Sir Berrin felt his legs weaken.
The thought that had flashed through his mind earlier had been confirmed.
Though he tried to deny it, he'd rather believe the entire knight squad had betrayed them than accept that the knight regiment had simply abandoned them.
But could it really be possible for an entire knight regiment to defect?
Of course not.
These knights represented the stance of Aspiration City. Could it be that Aspiration City itself had abandoned them?
Seeing the ashen faces of the nobles before him, Simon felt a wave of satisfaction. After all, Fruitvale Village had already completely fallen out with these nobles, so he didn't mind throwing more fuel onto the fire.
Besides, everything he said was the truth. Driving these nobles further into opposition against the knight order was good news for Fruitvale Village.
Having achieved his aim, Simon quickened his pace, leading the nobles toward the abandoned orchard outside the village.
The orchard still bore the signs of trampling by knights, mixed with the blood of the Mightyenas.
Seeing the scene, some of the nobles found it hard to move forward, as a terrifying thought surfaced in their minds:
'Could this villager be planning to execute us here?'
That fear finally overwhelmed one of the nobles, who began shouting for help in panic—there was not a shred of noble dignity left in his behavior.
The others fared no better. One noble suddenly felt a chill on his leg, a wet patch forming on his thigh, and a strange smell began to spread.
Simon waved a hand in disgust but continued leading the nobles forward. Soon, they reached the center of the abandoned orchard, where Mightyenas slowly emerged from the shadows, grinning as they surrounded the nobles.
'They really are going to kill us...' Berrin felt his heart sink completely, his legs trembling as a deep sense of fear overcame him.
At that moment, the Mightyenas parted, and Aven appeared, cradling the Petilil in his arms.
Upon seeing him, Sir Berrin opened his mouth. What was meant to be a threat instead turned into a defeated question:
"What do you want from us?"
"A test," Aven replied flatly, turning to walk deeper into the orchard.
The nobles nervously followed, only to freeze at the sight before them:
Eight Rhyhorns and eight Mightyenas stood before them.
Just one glance, and they recognized them as their former magical beasts.
However, all of them were now without their magical beast restraints.
"The rules of the test are simple."
"If your magical beast is willing to follow you without any restraint, then you pass."
Aven stepped aside as Simon began untying the ropes on the nobles, while Aven calmly explained the rules of the trial.
The nobles stood stunned for a moment until one of them asked,
"What happens if I pass the test?"
Aven gave the noble a glance and nodded,
"If you pass, you may leave with your magical beast."
The nobles' eyes lit up, and some of them looked toward their beasts with hope.
The noble who had spoken called out, voice trembling,
"Rhyhorn, Mightyena—come to me!"
But the beasts did not move. They stared coldly at him, clearly remembering how they had been tamed.
Now that they had regained their freedom, how could they ever willingly return to that loathed place?
The freed Mightyena looked back at Aven, who had given it its freedom, and then at the companions surrounding it. This was its new home now.
"How can this be? Damn it! I'm your master! You must obey me!" the noble roared in anger—
—but was only met with a killing glare from the Mightyena.
Aven said coldly, "Sorry, looks like your Rhyhorn and Mightyena don't recognize you."
"Give them the restraints! Once they wear them again, they'll recognize me! They have to—!"
The noble's breathing became rapid, but Simon pulled him away without a word.
The other nobles fell into silence.
They avoided the gaze of their magical beasts, unsure of how they had truly been tamed.
Back then, when the beasts were handed over to them, they were already obedient.
Knight Leon watched the frantic nobles from afar, his expression complicated.
The same test had yielded completely different results. Compared to the knights, these nobles had obtained their beasts far too easily.
Normally, magical beasts were restrained upon capture and handed over to specialized beast tamers. Once their wills were broken and they were fully submissive, only then were they passed along to nobles.
In such conditions, how could any magical beast truly recognize their so-called master?
Now that the restraints had been removed, their minds had been freed too.
In the past, Leon hadn't thought much of it. But after reading the Trainer's Handbook, he had slowly come to believe that only by treating magical beasts with sincerity could one earn their loyalty in return.
Just like Aven.
These beasts had accepted him so quickly—that was the clearest proof.
He had always treated them with sincerity.
"Tch, serves them right."
"If they weren't nobles, they'd be nothing."
Peter snorted beside him, clearly with no sympathy for the nobles.
Then he added, "Now, those magical beasts belong to Fruitvale Village. Here, they'll find true freedom. Of course, we'll respect their choices too!"
Leon opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. He turned to leave, unwilling to watch the nobles' pitiful display any longer.
His heart was torn, with two conflicting beliefs clashing inside him—
The knightly education he had received all his life, and the new philosophy of trainers he was just beginning to understand.
But deep down, he agreed with Aven's approach.
It was just that letting go of everything he'd been taught wasn't easy.
As Leon walked away, Peter looked back at the nobles and felt his resolve grow stronger.
He would treat his magical beasts, no, his Pokemon with sincerity—and together, they would grow stronger.
(End of Chapter)