a mysterious smile. "But I do happen to know what Marill like most, especially during the breeding season."
With that, Aven did not immediately approach the Marill. Instead, he planned to return first and prepare some things they liked. Over the coming period, he would need to find a way to earn the Marill's recognition.
(End of Chapter)