First Encounter

The leader and the Sawsbuck locked eyes for a few seconds before he shouted at his trembling subordinates behind him, "Attack!"

Although his subordinates were afraid, they understood the situation and bravely commanded their Houndooms and Mightyenas to charge at the Sawsbuck on the opposite side.

However, just as the Houndooms and Mightyenas were about to reach the Sawsbuck, a series of Razor Wind attacks shot out from the trees. The Houndooms and Mightyenas were caught off guard and were knocked to the ground.

When the leader realized what was happening, he saw dozens of Taillow and Swellow hovering above the Sawsbuck.

These Razor Wind attacks were all unleashed by these Taillow and Swellow.

Yuga had carefully selected these Taillow and Swellow, and their strength and potential were quite impressive.

Seeing these Taillow and Swellow, the leader's face turned even paler. He now understood that they had been targeted by the enemy as soon as they entered this forest.

The Houndooms and Mightyenas, despite their trembling owners, were fearless. They snarled menacingly and pounced on the Sawsbuck again.

Unlike their anxious trainers, the Houndooms and Mightyenas were ruthless, showing their fangs and claws with ferocious intent.

As the Houndooms and Mightyenas attacked, the Taillow and Swellow in the air were not about to be outdone.

Seeing that his subordinates were struggling, the leader had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

"Flygon, Dragon Claw!"

Hearing his orders, the Flygon spread its wings, flew into the air, and raised a claw emitting green light towards the Sawsbuck.

The Sawsbuck remained calm, quietly watching the Flygon's claw approach.

Just as the Flygon's claw was about to make contact with the Sawsbuck, the Sawsbuck's powerful hind legs pushed off, and in the blink of an eye, it jumped into the air.

The Sawsbuck's jumping ability was astounding, effortlessly leaping over the Flygon.

Upon landing, the Sawsbuck's two front legs emitted a dazzling white light, and it stomped heavily on the Flygon's back.

With a loud "bang," the Flygon crashed to the ground like a projectile, leaving a large pit in its wake.

In the pit, the Flygon, enduring the excruciating pain in its back, frantically flapped its wings, attempting to take flight once more.

The Sawsbuck had used the Fighting-type move, High Jump Kick, twice.

The Sawsbuck's most powerful weapons were its four hooves and two antlers. Combined with the advanced Fighting-type move, High Jump Kick, it was clear that the Flygon was in agonizing pain.

Luckily, Dragon-type Pokémon had excellent physical resilience. Otherwise, after being stomped on twice by the Sawsbuck, the Flygon's spine might not have remained intact.

Seeing the mysterious Pokémon across from him defeat his prized Flygon in a single exchange, the leader's face turned white, and he collapsed to the ground, his hands and feet ice-cold.

Before long, the Taillow and Swellow had also taken care of the Houndooms and Mightyenas.

Outside the forest, Yuga and the others had waited for a while. When they saw that it was time, Yuga turned to Ruby and said, "Go back to the village and get everyone out here. Bring some ropes with you; we need to tie them up."

Ruby immediately understood that the group of soldiers in the forest had been dealt with. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, so he wasn't surprised.

"Alright, I'll be right back."

After saying this, Ruby sprinted away.

When he returned, he was followed by a group of burly men carrying ropes.

Soon, the group of soldiers from the forest was bound and brought out of the forest. Their unconscious Pokémon were carried by the strong villagers.

After Sawsbuck returned, Yuga praised it and recalled it into its Poké Ball.

As for handling the prisoners, it was quite straightforward: confiscate their Pokémon, remove their armor, and assign them to labor, primarily clearing land.

Yuga and his group had only settled here for a year, and as their numbers grew, so did their food requirements and the need for more cultivated land.

These prisoners were their best and most cost-effective labor force.

Now, any captured soldiers from the Arus Empire would be arranged to work on clearing land or perform other manual tasks.

The prisoners held a low status in the village. Apart from providing them with basic sustenance, they were expected to work diligently.

Unfortunately, most of the villagers in the village had lost their homes due to the Arus Empire's soldiers. Allowing the prisoners to survive was already a testament to their kindness. Expecting them to treat the prisoners well was nearly impossible, and Yuga didn't push for it either.

Of course, not all prisoners could survive.

Some of the invading soldiers were nobles from the Arus Empire. How could they willingly work for what they considered lower-class people? So they often caused trouble.

In this place, any prisoners causing trouble only had one fate: death.

In this era, human life wasn't valued much, and countless lives were lost every day.

The villagers were quite skilled at assigning prisoners to work, and the more than forty prisoners were quickly dispersed to various tasks.

As for the injured soldiers, Yuga simply had Gardevoir use a Heal Pulse on each of them. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

"Second Master, the First Master has been gone for over ten days. When will he return?" Ruby asked Yuga with some concern.

"Let me calculate. He should be returning soon."

This time, Shadowsong had gone out to bring back a group of people.

As time passed, Yuga knew that the date of Arus's recorded downfall was drawing closer, and time was becoming more critical.

In these two years, he and Shadowsong had been doing their best to gather the innocent civilians of Arus.

However, their abilities were limited, and transportation in this area was not well-developed. The number of people they could bring back was not significant. Compared to the total population of Arus, the people they could save were just a drop in the ocean.

Nevertheless, they did their best, and they couldn't do more than that.

At the border between Arus and the Vante Empire.

Inside the Vante Emperor's main camp.

The Vante Emperor sat high on the throne, exuding an aura of authority.

At this moment, a senior officer in armor hurriedly entered and knelt before the Vante Emperor, excitedly saying, "Your Majesty, the legendary Pokémon we've been searching for has finally been found!"

The Vante Emperor, upon hearing this, stood up in excitement and asked the officer, "Is it true?"

The officer raised his head, filled with excitement. "Absolutely!"

"That's Fantastic! With this legendary Pokémon, conquering Arus is just a matter of time!"

Saying that, the Vante Emperor took out a crimson orb from his clothes and carefully rubbed it with his fingers.

"With this legendary Pokémon, that guy, Rode, will be nothing."