Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day before the ennoblement ceremony.
At the farm, Aven was considering which of his Pokémon he should take with him to Aspiration City this time.
Although he had already released the noble heirs he had captured, and had thus reconciled with the nobles to some extent, he felt that the matter was far from truly settled.
This trip to Aspiration City would inevitably come with a certain level of danger, so bringing sufficient combat strength was essential.
However, he couldn't take all his Pokémon at once—that would make him seem overly cautious and could provoke dissatisfaction among the nobles in the city.
Furthermore, according to the regulations of Aspiration City, all magical beasts within city limits must wear beast gear. This also made Aven hesitate.
Although he was extremely unwilling, this was Aspiration City after all, and he had to abide by the law there. For that reason, he planned not to bring too many Pokémons.
"Froslass is definitely going," Aven murmured.
"Lass~!" Upon hearing her name, Froslass immediately squealed with delight, twirling through the air to show her excitement.
"I'm Earling on you this time, Froslass."
Aven deeply trusted the clingy Froslass.
She was one of only two advanced-tier magical beasts in Fruitvale Village, and the other—Torterra—was far too large to bring to Aspiration City.
In addition to her powerful ice-element strength at the advanced tier, Froslass could access her ghost-type abilities, making her a genuine king-tier threat.
If they truly enEarlered danger in Aspiration City, Aven wouldn't hesitate to deploy her—she was his ace in the hole!
As a ghost-type Pokémon, Froslass also possessed unique abilities like invisibility and wall-phasing, making her ideal for close protection.
Hearing Aven mention Froslass first, the Petilil sitting beside him turned away, puffing out her cheeks in a sulky pout.
"Huh?"
"Petilil, no matter what, you're definitely coming with me. That's why I didn't mention you," Aven quickly explained, noticing her sulking. He really did think that way.
Upon hearing Aven's words, Petilil immediately turned her head back, her face clearing like sunshine after rain. She leapt into Aven's arms with a happy look.
At Aven's feet, Shinx sat with her head lowered in disappointment.
It had also wanted to follow Aven to Aspiration City, but the images of humans in its mind made its fur stand on end in terror.
After a long internal struggle, it lowered its head in resignation—it simply couldn't overcome its fear of humans.
Thus, without even trying, it was already out of the race to be chosen. Life was tough—Shinx sighed. Shinx was out.
However, Rhydon, Cherrim, Vileplume, Mightyena, and Tangela all had eager looks in their eyes, clearly hoping to be picked.
Meanwhile, Starly was grooming its feathers on a tree branch, looking entirely disinterested. Even if Aven picked it, it wouldn't leave Fruitvale Village.
After much deliberation, Aven finally made a decision.
He would bring Petilil, Froslass, Cherrim, and Rhydon to Aspiration City.
In terms of combat strength, Froslass and Rhydon were more than enough, while Petilil and Cherrim would provide healing and support.
Bringing Cherrim had a special purpose.
In Aspiration City, Cherubi were considered a rare delicacy by the nobles. Most of them kept one or more as pets.
If possible, Aven wanted to rescue all the Cherubi.
To do that, he had to show interest in them—Cherrim would be his way in.
"Rhy!" Upon hearing that he was chosen, Rhydon let out a triumphant roar.
The other Pokémons showed varying degrees of disappointment—they clearly wanted to stay by Aven's side.
"Alright, this trip to Aspiration City will only take a few days. I'll be back soon."
"Before I leave, I have tasks for all of you. I'll be checking when I return."
Seeing the disappointed expressions, Aven smiled to comfort them. Vileplume, Mightyena, and Tangela were all tribe leaders—their groups relied on them for management.
The three Pokémon seemed to understand this. They regained their composure and called out to Aven, assuring him they'd manage their tribes well and complete their assignments.
…
Sutter and Fessen, Aven's two knights, were equally thrilled.
For a knight, the elevation of their lord to nobility was the greatest honor.
Outside the village, the two knights lay in the grass, watching the Mightyenas run across the fields, dreaming of Fruitvale Village's bright future.
"Following you back then was the best decision I've ever made in my life," Sutter said, lying back and gazing at the blue sky.
Fessen nodded in agreement. "Me too. I never imagined Lord Aven would become an Earl."
"And thank you for staying with me. Having you as a brother means everything," said Fessen, sitting cross-legged with a notebook on his knee.
He was now the village's clerk. Although he had received good knightly training as a child, handling administrative affairs was still a challenge.
So, he had to work even harder to live up to Aven's trust.
"Alright, tomorrow is the ennoblement ceremony. I think it's time for you to take a break," Sutter said, watching his friend still buried in paperwork.
"Huh? Protecting Lord Aven is your job. Mine is to safeguard Fruitvale Village," Fessen replied, eyes still on his notes.
The next moment, Sutter suddenly snatched the notebook and held it high in the air.
Looking down at a confused Fessen, he suddenly grew emotional.
"Hey, Fessen. Don't you want to go home at all?"
Fessen fell silent. After a moment, he turned his head and said softly, "That home doesn't need me anyway."
Sutter grew even more frustrated and snapped:
"So, what if you're the son of a maid?"
"Don't forget—you still carry the blood of a baron!"
"And now, you're about to become the clerk to the Earl of the Southeastern Frontier."
"You may not want to return to that house, but don't you want to see your mother again?"
"Don't you remember why you worked so hard to become a knight in the first place? You're not the same anymore!"
Fessen suddenly looked up, stunned, then lowered his gaze and said, "I just don't want to cause trouble for Lord Aven."
Even though that's what he said, a flicker of emotion flashed in his eyes.
Just as Sutter had said—he really did want to go home. But not now.
Aven was about to become a Earl. He needed to build connections with other nobles and integrate into their circles.
Fessen didn't want to cause him any trouble.
"Fessen, so you still have a home in Aspiration City?"
"Sorry—I thought you were like Sutter, an orphan raised by the city."
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.
Fessen immediately stood up—there stood Aven, looking apologetic.
"Lord Aven, what brings you here?" Fessen asked, quickly saluting.
"I came looking for you and happened to overhear your conversation," Aven replied, sitting beside him and gesturing for both knights to sit down.
Fessen nodded, casting a glare at Sutter.
They were in an open field. There was no way Sutter hadn't seen Aven coming.
Which meant it was intentional—Sutter had seen Aven but let the conversation happen anyway.
"I must not be a very good lord if I still don't know my followers well enough."
"So now, my loyal knights—can you share your stories with me?"
After they sat, Aven smiled and said warmly.
He had just realized both knights had compelling stories.
Sutter was an orphan raised by Aspiration City and trained as a knight.
This had surprised Aven at first—knights like Sutter, raised and trained by the city, were typically extremely loyal and unlikely to betray their liege.
But during the Fruitvale Village defense, Sutter had unhesitatingly opposed the city's knight order.
Following his knightly code, he pledged loyalty to the prince—not the nobility. Sutter was a true knight.
As for Fessen, his story now became clear too. From what Sutter had said, he was likely the son of a baron and a maid.
Such children were usually not accepted by noble families and were treated like illegitimate children.
It was easy to imagine the hard times Fessen had faced in that household, eventually leading him to join the knights who patrolled the Southeastern Frontier.
"It's really nothing much," Fessen muttered, head down, and recounted his story.
From his tale, Aven could hear both his love for his mother and the deep disappointment he felt toward his noble family.
"Then… go home and see her."
"Didn't you really want to bring your mother out?"
(End of Chapter)