"As expected, someone's finally come for Petilil again!"
Aven's gaze grew cold. He had known this day would come. All the training he'd done with his Pokémon recently had been in preparation for a moment like this.
He could imagine it clearly—if he didn't have the strength to protect himself, Petilil would have been taken once again!
Across from him, Sir Enzo's expression also turned serious upon seeing Aven suddenly appear.
The last thing he wanted had just happened. Now, if he wanted to take Petilil, he would have to use force.
"Luxray, stay alert."
At his master's words, Luxray gave a small nod and stepped forward.
At the same time, the two Mightyenas beside it also moved forward. They were planning to gang up on Luxray.
Their opponent was also a Luxray. In the absence of clear intel on the enemy's strength, this was the safest strategy. As long as they could take down that Luxray, they'd be able to take Petilil without much trouble.
On the other side, seeing the three beasts approaching, Aven's Luxray stepped forward.
Just then, Petilil leapt out of Aven's arms and landed directly on Luxray's head, clearly intending to fight alongside it.
"That Petilil…"
The scene left the three enemies stunned. Was Petilil actually planning to fight? But what combat ability could a Petilil possibly have?
"Luxray, be careful not to hurt Petilil," Sir Enzo said, face darkening.
The two men in black beside him suddenly looked enlightened—it seemed the other side was trying to use Petilil to make them hesitate and hold back.
"Get ready to move in. Luxray, charge and use Tackle," Aven said softly, his tone calm.
The Luxray beside him paused briefly upon hearing his voice, but quickly charged forward, body flashing with a white light.
Normally, if a Pokémon hadn't accepted a Trainer, it wouldn't follow their commands. While it looked like Luxray was following Aven's orders, this was actually just how it naturally fought!
Enzo's Luxray also used Tackle. The two Luxrays collided violently, the impact powerful enough to knock them both backward.
They each dug in their paws and stopped retreating at the same time, eyeing each other warily. That first round ended in a draw!
'This Luxray is actually that strong…' Enzo was slightly surprised. His own Luxray had received strict training from his family—what about the opponent's?
As he thought, Enzo ordered again, "Luxray, charge!"
"Luxray, use Leer!" Aven's voice followed immediately.
However, his Luxray didn't listen and chose direct confrontation instead.
Aven sighed inwardly—'As expected, it's hard to give commands to a Pokémon that isn't mine.' "Luxray, then use Charge. Trust me!"
The two Luxrays collided once again. Hearing Aven's words—especially that last part—Luxray hesitated for a second, but chose to obey.
At the same time, Enzo's Luxray opened its mouth and crackled with electricity—it was using Thunder Fang!
Sharp fangs bit into Aven's Luxray, and electricity surged from its body, pouring into its opponent.
But then, Aven's Luxray activated Charge, and all the electricity being discharged into it was absorbed!
The two Mightyenas seized the moment to lunge forward as well, biting into Luxray from both sides. It grunted in pain.
"Luxray, Discharge!"
This time, without hesitation, Luxray released all the electricity it had stored.
Arcs of lightning burst outward, quickly spreading to the three Pokémon latched onto it. They all yelped and staggered back, letting go.
"Petilil, now's your chance!"
Aven's sudden shout startled Sir Enzo.
He turned just in time to see Petilil leaping through the air, landing neatly on the back of Enzo's Luxray.
Hearing Aven's words, Petilil nodded. A wave of purple energy surged around her—she used Toxic.
Through direct contact, the poisonous energy seeped into Enzo's Luxray, making it let out a low growl of pain.
Seizing the opportunity, the farm's Luxray pounced again and knocked its opponent to the ground with a powerful Tackle, dragging it along the dirt and leaving a deep groove in the earth.
"Luxray, are you okay?!" Sir Enzo cried in shock.
"Rrraow…"
His Luxray slowly stood up and gave a vigorous shake. A sickly purple glow now surrounded its body.
"Poison status…?"
Enzo, well-versed in battles, recognized the condition immediately. His expression darkened further.
On the other side, a smile had appeared on Aven's face. With the enemy poisoned, their combat strength would drop significantly.
"Rrraow!"
Luxray returned to Aven's side with Petilil on its back.
It gave Aven a surprised look. His commands had been so precise—it made Luxray feel a growing trust toward him.
Then it took a battle stance again. The fight wasn't over yet!
Another round of fighting ensued before Sir Enzo finally lost patience.
With Luxray poisoned, it wouldn't be able to keep going much longer. If it collapsed, the two Mightyenas alone wouldn't be enough to guarantee their safety.
"We're leaving," Enzo said, motioning to the two black-clad men.
The Mightyenas and Luxray retreated, covering their group as they climbed over the wall and disappeared into the night.
Watching them leave, Aven let out a breath. If they had gone all out, Luxray and Petilil might not have held out.
'Wait—Starly!'
Suddenly realizing something, Aven dashed toward the berry grove, not even bothering to inspect the battlefield.
Under one of the berry trees, he found Starly surrounded by a group of Cherubi. The little bird had collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
"Starly!"
Aven ran over in alarm and picked it up.
'You idiot…' He could imagine it clearly—when it had noticed the enemy invasion, Starly had probably fought with everything it had to protect this place.
Petilil rushed over too, her face filled with panic.
Aven quickly pulled out a healing potion and got it into Starly's beak. Soon, the pained expression on Starly's face began to ease.
Phew. It didn't seem too seriously hurt. Aven finally relaxed.
(End of Chapter)