Just as Aven was mulling over possible solutions, the sound of a horn suddenly echoed from the distance.
After listening carefully, his expression changed slightly. The long, drawn-out sound of the horn signaled the appearance of a large-scale beast tide!
"Petilil, Cherrim, we're heading to the frontline now!" Aven stood up quickly and called out toward the courtyard.
As he stepped outside, the three Pokémon gathered around him. Aven glanced at Gloom, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Gloom, you come too."
Hearing Aven's words, Gloom jerked its head up, but then quickly lowered it again, looking hesitant.
Up until now, Aven had always brought Petilil and Cherrim to the battlefield, while Gloom and Tangela had stayed behind to watch over the captive beasts.
"Believe in yourself. Now that you've mastered Sweet Scent, you can fully control your odor," Aven encouraged, picking Gloom up and hurrying toward the frontline.
Gloom felt a warmth in its heart and immediately began focusing all its effort on transforming its stench into a soft, pleasant fragrance.
By the time Aven reached the frontlines, Kevin was already there, standing guard. However, the fierce battle he'd imagined hadn't begun yet.
"Aven, look at that storm of wind and snow up ahead," Kevin said as soon as he saw him, pointing to the blizzard roaring in the distance.
Aven nodded in greeting, then followed his gaze and frowned. "There are beasts inside that snowstorm?"
Kevin nodded solemnly. "They're a type of monster we've never seen before. They look like pine trees buried in snow…"
That should be Snover, and the leader is likely an Abomasnow… Aven's expression turned serious.
Snover and Abomasnow were Grass/Ice dual-type Pokémon that only lived in snowy mountain environments. They also possessed the rare Snow Warning ability, causing snow to fall wherever they appeared.
The snowstorm approaching them must have been caused by a large group of these Pokémon gathering together.
Even though their weather-changing abilities hadn't been honed, sheer numbers could still allow them to change the local climate.
"In addition to those unknown beast, the storm is also filled with many Ice-type beasts," Kevin added.
A beast tide composed of Ice-types… Aven nodded grimly. With the snowy weather boosting their power, Ice-type Pokémon would become significantly more dangerous.
Whooooosh—
Cold winds howled across the battlefield.
In the dead of winter, Snow Warning had already begun altering the environment around them. As the beast tide approached, the already light snowfall thickened and began to spread.
"This will be a tough battle," Kevin said, taking a deep breath.
Now it seemed they not only had to fight the incoming beast tide, but also overcome the extreme weather conditions.
In the freezing cold, their Rhyhorns would become much weaker—Rhyhorns were notoriously vulnerable to cold and Ice-types.
Rhyhorn is weak to Ice-types… Aven frowned at the raging blizzard in the distance.
After this battle, many knights on the front line were sure to be lost… The thought weighed heavily on his heart.
He had already seen far too much death during his time here.
"Kevin, how much oil do we still have at the camp…?"
Just as Kevin was about to leave, Aven suddenly called out to him.
"Oil?" Kevin asked in confusion, not understanding Aven's intent.
Aven turned toward the knight, his expression eerily calm. "Gather all the oil you can. I have a way to deal with these beasts."
Kevin blinked in surprise, then looked seriously at the talented apothecary in front of him and nodded.
Over time, he had witnessed Aven's continuous breakthroughs in researching the gray mist, so he had no reason to doubt his words.
The knights acted quickly, gathering all the oil they could find in the camp and pouring it into wooden barrels, which were then transported to the frontline.
"Let me help those poor Pokémon, corrupted by the gray mist, find peace," Aven whispered, closing his eyes as images of those mist-shrouded creatures flashed through his mind.
Perhaps for them, death was the only true release.
"Clear out a section in front of the defensive line, and pour the oil across the ground," Aven began directing the soldiers.
Snover and Abomasnow, being Grass/Ice-types, were extremely vulnerable to fire. Moreover, their bodies contained highly flammable plant oils.
If ignited completely, the resulting fire could burn for days without end…
Aven's plan was to use the oil to set the Snovers ablaze—engulfing the entire wave of corrupted beasts in flames!
"Are you sure this will work?" Kevin asked, his voice trembling.
If this plan truly succeeded, it would drastically reduce casualties among the knights.
"It's worth a try," Aven said calmly with a nod.
His eyes turned toward the front line and the stone walls of the fortification, now stained with blood. Some of it belonged to the gray mist beasts, but much of it was from knights—evidence of just how brutal this battle had been.
"Aven, what are you doing here?" At that moment, Sutter and Peter arrived.
The villager from Fruitvale Village now carried the hardened resolve of a true soldier.
This was war.
Aven's white lab coat fluttered in the snowstorm. War had a way of forcing people to grow quickly—transforming a civilian into a capable warrior.
Even Aven himself had undergone a silent change in mindset. This was a life-or-death war. All he could do was protect what he cared about.
The entire camp was now in motion. Everyone took up their roles, contributing their strength to defend their home.
Soldiers cleared snow from the frontline, opening a space wide enough for Rhyhorn to charge through.
On the walls, they rubbed their hands together to keep the blood flowing—so they would have the strength to pull bowstrings and strike down beasts from afar.
Catapults and other war machines were meticulously maintained by their handlers.
Apothecaries checked boxes of healing potions, dispersing themselves across the area to be ready to treat the wounded at any time.
Once the snow had been cleared, Rhyhorns pulled carts of oil barrels beyond the wall.
Due to the low temperatures, the oil had solidified, but it was still ladled out scoop by scoop and spread across the cleared land in front of the defensive line.
All it would take was a single spark—
And the oil would erupt into an inferno, devouring everything in its path.
Not even snow or ice could put out the blaze!
(End of Chapter)