Pius felt a deep chill in his heart.
His hand trembled as he finished writing the letter. Watching the silhouette of Starly flying away, he fell into silence.
Beneath him, his Mightyena let out low growls as it stood atop a low hill, staring at the seemingly endless gray mist stretching out below.
"There are too many of them… This time, the Abyssal Beasts are just too many."
"We can't stop them. The defensive line won't hold. It's over. It's all over…"
Pius struggled to lift his head and glanced at the Black Forest, where magical beasts continued to pour out endlessly. His eyes slowly filled with despair.
As the most experienced knight in the order, even having braved Mt. Coronet, he had never felt this hopeless before.
Awoooo—
Just then, Mightyena suddenly howled.
Following the direction of the howl, Pius froze for a moment. In the distance, he saw the familiar form of Starly flying swiftly back.
"Starly!"
Pius reacted at once, running forward and catching the bird Pokémon as it descended from the sky.
He immediately opened his coat and tucked Starly inside to warm it with his body heat.
"You fool… You silly bird, why did you come back?"
Chirp chirp chirp—
Starly poked its head out and affectionately nudged its trainer's chest.
Then, remembering something, it quickly grabbed the cloth pouch on its back with its beak.
"A letter from the defense line?"
Pius's hands trembled as he carefully took the pouch and opened it.
He didn't know what decision the defensive line would make, but he assumed they would likely abandon it—there was no way it could be held against such a massive beast horde.
Sighing inwardly, Pius unfolded the letter and began to read. A moment later, his eyes widened in disbelief.
The defense line was planning to go on the offensive—to actively intercept the Abyssal Beast horde!
And more incredibly… the gray mist had been neutralized!
"It's possible… It's really possible!"
"A genius—this Aven is truly a genius!"
"There's hope… Mightyena, Starly, we have hope now!"
The despair in Pius's eyes vanished, replaced by newfound determination. The dark clouds over his head dispersed.
He quickly packed away the letter, glanced again at the massive horde below, then clenched his jaw and rode Mightyena closer.
These magical beasts, corrupted by the gray mist, had lost all reason—marching like mindless husks toward a single destination.
But there were exceptions. The scent of living beings in their midst could still stir a reaction—drawing their attention easily.
Pius approached cautiously. Once near enough, he noticed a few magical beasts in the horde's left flank begin to slow down.
"This is the safe distance," Pius judged silently.
Before the main force arrived, he needed to gather firsthand data and formulate a plan to lure the beasts away.
…
Meanwhile, the knights moved quickly, heading straight toward the incoming Abyssal Beast horde.
It was late winter now, the weather gradually warming and the snow completely melted. The sky remained dull and gray with no sign of sunlight.
The passage of previous beast hordes had created a passable road across the land. Following it would lead directly to the Black Forest, where the beasts were gathering.
Aven, wearing his signature white lab coat, rode atop his Rhyhorn. Beside him was Mightyena, while Petilil, Gloom, Cherrim, and Tangela sat on Rhyhorn's back.
(TN: I'm doubting myself, the translation is always Tangrowth but there's no way a Tangrowth can fit in the back of a Rhyhorn.)
Froslass, too, was present—though the constant cold air radiating from her caused the Grass-type Pokémon to instinctively keep a small distance.
Froslass didn't seem to mind. She sat quietly at Aven's left side, while Petilil took up the right.
"Rhyhorn, you've grown much stronger lately," Aven said, giving Rhyhorn a pat.
Combat was the best way to improve a Pokémon's strength. During their time defending the front line, Rhyhorn had fought numerous battles—its many scars a testament to its efforts.
Based on his professional evaluation, Aven believed Rhyhorn was very close to evolving. Perhaps this upcoming battle would be the catalyst.
"Rhy Rhy Rhy —"
Rhyhorn let out a low cry, narrowing its eyes in joy. With its trainer's praise, it felt like all its effort had been worthwhile.
It tossed its head, and the white ribbon tied around it fluttered in the cold wind. Rhyhorn loved that ribbon.
"Good, we'll be counting on you in the next battle too."
Aven looked at the creative white ribbon atop Rhyhorn's head. For a moment, it reminded him of a youth tying a white cloth on his head, dashing forward against the wind.
"Awoo—"
Mightyena let out a low growl from the side, asserting its presence.
During this period, it had mostly followed the patrol knights. It felt like Aven had been paying more attention to others, making it feel a bit neglected.
"Looks like you've improved too, Mightyena."
"For you, hiding in the shadows and striking when the time is right is the best way to fight."
Mightyena blinked. It suspected Aven was brushing it off with words, but still agreed with the strategy—only fools would charge in head-on!
"Awooooo—"
While Aven was bonding with his Pokémon, a horn suddenly sounded.
It was the alert signal—something was approaching. All the knights immediately halted.
Moments later, several figures came running into view. It was the patrol knights returning.
Leading the pack, Pius sighed in relief upon seeing the main force and quickly stepped forward.
"Thank you for your hard work. What's the situation ahead?" Kevin asked directly, offering brief words of acknowledgment.
"We've begun setting up preliminary roadblocks ahead. They should be enough to slow the beast horde a bit," Pius reported.
"Good. Then let's begin the operation at once."
"Team Nine, stay here and continue constructing roadblocks."
"Patrol knights, head to the horde's right flank and draw away the magical beasts. Be careful—once you reach the safe distance, break contact."
"The knight order will head to the left flank. We'll lure the beasts and group them in waves, then eliminate them quickly!"
Command after command came swiftly from Kevin's mouth—plans he and Aven had already discussed in detail.
Everything now rested on the success of this mission.
(End of Chapter)