Chapter 262: Summer: Sorry for Having Such Strong Pokémon

"Fowler, go call him out and explain our request," the blond-haired youth ordered, dramatically sweeping his cape aside as he revealed a confident smile. He was Sordward Cavendish, heir to the Cavendish family, and he was certain that once this blacksmith heard his name, he would immediately agree to the request.

As nobles who commanded armies, every Cavendish heir was required to commission a sword and shield—symbols of conquest and protection. Sordward was no exception.

Through his family's extensive network, he had tracked down Galar's most skilled blacksmith. However, rumors claimed that the man was eccentric, obsessed with forging weapons to the point of madness. Perhaps that was why his craftsmanship was so highly regarded.

"Yes, Lord Sordward," the elderly butler, Fowler, responded dutifully. As the Cavendish family's steward, he also served as the young master's protector.

Before Fowler could act, the door to the small house creaked open. Out stepped a tall, unkempt man, his face covered in soot, thick black hair in a tangled mess, and his simple linen clothes smudged with grime.

The man barely spared them a glance before heading toward a pile of wood and ore stacked nearby, entirely ignoring the two visitors.

"Hey! You're Blake Postwick, aren't you?" Sordward called out. "I am Sordward Cavendish, heir to the Cavendish family. I want to commission you to forge a sharp sword and a sturdy shield."

The blacksmith halted but did not turn around. Instead, he scoffed. "Cavendish? You came empty-handed, expecting me to work for you?"

"What?" Sordward frowned, caught off guard by the response. Then, his expression brightened with anticipation. "Wait… Does that mean you agree? If so, name your materials! Whatever metal you need, I can provide it."

Blake chuckled dryly and shook his head. "You can't get what I need."

Sordward clenched his fists, his pride wounded. "Do you have any idea how powerful the Cavendish family is?! Just tell me what ore you require!"

Still facing away, Blake simply raised a finger and pointed toward the dense forest beyond the village. "Deep within that forest, a meteorite fell from the sky. Bring me its metal, and I will forge your sword and shield."

"A meteorite?" Sordward mused, rubbing his chin. "That does sound worthy of my status… Very well! I accept your terms—"

"Wait, Lord Sordward." Fowler suddenly interjected.

Sordward turned impatiently. "What is it, Fowler?"

"With all due respect, retrieving that meteorite may be beyond your abilities," the butler cautioned. "The very man standing before you, a former champion of the Hall of Honor duels, has already attempted and failed."

Sordward's expression twisted in shock. "What?! This man was a Hall of Honor champion?! Impossible!"

The Hall of Honor was a brutal tournament hosted by the Galarian royal family, designed to select the strongest knights in the land. To emerge victorious meant proving oneself in both Pokémon combat and personal combat, for knights were expected to fight alongside their Pokémon.

Blake let out a bitter chuckle. "That's why I told you it's a waste of time. The two giant wolves that guard that place… they're monsters."

His hands trembled slightly as he recalled the terrifying experience. The piercing gaze of the blue wolf, sharp as a blade, had left him paralyzed. The oppressive presence of the red wolf, as if an unbreakable shield, had made him feel utterly powerless.

Then, realization struck. The time… Hadn't Hilder mentioned going into the forest to collect meteorite fragments?

That foolish son of his should have returned by now! Did he go deeper into the woods?!

"That idiot!!"

Blake's face paled, sweat beading on his forehead. Without another word, he sprinted back into his home, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Heatmor! Growlithe! Stop heating the forge—we're going into the forest! Hilder is missing!"

At his call, a small orange Growlithe darted out of the house, barking in alarm. A lumbering Heatmor followed, still exhaling embers from its mouth. Without hesitation, they both took off toward the forest, with Blake hot on their heels.

Sordward watched, stunned, before his shock turned into irritation. "This man… was really a champion?"

Fowler sighed. "Without a doubt, my lord. However… even I am unsure why he abandoned the knight's path."

Sordward hesitated for only a moment before scoffing. "Hah! I cannot call myself a true Cavendish if I shy away from a challenge. Let's go—I want to see for myself what has this so-called champion so terrified."

He strode toward the forest, his Honedge floating beside him like a silent guardian.

Fowler's face remained unreadable. "If things go south… I may need to call upon 'it'…"

Deep in the Forest

Hilder sat cross-legged, quietly waiting for the Corviknight to wake up. He had already gathered the scattered chunks of black metal, preparing to return them to the steel bird as soon as it regained consciousness.

Meanwhile, Sirfetch'd wasn't idle. It was swinging its leek in practiced motions, replaying the earlier battle in its mind. If only I had aimed for that weak spot…

Summer, watching the boy's determination, turned to Rillaboom and whispered, "Hey, do you think that Corviknight is actually still unconscious?"

Rillaboom nodded. It could sense the steel bird's breathing and heartbeat. There was no way Summer's earlier attack had truly knocked it out for this long.

"Thought so." Summer sighed. Hilder seemed like a decent kid, but there was no need to waste time on a stubborn misunderstanding. He reached for a Pokéball and released his own Corviknight.

A massive black bird emerged at Summer's side. Compared to the downed Corviknight, this one was visibly larger and radiated an intimidating presence.

"Caw!"

Summer's Corviknight let out a powerful cry, instantly asserting dominance over the area.

Hilder and Sirfetch'd froze.

"W-Wait a second… this Corviknight… compared to the one before…" Hilder stammered, his words turning into incoherent mumbling. Sirfetch'd, equally stunned, clenched its leek tighter. If this had been our opponent earlier, we wouldn't have lasted a second!

Summer ignored them and simply pointed at the fainted Corviknight. "Wake it up."

His Corviknight's eyes gleamed. It turned toward its downed kin, ruffled its feathers, and let out a deafening shriek.

"Caw! (Get up, you disgrace! When did Corviknight become cowards?!)"

The unconscious Corviknight instantly snapped awake, its eyes flying open in sheer panic. Its gaze locked onto Summer's Corviknight, and within those crimson eyes, it saw something profound—pride. Glory. The dignity of their kind.

"Caw! (You're right, elder!)"

With renewed vigor, the Corviknight flapped its wings and rose to its feet. In that moment, it made a solemn decision. From now on, I shall refer to myself as 'this lord' as well!

"Hey, Hilder," Summer called casually. "It's awake."

"…Oh. Oh! Right!"

Hilder stammered, completely unable to guess Summer's true identity. Just how did that other Corviknight appear so suddenly? And… it was just as powerful as Rillaboom! If he didn't know they were Summer's Pokémon, he might've collapsed from sheer shock.

"Uh… I'm really sorry, Corviknight. These were your things, right? I shouldn't have taken them without permission…" Hilder bowed his head and apologized sincerely.

"Caw?" (You mean me?)

Before Summer could respond, he sighed and patted his Corviknight's head. "Clearly, he's not talking about you. You'd have more authority if you just stayed silent sometimes."

Corviknight let out a pleased caw and tucked its beak into the feathers on its chest, preening itself smugly. Ah, Summer, so you DO think I have an imposing presence! Hehe, I'm getting embarrassed…

Rillaboom sighed deeply. There's no saving this guy.

Meanwhile, the real Corviknight that Hilder had addressed turned to look at the pieces of black metal in the boy's hands. They were indeed its collection… but it had never expected a human to apologize for taking them.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Corviknight took a step forward, then gently nudged the metal pieces back toward Hilder with its beak. It shook its head, signaling that it didn't need them anymore.

Since you're someone that the elder Corviknight acknowledges, I suppose it's fine. Besides, I only collected these because their color matched my feathers… It's not like they were that useful anyway.

And honestly… the way you and that duck protected each other was pretty impressive. No— it made even me feel admiration!

"Really? But… these were yours," Hilder asked hesitantly.

"I think it's fine. Just accept it, Hilder. If you don't believe me, look at its eyes," Summer advised.

Hilder glanced up and met Corviknight's sharp, crimson gaze. Within them, he saw certainty and approval.

The steel bird cawed, urging him not to overthink it.

"…Alright! Thank you, Corviknight!"

With a satisfied nod, Corviknight turned to face Summer's Corviknight and bowed deeply. Thank you, elder. From now on, I will also teach the next generation the pride of Corviknight!

With that, it spread its wings and took off, disappearing into the sky.

Watching it go, Hilder looked toward Summer, hesitating. Should he ask about his identity? About how Corviknight had suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

But… Summer had just saved his life. Wouldn't prying be rude? What if it was some kind of secret?

Unbeknownst to Hilder, Sirfetch'd had witnessed everything. The duck had seen Summer pull out a round object, toss it, and then—bam—a massive Corviknight had emerged in a flash of light.

If its guess was correct… Corviknight had been inside that orb the whole time.

But that didn't make sense!

The duck's tiny brain struggled to process what it had just witnessed. Was that orb… some kind of Pokémon too?!

Both Hilder and Sirfetch'd fell into a stunned silence, utterly baffled by Summer's future technology.

Just then, the bushes rustled.

"Arf! Arf! Arf!"

A Growlithe burst out from the foliage, barking excitedly. It had picked up Hilder and Sirfetch'd's scent—they were safe!

But then… it froze.

Its ears flattened, and its tail tucked between its legs.

Something was wrong. The two humans standing there… they smelled dangerous.

It whimpered, stepping back nervously. But at the same time, it didn't want to abandon Hilder and Sirfetch'd.

With every ounce of its courage, the small pup let out a trembling growl, trying to warn off Summer and his Pokémon.

Summer sighed. Am I being mistaken as the bad guy… again?

Before Hilder could explain, a towering figure emerged from the bushes. The man was about to scold his "stupid mutt" when his eyes locked onto Summer. Or rather—the Pokémon standing beside him.

His face twisted in shock.

"You… You're with the Royal Guards?! Why the hell are you here?!"

Summer pinched the bridge of his nose. A third time. This is the third time someone has jumped to conclusions today.

The man's stance became defensive.

Only the Royal Guards could control Pokémon this powerful. And this guy had two of them?!

He must be some high-ranking officer.

Did the emperor learn about the powerful Pokémon in this forest?!

The man clenched his fists. The emperor had been paranoid ever since the war, desperately seeking more strength.

But how did he find out about this place?!

Behind him, a Heatmor stepped forward, flames flickering from its elongated snout.

It eyed Summer and his Pokémon warily. They were the third and fourth strongest opponents it had ever seen.

But… fire beats plants and metal.

If things went south, it could burn down the entire forest, using the chaos as a distraction to escape.

If Summer had been able to hear Heatmor's thoughts, he would have drop-kicked the anteater into the stratosphere.

Destroying forests? Setting fires?! That was an unforgivable crime.

Just as Hilder was about to explain, more rustling came from the bushes.

Two new figures stepped into view.

A blond-haired noble in polished armor… and an elderly butler at his side.

The noble's eyes widened in shock.

"F-Fowler! Do you recognize that man?!" Sordward shouted.

His voice trembled. Those two Pokémon…

"No doubt about it," Fowler muttered. "That's Corviknight and… Rillaboom, is it? But how were they tamed…? Perhaps raised from birth? No, that can't be it…"

The Galar of this era lacked a deep understanding of Pokémon evolution.

Nobody knew that Corviknight evolved from Rookidee. Its metallic feathers made people assume it came from Skarmory instead.

(Somewhere in the distance, a Corviknight and a Skarmory were getting ready to beat the hell out of whoever started that theory.)

Rillaboom, on the other hand, was known to evolve from Grookey.

But… Grookey were communal Pokémon.

Anyone who tried to steal a Grookey baby… would be swarmed by an entire mob of enraged apes.

Sordward gritted his teeth.

Who was this guy?!

Fowler, sensing the rising tension, discreetly reached into his coat.

If things went south… he would have to use it.

Meanwhile, Summer just… sighed. For the fourth time.

Was it a crime to have strong Pokémon?!

Why did everyone keep reacting like this?!

(To be continued…)