The Birth of the Tree King

Unexpectedly, the male Farfetch'd's strike landed a critical hit on Drilbur.

Drilbur let out a series of pained cries as it was sent flying backward.

The male Farfetch'd was thrilled—his newly acquired leek was truly amazing. He felt as if he had achieved complete unity with his weapon!

With this thought in mind, the male Farfetch'd charged toward Drilbur with even greater confidence, and for a moment, Drilbur struggled to defend itself.

Seeing this, Drilbur quickly called out to Lairon for help.

After all, this was a double battle—asking a teammate for assistance wasn't shameful.

On the other side, Lairon had been forcing the female Farfetch'd to retreat step by step, but hearing Drilbur's call, it swiftly changed direction and used Iron Head to ram into the male Farfetch'd.

The male Farfetch'd, engrossed in wielding his perfect leek, was caught off guard and sent flying by Lairon's attack.

Seeing her husband being hit was unacceptable to the female Farfetch'd. She immediately swung her leek, which emitted a green glow. In an instant, the leek transformed into a long sword and struck Lairon right in a weak spot on its back.

Another critical hit!

Drilbur, seeing this, swiftly swung its claws and used Sandstorm, kicking up a fierce sandstorm across the battlefield.

The two Farfetch'd were instantly blinded by the swirling sand, unable to see their surroundings clearly.

However, Drilbur, a Ground-type, and Lairon, a Steel/Rock-type, were unaffected.

In fact, Lairon, with its Rock typing, saw its Special Defense boosted by the sandstorm, though it wasn't particularly useful in this battle since the Farfetch'd specialized in physical attacks.

Taking advantage of the Farfetch'd's confusion in the sandstorm, Drilbur used Dig to sneak underground and approach them stealthily before launching a surprise attack.

Timing it perfectly, Drilbur suddenly emerged from the ground and struck both Farfetch'd, sending them flying.

Drilbur's ability, Sand Force, increased the power of its Ground, Rock, and Steel-type moves in the sandstorm.

And Dig was a Ground-type move.

"Farfetch'd~"

"Farfetch'd~"

Both Farfetch'd cried out in pain.

At that moment, Lairon followed up with Rock Slide, sending massive boulders crashing down on the Farfetch'd.

Drilbur and Lairon watched the rock pile in silence, wondering if the Farfetch'd had already been defeated.

Curious, they moved closer to check.

Just as they approached, a dazzling green light burst from the pile of rocks. Suddenly, two sharp blades sliced through the stones and came slashing toward them.

Caught off guard, both Drilbur and Lairon were hit, suffering critical damage.

Drilbur, the weaker of the two with lower defenses, immediately lost its ability to battle.

Compared to Drilbur, Lairon's defenses were exceptional. Despite taking two critical hits, it seemed completely unfazed.

Having successfully defeated Drilbur, the two Farfetch'd exchanged a glance, overjoyed. They quickly developed a strategy and began flanking Lairon from both sides with perfect coordination.

When they got close, the two Farfetch'd raised their leeks and attacked Lairon.

This time, they didn't use Leaf Blade but instead opted for the Fighting-type move, Brick Break.

Fighting-type moves are four times effective against Lairon!

With Lairon's speed, dodging was out of the question. Its entire body began to shimmer with a metallic luster, and in the next second, its body gleamed with a silvery glow.

It had used Iron Defense, a Steel-type move that significantly boosts its defense.

Lairon already had ridiculously high defense, and with Iron Defense, it became even stronger.

BANG!!!

Two loud bangs echoed as the Farfetch'ds' leeks struck Lairon's back simultaneously, once again landing critical hits.

The reason the Farfetch'ds could so easily land critical hits was due to their natural ability—holding leeks that inherently increase their critical hit ratio.

Unfortunately... even with that advantage, Lairon still stood tall.

"Lairon~"

Lairon let out a thunderous roar, as if something had clicked within it, and its entire body burst with a red glow before it suddenly charged at the male Farfetch'd.

A miserable cry followed as the male Farfetch'd was sent flying and collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.

Lairon had finally mastered Body Press.

This move was something that Steelix had been teaching it before departing, but Lairon had struggled to grasp it—until now.

Body Press is a Fighting-type move that calculates damage based on the user's defense instead of attack, making it a perfect fit for Lairon , whose defense far surpasses its attack.

After taking down the male Farfetch'd, Lairon turned to face the female Farfetch'd, its sapphire eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

But the female Farfetch'd wasn't scared at all; the leek in her hand filled her with boundless courage!

"Farfetch'd~"

She cried out and charged at Lairon with Brick Break.

"Lairon~"

Lairon roared again, summoning large boulders that encircled the female Farfetch'd before she could get close.

It was using Rock Tomb.

Before the female Farfetch'd could react, Lairon unleashed another Body Press, smashing through the boulders and sending her flying.

With that, Lairon had achieved a "double knockout."

"Lairon~"

The thrill of victory had Lairon roaring triumphantly into the sky.

At this moment, the two Dollive approached them and simultaneously used Grassy Terrain to heal Drilbur and the two Farfetch'd.

Just then, Xerneas happened to pass by and casually cast a Heal Pulse on each of the three Pokemon.

Before long, Drilbur and the two Farfetch'd slowly regained consciousness.

However, the moment the two Farfetch'd opened their eyes, a bright white light enveloped their bodies.

Lairon , Drilbur, and the Dolliv gasped in surprise, and even Xerneas, who was about to leave, turned back to look.

The Farfetch'd were evolving!

The evolution requirement for Galarian Farfetch'd is landing three or more critical hits in battle, and in the previous fight, both Farfetch'd had landed three critical hits each against Drilbur and Lairon.

The radiant glow soon engulfed them entirely, and through the light, their silhouettes changed dramatically, along with their leeks.

Their height, however, remained mostly the same.

Before long, the evolution was complete, and two new Pokemon stood before everyone.

The evolved forms of the Farfetch'd didn't differ much in appearance, but their feathers had turned white, and they now wielded a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Their expressions were serious and resolute, resembling true knights.

These were the evolved forms of Galarian Farfetch'd—Sirfetch'd.

"Sirfetch'd~"

"Sirfetch'd~"

After evolving, the two Sirfetch'd looked at each other and excitedly tried to embrace.

Unfortunately, their sword and shield got in the way, preventing a proper hug.

The two Sirfetch'd: ...

Even though their hug failed, they were still overjoyed.

"Sirfetch'd~"

"We've evolved!"

"Sirfetch'd~"

"We finally evolved!"

They happily announced the good news to everyone, even though everyone had already seen it.

The Pokémon enthusiastically stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

Watching the dashing Sirfetch'd, Drilbur was filled with envy. How wonderful, it wanted to evolve too.

The Lairon beside it noticed its thoughts and gently bumped it.

"Lairon~ Lairon~"

Don't worry, you'll evolve soon too.

Encouraged by Lairon's words, Drilbur instantly regained its spirit and eagerly pulled Lairon away for special training.

When Angie came out of the kitchen and learned that the two Farfetch'd had evolved, he also offered them his blessings.

Just as Angie was chatting with a few Pokémon, he suddenly saw Chesnaught rushing over with an excited expression on its face.

"What's wrong, Chesnaught? Why are you so happy?" Angie asked with a smile.

"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"

Without explaining much, Chesnaught grabbed Angie and started leading him outside.

Angie asked in confusion, "Where are you taking me?"

"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"

Just come to the orchard with me, you'll see it when we get there.

Seeing Chesnaught's urgency, Angie had no choice but to quicken his pace and follow it toward the orchard.

Chesnaught led Angie all the way to the Pecha Berry grove. In the center of the orchard, Vileplume, Bellossom, Victreebel, Gloom, Floette, and Vivillon were all gathered together.

When they saw Angie arriving, they cheered and waved excitedly at him.

"What's going on, you guys..." Angie asked curiously.

"Vileplume~"

"Bellossom~"

"Victreebel~~"

The Pokémon pointed to the tree they were surrounding.

Following their gaze, Angie's face quickly showed astonishment.

The trunk of the Pecha Berry tree was covered in yellow-green patterns that extended from the roots upward.

Most importantly, the patterns were glowing.

"This is..."

He walked up to the tree and touched one of the patterns, discovering that it was made of a special crystalline structure.

Feeling the aura emanating from the tree, Angie sensed that it was brimming with energy.

He guessed that these crystalline patterns must be the tree's energy transport system.

Suddenly realizing something, he turned to the Pokémon and asked, "Could this be... a sign of the Tree King being born?"

The Pokémon nodded excitedly.

Angie had previously received a recipe from the system for cultivating Mythical Berry, which required the droppings of Legendary Pokémon (including Mythical Pokémon, Tier 2 Legendary Pokémon, and Tier 1 Legendary Pokémon).

And the tree that could bear Mythical Berry was known as the Tree King.

Initially, Angie's family only had Volcanion to provide the necessary droppings, but with the recent arrivals of Yveltal and Xerneas, Angie suspected this might have accelerated the birth of the Tree King.

"This is amazing!" Angie exclaimed excitedly. "Are there any other trees evolving into Tree Kings?"

"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"

Chesnaught nodded happily.

"Take me to see them!" Angie said eagerly.

Led by the Pokémon, Angie visited the groves of Chesto Berry, Rawst Berry, Cheri Berry, Aspear Berry, Oran Berry, and Sitrus Berry.

These trees had not yet fully evolved like the Pecha Berry tree, but their roots were already extending yellow-green crystalline patterns.

Without exception, these trees were taller and sturdier than their peers.

Angie believed it was only a matter of time before they fully evolved into Tree Kings.

Looking at the thriving trees, Angie felt grateful and said to everyone, "Thank you for all your hard work."

Tending the trees had always been the Pokémon's responsibility—weeding, fertilizing, pest control, pruning... each task was tedious, and Angie only gave instructions.

Hearing Angie's gratitude, the Pokémon smiled sheepishly.

Angie paid them wages and provided them with food, shelter, and a good living environment. Working hard for him was the least they could do.

Looking at the small berries on the Bluk Berry Tree, Angie mused, "I wonder which one will grow into a Mythical Berry."

Mythical Berries were special; a tree could only bear one at a time, while the rest were ordinary berries.

The other Pokémon gazed at the unripe berries with anticipation.

Angie smiled and said, "To reward your efforts, we'll have a feast tonight!

And since Farfetch'd evolved today, let's celebrate together!"

"Oh~"

"Ooooh~~"

The Pokémon cheered excitedly.

On the way home, Angie saw several Aerodactyl flying overhead and waved at them familiarly.

"Yo, here to hang out again?"

"Aerodactyl~"

The Aerodactyl called back in greeting.

Because Mew frequently visits the Nebel Plateau to play, other Pokémon from the Tree of Beginning have also occasionally come over to play recently.

Pokémon such as Aerodactyl, Chansey, Kangaskhan, Dragonair, and Dragonite have all visited. Sometimes, they even have breakfast or dinner at Angie's house, contributing happiness points to him.

All the residents of the Tree of Beginning who have visited the Nebel Plateau have been strictly warned by Mew: they must never step beyond the boundaries of the plateau; otherwise, they will not be allowed to return.

As a result, the Pokémon strictly adhere to this rule.

Whenever the Pokémon come to Angie's house for meals, he always welcomes them warmly, and in return, they bring specialties from the Tree of Beginning.

Among them, the Chansey family visits the Nebel Plateau most frequently because they have an agreement with Angie: in exchange for food, they will give Angie the eggs they produce every day.

Sometimes, Angie goes over himself or sends his Pokémon to collect the eggs.

Each Chansey can produce at least one egg per day, so Angie has now achieved "egg freedom."

However, Pokémon from the Tree of Beginning usually do not stay long at the Nebel Plateau; they either take a short walk or have a meal before returning.

One evening, as promised, Angie prepared a grand feast for everyone. Coincidentally, a Dragonite arrived with two Dragonair to visit the plateau. Angie warmly welcomed them, and they left feeling completely satisfied.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. That day, Angie was studying a manual given to him by Bruno when he suddenly saw a Deerling rushing over while carrying a Bunnelby with a panicked expression.

Angie quickly put the manual away, got up, and rushed to Deerling's side, taking Bunnelby from its back.

"It's so hot!"

As soon as Angie touched Bunnelby, he realized it was radiating an intense heat.

"What happened?" Angie asked Deerling anxiously.

"Deerling~ Deerling~"

Deerling also looked anxious but did not know why Bunnelby had suddenly fallen unconscious and developed a fever.

They had been herding the chickens on the grassland when Bunnelby suddenly collapsed. Deerling left the chickens behind and immediately brought Bunnelby to Angie.

Deerling also informed Angie that Bunnelby had not been acting normally lately. It often had a pained expression on its face, as if enduring something.

When Deerling asked Bunnelby about it, Bunnelby always changed the subject.

At that moment, a passing Cinccino overheard their conversation and suddenly jumped in, shouting.

"Cinccino~ Cinccino~"

Angie, Angie, I've noticed that Pancham has been acting the same way recently. Could they be sick?

Cinccino looked worried.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" Angie was nearly frantic.

Bunnelby was burning up; would it suffer brain damage?

"Where is Pancham?" Angie asked Cinccino.

"Cinccino~ Cinccino~"

I'll go get it!

Cinccino said and hurried off.

"Pancham~ Pancham~"

Let me go! I'm fine! Let me go!

Pancham was dragged over by Scrafty under Cinccino's command. It seemed very reluctant to see Angie.

Angie spoke sternly, "Pancham, don't be stubborn!"

Hearing Angie's scolding, Pancham immediately quieted down, its expression drooping pitifully.

Angie touched Pancham and, sure enough, found that its body temperature was also too high.

Could there be an infectious disease spreading on the Nebel Plateau?

Without hesitation, Angie picked up Pancham and Bunnelby, holding one under each arm, and told Deerling and Cinccino.

"Go tell Diancie that I'm taking Pancham and Bunnelby to the Pokémon Center."

"Deerling~"

"Cinccino~"

Both Pokémon nodded solemnly.

"Pancham~ Pancham~"

Angie, I'm fine, we don't need to go to the Pokémon Center.

Pancham said weakly.

Angie, feeling both worried and angry, replied, "You call this fine? Look at Bunnelby; it's already unconscious!"

Pancham glanced at Bunnelby and finally fell silent.

After giving his instructions, Angie carried the two Pokémon up to the third floor and passed through the spatial tunnel to Azoth Kingdom.

Before leaving, he called over a passing Staraptor.

Once outside Munchlax Home, Angie jumped onto Staraptor's back and said, "Staraptor, please hurry up and go to the Pokémon Center."

"Staraptor~"

Understanding Angie's urgency, Staraptor nodded seriously and took off, flapping its wings powerfully as it sped towards the Pokémon Center.

Soon, Angie arrived at the entrance of the Pokémon Center. He jumped off Staraptor's back and rushed inside with Pancham and Bunnelby in his arms.