"My lord, a large crowd of civilians has suddenly gathered outside!"
At that moment, another knight hurried over with new intelligence. On the street ahead, masses of people—mostly women and children—had assembled.
Perplexed, Aven followed with his Pokémon, and when he arrived, he saw that the entire street was filled with people.
Flap, flap, flap!
As soon as the women and children caught sight of Aven, they collapsed to their knees as though they had finally glimpsed their savior.
"Lord Aven, please, I beg you, save my child!"
"Lord Aven, I beg of you, save my husband—our Hormay cannot survive without him!"
"Lord Aven… Lord Aven, Lord Aven!"
The women and children who had fallen to their knees pleaded desperately, their cries rising wave after wave, echoing outward until it spread across the entire area.
"You… you all…"
Seeing this scene unfold, the knights at Aven's side turned pale, their expressions drastically changing. None of them had expected that these commoners would actually plead for Lord Aven to go to the colosseum to rescue people!
It was all too obvious—Marquis Hormay had deliberately leaked the matter ahead of time, forcing Lord Aven into a corner, leaving him with no way to retreat.
This realization only deepened the knights' fears. In their hearts they were certain: the arena was a trap, a place where something sinister must surely be waiting for Lord Aven. That was absolutely not a place he should go.
But faced with the weeping women and powerless commoners before them, the knights felt utterly at a loss. They did not know how they could possibly drive them away.
"Lord Aven, you absolutely must not go there!" came Kale's low, grave voice.
On the way toward the arena he too had learned of this scheme, and now his face had darkened like a thundercloud.
Anyone could see it—this was nothing but a conspiracy. If Aven truly entered that arena, there could be no doubt he would fall into terrible danger.
"I…" Aven parted his lips to speak.
But just as he was about to say something, his mind suddenly blurred, as though it had fallen into a haze.
When he opened his eyes again, there was a faint trace of hesitation in his gaze, and he fell into silence.
"How will he choose?" At this moment, other lords had also gathered around, their eyes fixed on the silent Aven.
"Of course he can't go. How could he possibly go?" One lord shook his head firmly. "Isn't it obvious what will happen?"
'Aven, what will you choose?'
Even Berrin's eyes settled on Aven, and for the first time there was uncertainty in his own heart.
Under the weight of countless stares, Aven slowly began to move. With his Pokémon accompanying him, he walked step by step toward the gladiatorial arena. His choice had been made.
"Lord Aven!"
The knights of the Pokémon Domain changed expression at once when they saw him advance.
"Don't try to dissuade me," Aven said quietly. "There are some things I must do myself."
Kale's face flickered with turmoil. He knew exactly what Aven meant.
He wanted to ask aloud—is this truly worth it? But when he looked at Aven's back, words failed him. In the end, he could only remain silent and follow along behind.
"Earl Aven… does he truly mean to enter the arena?"
The gathered lords exchanged uneasy glances, none of them able to understand why Aven, knowing full well it was a trap, would still choose to go.
Were those commoners truly so important to him? Important enough to risk his own life just to save them?
Confusion weighed on their hearts, but still they followed him toward the arena. They had to see for themselves what would happen.
Step by step, more and more people began to move, trailing behind Aven as the procession advanced toward the blood-soaked colosseum.
Inside, the Ironblood Marquis stood quietly, a wineglass of crimson in his hand, calmly awaiting the arrival of his prey. He knew Aven would come—he only needed to wait patiently. Once this final task was complete, he could depart from here forever.
The stands of the arena were already packed with commoners. Their faces were pale with fear, for they already knew what awaited them.
Above, in the sky, countless Golbat circled restlessly, their blood-red eyes glinting with hunger. At any moment they might swoop down, and to them, the humans below were nothing but food.
At the entrances of the arena, knights clad in blood-red armor stood guard. These men, who once had been protectors in the eyes of the people, now appeared as merciless executioners.
And so, in this moment, the only hope the people clung to was Earl Aven. But would he truly come here for them? Would he risk his own life for strangers who were not even his subjects?
Despair weighed heavily on their hearts. The answer was too obvious—he would not. They were not his people. Why would he stake everything on their behalf?
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Just as their hope fell into the abyss, the earth beneath their feet began to tremble.
Moments later, the plaza outside the arena filled with a thunderous rumbling as the massive forms of Nidoking herds and Drapion nest appeared, their heavy steps shaking the very ground.
One of the blood-armored knights at the gate stiffened, torn by an agonizing inner conflict. He did not know whether what he was doing was right or wrong.
But as a knight sworn to obey the ironblood fortress, he had long since been trained to submit to orders without question. Even when his heart screamed that this was wrong, obedience came first.
And yet, when he felt the growing tremor of the earth and raised his eyes, he saw the herds drawing nearer.
At their head stood a figure clad in white, poised atop the mighty form of a Torterra.
The knight had never seen Aven before. But in that instant, he knew—it could only be him.
Aven had come. He had really come.
The knight's heart shuddered violently. He himself had thought Aven would never dare to come, but now reality struck him with a force that rattled his very soul.
"It's Earl Aven! Earl Aven is here!"
"It's truly Lord Aven! Lord Aven has come to save us!"
"Impossible… we're not even his people…"
The commoners saw the figure outside too. Their hearts quaked. Shock mingled with ecstasy.
Yet no matter what they thought, Aven's presence brought them a glimmer of hope. Perhaps—just perhaps—they could be saved!
And so, their eyes turned with hatred upon Marquis Hormay. What would he do now, with Aven here?
"He finally came."
Within the arena, Marquis Hormay's lips curled into a thin, cold smile.
"He truly came," murmured Bloodhowl the Commander of the Ironblood Knights, his expression dazed. Even he had not believed that Aven would actually appear.
But now that he had, the commander furrowed his brows, glanced at his knights, and began to retreat. Step by step, he cleared the front of the arena, leaving it wide open.
Seeing this, Sutter immediately led the knights of the Pokémon Domain forward, seizing the opportunity to advance and occupy the southern gate of the arena—the only opening left unguarded.
The south side, normally reserved for nobles to watch the games, had now been completely abandoned by the Ironblood Knights, surrendered to Aven's forces.
Sutter frowned deeply as his knights secured the position. His gaze swept the arena, seeing commoners filling the other three sides, and above them, those countless Golbat circling hungrily.
Worse still, the arena's perimeter was surrounded by countless Pokémon. The realization struck him: if they attempted a direct assault, it would be nearly impossible to save the civilians.
There were simply too many Pokémon. Against their savage power, the helpless people were too fragile—one stray wind blade could reap dozens of lives.
By now, Aven had reached the southern stands. He scanned the terrified faces of the commoners, then fixed his eyes on Marquis Hormay standing proudly in the center.
"I am here now," Aven said evenly. "Release these innocent civilians."
Marquis Hormay chuckled coldly. "Since you've come, that means you've accepted my challenge. In that case, why not settle this by the rules of the arena? If you win, I will release every last one of them."
The meaning was unmistakable.
The faces of everyone present shifted in alarm. The rules of the arena were absolute: victory was decided only by death. Until one side perished, the duel could not end.
Marquis Hormay was demanding a duel to the death with Aven.
"A life-and-death duel…? How could Earl Aven possibly accept that?"
The lords shook their heads. It was clear to them this was nothing more than Marquis Hormay's final madness.
Aven had already won. All he needed to do was ignore the commoners, defeat the last marquis, and the battle would be over.
But to agree to such a duel… it was unthinkable.
The commoners despaired anew. No lord in their right mind would ever accept such terms.
Many closed their eyes, already seeing death looming before them.
Yet none of them blamed Aven. In fact, that he had come this far was already a grace beyond measure.
Their anger turned instead to Marquis Ironblood, a lord who had abandoned them so callously.
"Very well. If I win, you must swear not to harm these people."
The words, spoken calmly, cut through the arena like a blade of light.
Everything fell silent.
The commoners' eyes flew open in shock. They stared at Aven, scarcely able to believe what they had just heard.
Had Earl Aven truly agreed to a duel of life and death—for them?
Their hearts clenched painfully. Their eyes stung. Tears welled unbidden.
How they wished this man were their lord!
If I survive… I will pledge myself as his subject, many vowed silently, praying with all their hearts: Lord Aven, please… you must win.
"Lord Aven!"
The knights of the Pokémon Domain cried out in unison, their faces full of alarm.
"You cannot accept this duel!"
"We only need to crush the remaining Ironblood Knights, victory will already be ours—you need not risk your life!"
"That's right! Lord Aven, you must not take such a risk. The Pokémon Domain cannot exist without you!"
Their panic was plain, for they could not imagine what would happen to their land if Aven were lost.
"What? He actually agreed?" Outside, the lords were stunned.
Their knights exchanged uneasy glances. Though they knew the choice was reckless, an unexplainable swell of emotion rose in their chests.
If their own lords would risk everything for them, they too would swear undying loyalty—even to the point of death.
"You truly mean to go?"
Only Kale remained calm, though his face was complex. He had never imagined Aven would go this far for a group of commoners.
Even if their deaths could influence Uxie's power, Kale felt it was not worth the risk.
"Yes. I must."
Aven smiled faintly. "Why do you all lack faith in me? Don't worry—Azelf will watch over me. And if I can settle this without its help, all the better."
He patted Kale's shoulder gently. "Thank you. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Guard this place for me."
(End of Chapter)