"That's right, Aven has mastered the method to teach the Rock Slide move."
"Besides that, he can also teach Mightyena the Sucker Punch move, which is a technique that can instantly boost its speed."
Seeing the stunned expressions on his companions' faces, Leon suddenly felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Without hesitation, he shared everything he knew.
"The Pokémon Breeding House is a place for raising and training Pokémon."
"Aside from that, the Breeding House also sells potions and Pokémon food, and even issues tasks."
Leon gave a full introduction of the Pokémon Breeding House. After finishing, he added, "Oh, right—Pokémon is another name for magical beasts. I really like the term."
As they listened to Leon's explanation, the knights in the area were filled with disbelief, but also began to feel excited.
If that was the case, then their Rhyhorns might also be able to learn Rock Slide, just like Leon's!
"You only need to become a member of the Pokémon Breeding House to purchase the services you want."
The knights were stunned and quickly asked, "As long as we have the money?"
"Exactly. But you'd better sign up for a membership."
"All you have to do is fill out a membership form and pay an annual fee of one gold coin. Then you can enjoy all the benefits of being a member, including discounts."
Leon explained the membership perks again. While most of the knights didn't fully understand everything, they definitely understood the word "discount."
"There's actually such a good deal!" The knights were visibly excited.
Although 15 gold coins wasn't a small sum, if their Rhyhorns could learn Rock Slide, it would be absolutely worth it.
As knights, they were destined to face danger. Sometimes, a small improvement could mean the difference between life and death—let alone a powerful move like Rock Slide that could drastically improve a Rhyhorn's combat ability!
Some knights immediately decided to head to the farm to find Aven, apply for membership at the Breeding House, and pay for the training to let their Rhyhorns learn Rock Slide too.
Of course, not every knight had that kind of money. A few of them gathered around Leon's Rhyhorn, trying to figure out how it had learned the move. This even made the others who were planning to go to Aven pause.
If they could figure out how the Rhyhorn learned Rock Slide directly, that would be even better—after all, 15 gold coins was essentially their entire fortune.
"Rhy... Rhy... Rhy?" Faced with all the questions, Rhyhorn looked confused.
From its perspective, it had simply eaten delicious food every day at the farm. Under that human's guidance, it absorbed energy from the food and naturally began forming rocks through that energy. Eventually, it just picked up the Rock Slide move.
"Well... looks like we won't get anything useful out of this..." The knights sighed as they looked at the simple-minded Rhyhorn. They painfully patted their coin pouches, realizing that their savings were likely gone for good.
As the knights left, Leon let out a sigh of relief. He was planning to continue testing the results of his Rhyhorn's training. He had a feeling that besides learning Rock Slide, there had been other improvements as well.
But just as Leon was preparing to test his theory, the knights who had left suddenly returned.
At the same time, several knights also rode over on their Rhyhorns—but their armor indicated that they were from the castle in Aspiration City, guardians of the city lord.
Aspiration City had finally sent someone… Leon felt conflicted. He wasn't sure if the news from the city would be good or bad.
Over time, he had grown fond of Fruitvale Village and didn't want it to come into conflict with Aspiration.
"Treasurer Johnson, what brings you here?" Knight Commander Hunter stepped forward to greet them. The other knights quickly regrouped after seeing him.
"Thank you all for your hard work these past few weeks."
"I've come to bring you back to the city."
A smile appeared on Johnson's face. These knights had been stationed in Fruitvale Village for over half a month, and the conditions here were quite rough. It hadn't been easy for them.
After he finished speaking, he looked around at the knights, expecting them to show signs of excitement upon hearing the news.
But why were their faces so complicated? Were they doubting his words? Johnson looked puzzled, unable to understand what was going on.
"Um... Sir Johnson, does the city lord want us to return to Aspiration immediately?" Hunter asked hesitantly.
They still hadn't learned the method to train Rock Slide from the Pokémon Breeding House. Leaving now would be such a waste.
Johnson nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry. The Lady has already reached an agreement with Aven. You may leave now."
"No, no, it's not that Aven is stopping us from leaving, it's just..." Hunter carefully chose his words. "Our task isn't complete yet."
"The city lord has already cancelled your mission. You've done well."
"No, no, it's just that some of the nobles are still being held by Aven. We feel it's our duty to protect them."
Now Johnson realized—they weren't doubting his words. They just didn't want to leave. Had they actually been enjoying their time in Fruitvale Village this whole time?
"Alright, Sir Johnson. I'd like the knight regiment to remain in Fruitvale Village for a bit longer." Finally, Hunter came clean and explained that Aven possessed the method to teach Rock Slide.
What followed, naturally, was Johnson and the city lord's guardian knights being stunned. After that, even before Johnson could respond, the guardian knights all chimed in, expressing their desire to remain in the village as well.
Johnson had no reason to reject the request. He had been given plenty of time by the prince for these negotiations, and everything was going far more smoothly than expected.
He decided to first send a written report back to the prince detailing the results of the talks—and, of course, to mention that Aven had mastered the Rock Slide training method. He and the knights would remain in Fruitvale Village to await further orders.
"Don't worry. I'll report everything to the city lord," Johnson reassured the knights beside him.
Learning Rock Slide for 15 gold coins… He figured it might be time for the city lord to step in and have a proper negotiation with Aven. Though he still didn't know what it would cost to buy the method outright.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Ok, explanation so you don't get confuse, Johnson is known to be the Tax Officer to the Villagers but the Knights know he is the treasurer of the city lord so they call him that instead.)