Inside the castle of Aspiration City.
Mira was hunched over her desk, reviewing government documents.
As more and more citizens from outside the city flooded in, order within the city had begun to deteriorate.
The conditions in the slums were truly poor, which understandably stirred dissatisfaction among the new arrivals.
Additionally, managing food and supplies for so many people placed immense pressure on Aspiration City, leaving the lord overwhelmed.
Fortunately, Treasurer Johnson had returned just in time, allowing her to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Moreover, it seemed that Fruitvale Village had taken in a large number of settlers and was managing their food needs, significantly easing the burden on Aspiration City.
Though Johnson claimed Fruitvale Village was trying to take advantage of the influx to keep those people for themselves, Mira didn't mind. After all, the entire territory belonged to her—including Fruitvale Village and its residents.
Knock knock knock.
Just as Mira was pondering over matters of governance, a knock sounded at the door.
When she responded, Chief of Security (Sheriff) Richard entered, holding a letter in his hand.
"News from the front..." Mira's face grew solemn as she accepted and immediately opened the letter.
Beside her, Richard also wore a serious expression. Based on the last few reports, the situation on the front lines was clearly dire.
Then suddenly, he noticed Mira break into a rare smile. That could only mean one thing: good news.
"A portion of the mystery behind the Abyssal Beasts has been uncovered," Mira said with a smile, handing the letter over.
Richard quickly took it and read through it. It was from Kevin, detailing how Aven had succeeded in helping an Abyssal Beast regain its sanity for a brief period.
"Excellent, excellent."
"If a way to purge the gray mist can truly be found, we could end this crisis far sooner than expected."
A smile also appeared on the security chief's face. He was now deeply curious about this apothecary named Aven—whom he hadn't even met yet.
The gray mist that had left all the other apothecaries in the city helpless... and now, someone was actually making breakthrough progress in such a short amount of time!
He had a strong feeling that if Aven was given just a little more time, he might truly unlock the mystery of the mist.
"Yes, this is very good news."
"If we find a way to purge the mist, we won't just solve this crisis—we'll no longer have to fear the gray mist ever again."
Mira nodded. "Go fetch Johnson. We need to allocate more resources to this effort."
As Richard left, Mira was in high spirits and returned to her paperwork.
Suddenly, her hand paused—she noticed the next letter in the pile was a joint petition from the noble families, demanding the immediate release of the detained nobles in Fruitvale Village.
Smoothing a strand of her long white hair, Mira set the letter aside. She had already made it clear: nothing would be decided until the Abyssal Beast crisis was over.
Now that Aven had repeatedly made contributions on the front lines with his research, he was quickly building a major record of service.
If he truly managed to uncover the secret of the gray mist and help the Abyssal Beasts regain their sanity, he would undoubtedly be the hero of this entire crisis.
At that point, it would be the nobles who'd have to start worrying...
With Aven on board, Mira thought, this might be the perfect chance to reshuffle the power among the city's noble factions. Only with balanced forces could the territory truly prosper.
As this thought crossed her mind and she prepared to continue reviewing documents—
Suddenly, she felt a sharp jolt in her mind.
The next moment, her consciousness slipped into darkness.
In the center of that darkness, a multicolored light flickered.
A Pokémon appeared—gray-bodied, white-faced, with a red gem embedded in its forehead.
As the creature flicked its twin tails—each tipped with a red gem—the surrounding darkness instantly gave way to a radiant, rainbow-hued space.
"Mimi, long time no see…"
Azelf had appeared. It smiled at the girl in front of it, its telepathic voice resonating directly in Mira's heart.
"Hmph, what made you finally come find me?" Mira asked with feigned annoyance.
Ever since Azelf had fallen into a deep sleep, it hadn't reached out to her—not even when she called for it.
"Sorry about that. One of my companions was badly injured—I had to help it recover."
Azelf floated around Mira in a circle before snuggling into her arms affectionately.
Upon hearing that Azelf's companion had been hurt, Mira's expression immediately turned serious. "Are they okay now?"
"They're fine," Azelf replied as it floated up again, then added with a serious tone, "But it seems we're in big trouble."
Mira nodded, sighing, "The Abyssal Beast tide has reappeared."
"But don't worry, I'll handle it."
Because Azelf lived in another dimension, coming to the real world consumed tremendous energy.
Unless Aspiration City was truly facing a life-or-death crisis, Mira would never summon Azelf across the dimensional barrier.
"The Abyssal Caverns?"
Azelf was momentarily stunned, surprised that the Abyssal Caverns was acting up now of all times.
"You weren't talking about the Abyssal Beasts?" Mira's expression shifted in confusion.
Azelf shook its head, its face grave. "I sensed a powerful beast enter my awareness not long ago."
"But its presence only lasted a moment before vanishing again. Now that you mention it… the direction was indeed the Abyssal Caverns."
"A powerful beast!" Mira's face changed. If even Azelf called it powerful, it must be a being of its caliber or higher!
And it had appeared right near the Abyssal Caverns—this couldn't be coincidence.
Could it be that this Abyssal Beast tide wasn't just a random occurrence, but the result of some hidden force manipulating events from behind the scenes?
"No matter what its goal is, we need to remain vigilant." Azelf's expression lost all traces of mischief, turning solemn.
"Mimi, I have to return to Lake Valor's dimensional space to rest."
"If anything dangerous happens, just call my name—I'll respond immediately."
As Azelf's voice faded, the radiant lights gradually vanished, and the surroundings returned to darkness.
Mira suddenly opened her eyes, withdrawing from the conscious realm and returning to her seat at the desk.
Even though it had only been a brief exchange, the mental toll had been significant. She closed her eyes again and began meditating using the technique Azelf had taught her.
(End of Chapter)