Pokemon: The Breeder's Farming Journey to Modernizing an Ancient World

"Lord Aven."

When she saw who it was, Phyllis gave a sweet smile.

Her gaze suddenly landed on the Shinx in Aven's arms, and her eyes lit up.

But she was confused to see that this Shinx had its eyes covered by a black cloth.

Sitting listlessly on Aven's shoulder was Petilil, who glanced occasionally at the Shinx in his arms.

"Meow~?"

The Shinx in Phyllis's arms looked curiously at the other Shinx and let out a soft call.

But the Shinx in Aven's arms didn't respond at all.

At that moment, it was still completely immersed in its own little world.

In the darkness, it could sense waves of electricity filling its vision.

However, the wave directly in front of it felt very strange—it could sense a surge of energy from it.

This is also an Electric-type Pokémon... the thought arose in its mind.

It realized that what it was sensing might be real currents of electricity, and within this current, it felt a familiar warmth.

At that moment, it remembered how Aven had once mentioned a method of communication through electrical currents.

Without hesitation, it focused its thoughts and sent a wave of electricity forward, attempting to transmit its message.

But to its disappointment, the other party didn't seem to possess the ability to perceive these electrical signals and couldn't receive the message.

It felt tempted to open its eyes for a peek, but recalling that there were still humans nearby, it sighed and gave up on the idea.

"Phyllis, good afternoon," Aven greeted her with a smile. "I just happened to have something to discuss with you."

Hearing this, Phyllis immediately straightened up, her expression turning serious. She knew Aven rarely contacted her for personal matters—this must be work-related.

"Link, you listen too. I plan to handle this in the Pokémon Breeding House."

The three of them sat around the table. Aven placed the backpack he had been carrying on the table and unzipped it.

Link leaned over and saw that the backpack was filled with small slips of paper. They were all blank.

"Aven, what are these?" Link asked in confusion.

"Tickets," Aven replied. "These are tickets for the upcoming Knight Selection Tournament."

Both Phyllis and Link were stunned. Phyllis's eyes lit up suddenly. "Like arena tickets?"

Aven nodded in confirmation.

Indeed, in Aspiration City, there was an arena—though battles there involved beasts, not Pokémon. Compared to Pokémon battles, arena fights were far more brutal, often continuing until one beast died.

Aven had been troubled for a long time about the existence of such arenas. Just like the beast trade, it was something he currently couldn't stop.

"The Pokémon battle arena has been completed. This is the spectator seating blueprint."

"The Knight Selection Tournament will be held there, and you two will be responsible for selling the tickets."

The two leaned in to look at the blueprint Aven had laid out. It was filled with numbers and symbols like A1, B1, B2, and C1, leaving them both confused.

"These symbols represent seat numbers."

"This here is the pricing chart. Just follow the chart when selling the tickets."

Phyllis's eyes sparkled as she took the pricing chart and quickly understood Aven's plan.

From the blueprint, it was clear that seats labeled A1 and A2 were closest to the battle arena and thus the most expensive. Seats labeled F1 and F2 were the farthest and the cheapest.

It reminded her of the layout of regular and VIP sections in an auction house—a similar tiered system.

Aven is definitely an outstanding businessman, Phyllis thought, her eyes full of admiration.

She had once thought the territory's finances were a mess.

But in Aven's hands, the issues were swiftly resolved. At this point, she had absolute faith in his decisions.

Now, by hosting a tournament similar to arena battles and selling tickets, it was bound to generate major profits once again!

Soon, Aven finished assigning the responsibilities for the tournament tickets.

He instructed them to focus on promoting the event. Ticket sales weren't the priority—publicity was. Pokémon battles would become the most popular activity in the future and would significantly improve the overall strength of trainers.

This Knight Selection Tournament was just the beginning. Aven fully intended to host many more tournaments in the future.

…

"I'll be away from Fruitvale Village for the next few days," Aven said.

"If you need anything, go to Fessen. I've already instructed him to assist with the promotional work."

Phyllis was taken aback and quickly asked, "Aven, you're leaving Fruitvale Village? Are you going to Aspiration City?"

"Just a personal matter," Aven replied simply.

A hint of anticipation appeared on his face—he wasn't sure what the upcoming trip to the Black Forest would yield.

…

To the south of the village, the cultivated land was thriving, with berry saplings growing vibrantly.

Further out on the grassy plain, Rhydon, Vileplume, Cherrim, Mightyena, and Tangela were already assembled.

These were the Pokémon Aven had chosen to bring into the Black Forest.

Together with the Pokémon he carried—Petilil, Froslass, and Shinx—he had a full team of eight, his entire main force.

Since this expedition might be dangerous, he brought along all his capable Pokémon except for Torterra, who remained behind to manage the Pokémon herds.

The Pokémon were visibly excited to be together, clearly looking forward to the upcoming adventure.

…

In the village, Aven walked through the streets with Shinx in his arms.

The village was noticeably livelier now, thanks to the ongoing development. Smiles appeared on the villagers' faces.

As they saw Aven pass by, they greeted him respectfully. Some couldn't help but glance at the Shinx in his arms, its eyes covered by a black cloth.

At this moment, Shinx's consciousness was submerged in darkness. Its surroundings were filled with electromagnetic waves, each representing a nearby human.

At first, Shinx thought it would be nervous being surrounded by humans—but it wasn't. That brought it a sense of relief.

Though it still couldn't face humans directly, it had taken the first step.

Next, it would deepen its understanding of humans and overcome its inner fears until it could truly face them!

"You're doing great, Shinx," Aven said, gently stroking its fur.

Though Shinx couldn't hear his voice, it felt the warmth of his hand and let out a soft, contented purr.

"Lil Lil~" Petilil swung her tiny feet, urging Aven to hurry up.

Her friends must already be waiting. She couldn't wait to begin the adventure!

"Alright, alright, I got it," Aven said, patting Petilil's head and picking up his pace.

When he arrived at the southern farmland, the Pokémon were already gathered, eagerly awaiting.

He placed Shinx on the ground and removed the cloth from its eyes.

"Meow~ Meow~" Shinx opened its eyes, looked at its companions, and compared them to the electromagnetic signals it had sensed. It nodded in satisfaction.

It was a pity that Starly still refused to leave the village, which dampened Shinx's mood a bit.

Still, the thought of returning to its birthplace—the Black Forest—revived its spirits.

Aven greeted his Pokémon and walked over to Rhydon.

The massive Pokémon was carrying an oversized backpack filled with food, potions, and survival gear.

Aven planned to venture deep into the Black Forest and see if he could cross it to reach the Black Coast on the other side.

"Rhy!" Rhydon tightened the white headband on its head.

After so many battles, its favorite white ribbon was tattered.

Seeing this, Aven had made a new white headband for it, replacing the eye-catching old ribbon.

There were even battle items designed as headbands—Aven considered officially equipping Rhydon with one in the future.

"Rhydon, I'm counting on you," Aven said, patting the backpack.

"RHY!" Rhydon beat its chest, indicating the weight was no problem at all.

"Awoo~ Awoo~" Mightyena came over, nuzzled Aven gently, and then crouched down, offering him a ride.

"Aven smiled and rubbed its head. "Thanks for the help, Mightyena."

He mounted the sturdy Pokémon with ease.

After all the training, Mightyena had grown much stronger, now standing nearly 1.5 meters tall—more than enough to carry Aven.

As soon as Aven settled onto Mightyena's back, Petilil jumped up and found a cozy spot in his arms.

Cherrim also rushed to perch on Aven's shoulder—her second favorite spot.

Tangela looked back and forth between Mightyena and Rhydon before deciding to join its big brother, climbing onto Rhydon's shoulder.

Everyone found their spots—except for Vileplume, who stood awkwardly on the side.

After evolving, she had grown too large to hitch a ride and had to rely on her own legs.

Fortunately, even back when she was just a Oddish, her legs had been strong. Now, as a fully evolved Pokémon, this was no problem for her.

"Meow~" Shinx stretched beside Mightyena, preparing its body.

It knew that this journey into the Black Forest would be a chance for Aven to train it—and it didn't intend to slack off.

It would seize every opportunity to grow stronger.

"Let's go," Aven commanded.

The Pokémon immediately set off at full speed toward the Black Forest. Shinx raced ahead, leading the group joyfully.

And so, the expedition into the Black Forest began.

(End of Chapter)