"Petilil, let's begin."
In the courtyard, Aven looked over at Petilil.
Petilil nodded, casting a glance at the Froslass floating beside Aven, then looked away, her expression turning serious.
As she used Aromatherapy, a faint, soothing fragrance spread outwards, gradually calming the Rattata in front of them. The gray mist surrounding it began to slowly dissipate.
Moments later, the Rattata returned to normal, blinking in confusion as it looked around.
"Froslass, it's your turn now."
Froslass circled Aven once, then darted forward to the Rattata's side.
She reached out toward the small Pokémon, and when her hand touched it, it strangely passed right through—like it had entered Rattata's very being.
Froslass's expression turned even more focused.
As a Ghost-type Pokémon, she could see the flow of mental energy inside Rattata.
The gray mist was hidden deep within Rattata's soul. It was hard to spot, but to her, it shone like a beacon.
Her ethereal hand dove into Rattata's mind and grabbed the mist in one swift motion. With a forceful pull, she yanked it out entirely. The moment it left Rattata's body, the mist quickly flowed into Froslass and was completely absorbed.
Even after the mist was removed, Rattata stood there dazed in the cage. After a moment, clarity returned to its eyes.
It lifted its head in a daze and gazed toward the overcast sky, a surprisingly human-like smile appearing on its face.
And then, in the next moment, its dim and withered body collapsed to the ground. But its face was peaceful, its eyes gently shut.
Perhaps in that final moment, it had escaped the eternal darkness. That fleeting clarity brought it a sense of peace.
"We did it," Aven said quietly.
He should've been cheering in victory at this point, but he couldn't bring himself to smile—not with the freshly deceased Rattata lying before him.
Though this Rattata, used as a test subject, had already reached the end of its natural life, giving it only a brief glimpse of light before death felt particularly cruel.
"Lil~"
Petilil tugged at Aven's pant leg.
"I know. The most important thing now is to treat the others," Aven replied with a gentle smile.
Beside him, Froslass hesitated for a moment, then also floated over and tugged lightly on Aven's coat.
"You did great too, Froslass," Aven said, not holding back on his praise.
Froslass instantly floated off like a deflated balloon, wobbling through the air with joy.
With both Pokémon, Aven moved to the next mist-infected creature and used the same method to save it.
Though its life energy had been heavily eroded by the gray mist, this Rattata finally stabilized and could now live on for a while longer.
After this, Aven planned to designate a specific area within his territory for these Pokémon to live.
Of course, if they wanted to return to the Black Forest, he would respect their choice and grant them true freedom.
…
After patrolling the knights' camp, Kevin made his way toward the temporary research lab.
Just as he approached the courtyard, a chorus of cries suddenly erupted.
He hurried inside—and stopped dead in his tracks, stunned by what he saw.
The Pokémon locked inside the cages were all letting out calls filled with emotion.
"These Pokémon… no doubt about it, these are the Abyssal beast we captured," Kevin said, utterly shocked.
His gaze fell on a swinub with an arrow wound—he had personally caught that one. There was no mistake.
And now, although the swinub was very calm, that calmness was unusual in itself.
The once mindless beasts corrupted by the gray mist… had regained their sanity!
Kevin quickly looked to the white-robed figure in the middle of the courtyard.
He knew—Aven had succeeded. He had dispelled the mist!
"Sir Kevin, you're here," Aven greeted him with a smile.
Kevin took a deep breath, trying to calm his excitement and keep his tone even. "You did it?"
"Yes, it worked."
Aven walked over, carrying Petilil, with Froslass floating beside him.
Even Aven hadn't expected the solution to come this easily. He hadn't even finished formulating the antidote before it was all over.
Petilil's Aromatherapy and Froslass's evolution—both had been unexpected blessings. But thinking back, the signs had always been there.
Upon hearing Aven's response, the chief knight could no longer contain his emotions. "Aven, you've truly done a great service!"
Looks like my noble status is secured now… Aven nodded slightly, then briefly explained how the mist was removed.
When Kevin heard that Froslass had absorbed the mist, he finally noticed the spectral Pokémon floating beside Aven.
He had seen a Snorunt once before—rare as they were—thanks to his expedition to Mount Coronet. But this was the first time he'd seen one like this. Still, since the knights had previously captured a Snorunt, it wasn't hard to deduce this must be its evolved form.
"This is Froslass, the evolved form of Snorunt," Aven explained simply.
He didn't mention the evolution stone—just said that Snorunt had evolved into Froslass after regaining consciousness.
During evolution, Froslass absorbed the power of the gray mist, which gave her the ability to cleanse it.
Since these facts couldn't really be hidden, Aven was upfront, hoping to avoid any suspicion from Kevin.
To fully rid the Pokémon of the gray mist, he would need the knight's help. Putting an end to the Abyssal Beast Tide wouldn't be easy.
"I see. So it was thanks to the power of these two Pokémon…" Kevin nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, Pokémon possessed all kinds of mysterious powers. Humanity both revered and feared them.
And this apothecary clearly understood Pokémon well—perhaps that's why so many gathered around him.
Kevin took a deep breath as thoughts swirled in his mind.
After a moment's hesitation, he felt he should be equally honest, given how transparent Aven had been. He said gravely, "Aven, we might have a major problem on our hands…"
(End of Chapter)