Zack and his men walked blankly down the broad red-brick street, their eyes darting from one unbelievable sight to another.
Everywhere they looked, humans and Pokémon moved together in seamless harmony.
A Machoke carried timber alongside a group of workers. A cluster of Minccino played tag with laughing children. Petilil basked lazily in the sunlight beside the road. Aron and Swablu patrolled with armored knights, and flocks of Pidove glided down from rooftops to peck at breadcrumbs in the square.
Pokémon were everywhere, not in cages, not chained, but living freely among people.
Compared to their last visit, the transformation was staggering.
Even more astonishing was how the town itself seemed designed with Pokémon in mind. The streets weren't stripped bare of nature; patches of grass, trees, and flowers had been left untouched, giving the city a park-like atmosphere.
And yet… none of the Pokémon attacked.
Even when these strangers passed by, the creatures merely glanced at them curiously, or even smiled.
Each step they took only deepened Zack's disbelief.
When had the relationship between humans and monsters grown this close?
"Boss, look over there!" one of his men whispered, pointing to a nearby storefront.
Zack turned to see a wooden sign shaped like a dripping honeycomb. Curious, he stepped inside.
Behind the counter stood a woman in her thirties with bright eyes and a warm smile.
"Welcome! You're not from around here, are you?"
"We just arrived," Zack admitted.
"Ah, that explains it!" the woman laughed. "This shop sells honey, real honey made by a magical beast called Combee. Its taste and quality far surpass anything ordinary bees could produce!"
"Combee…?" Zack echoed, momentarily stunned.
He knew that name well. In other towns, Combees were considered impossible to tame. Even when captured, they refused to collect nectar or produce honey without their queen.
People who tried to seize the queen, the powerful Vespiquen, usually met fierce resistance. Whole colonies would rise to defend her, and many had died trying.
So how… had these people managed to harvest honey at all?
"How did you make the Combee and their queen obey?" Zack finally asked.
The shopkeeper's smile deepened.
"His Highness Lucien taught us. He said magical beast can coexist with humans, that we just need to treat them sincerely, and they'll return that sincerity in kind. At first, no one believed it… but now, I can't imagine life without them!"
"Aren't you afraid?" one of Zack's subordinates blurted out. "They're still dangerous, aren't they?"
"Not if you understand them." The woman chuckled and waved her hand.
A tiny Sewaddle hopped up onto the counter, blinking its round eyes before rubbing its leaf-covered head against her arm.
"See? Isn't it adorable? His Highness Lucien truly changed everything here."
Zack's men exchanged bewildered looks. To them, the idea that "sincerity" could tame monsters was absurd.
Monsters were wild, violent things. You avoided them or you died, it was that simple.
But Zack didn't dismiss her so quickly. As a merchant, his instincts told him there was more here than mere fantasy.
Combee honey, the pure golden nectar of a Vespiquen's hive, was considered a royal delicacy across the continent, prized by nobles and sold for small fortunes when available at all.
If what this woman said was true…
If he could buy it here and sell it elsewhere;
He could become rich beyond imagination.
However, before anything else, Zack had one important matter to attend to.
He remembered the lord who ruled this land, Prince Lucien.
If he wanted to trade here again, he had to meet him in person.
Just then, a knight passed by, his polished armor gleaming in the sunlight.
Zack hurried forward and bowed politely.
"Greetings, sir! I'm Zack, a merchant who visited here once before. Lord Lucien purchased some of our goods back then, and I've brought a new shipment today."
The knight, Geralt, studied him for a long moment, his sharp eyes sweeping over the caravan waiting behind.
After a pause, he said simply,
"Follow me."
"Yes!" Zack gestured for his men to stay put, then followed Geralt through the bustling streets.
The city was far livelier than he remembered. Children played with Pokémon in the squares, shopkeepers called out cheerful greetings, and patrols of knights and their Pokémon passed by in perfect formation.
Before long, they reached the town center.
A large, elegant building stood there, the Town Hall.
Unlike the stone fortresses of traditional lords, this structure was open, orderly, and full of movement. Clerks hurried between tables stacked with scrolls, and townsfolk queued patiently to submit taxes, record transactions, or register shops.
It was a strange sight in this medieval world, the very idea of such a civic office had been Lucien's innovation.
Since his castle was still under construction, the Town Hall served as the administrative heart of the growing settlement, allowing the young prince to oversee every matter personally.
When Geralt entered with Zack, Lucien was inspecting a new ledger under Elif's guidance.
"Your Highness," Geralt reported, bowing, "a merchant requests an audience."
Lucien looked up.
"A merchant?" he repeated thoughtfully, then smiled faintly. "Bring him in."
Zack entered, heart pounding, and bowed deeply.
"My lord, I've brought the livestock and… laborers you requested."
Lucien leaned back slightly, intrigued.
"Livestock and laborers, you say? Show me."
"At once, Your Highness!"
Led by Zack, they stepped outside to where the wagons waited.
The first few pens held ordinary animals, cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Nothing unusual there.
But on the other side stood a group that made Lucien's expression darken.
Bound hand and foot with rough ropes, more than twenty Pokémon huddled together.
There were about eight Machoke, four Gurdurr, and eight Timburr, all bruised, scarred, and hollow-eyed.
The younger Timburrs clung fearfully to the larger Gurdurrs, trembling as they looked around.
Lucien's gaze lingered on them in silence.
These weren't "laborers." They were slaves, Pokémon stripped of freedom, bought and sold like livestock.
In this age, that was still common practice. But to Lucien, the sight was unbearable.
Zack, unaware of the change in Lucien's expression, continued proudly,
"These creatures, Your Highness, are called Machoke, incredibly strong, able to lift heavy stones with ease! Perfect for construction work.
And these larger ones are Gurdurr, or as some call them, Construction Masters. They mix an unusual concrete that's stronger than ordinary mortar, perfect for city walls and fortresses.
The smaller ones, Timburr, make excellent porters. They're not as strong, but they're quick and obedient, ideal assistants for the others."