Chapter 120 ⇾ Evolutions - The Pidove in the Forest
Cole woke up early as usual, and the other Pokémon began their daily activities, bringing Mt. Ascendant to life.
After washing up and enjoying the breakfast that Buneary and Hatterene had carefully prepared, he stepped into the courtyard. Taking a deep breath of fresh morning air instantly energized him.
The sun had only risen halfway when Fletchling and Fletchinder flew overhead, chirping and nodding hello to Cole. Before he could wave back, they had already disappeared.
A gentle breeze carried a refreshing fragrance. Looking ahead, Cole spotted Floette and Flabébé dancing joyfully above the Fairy Flower field.
In the flower bed, Chikorita and Grookey ran around playfully, their crisp laughter rising from the dense leaves — the little leaf giver was teaching the little monkey how to use Grassy Terrain!
As Chikorita spread the Grassy Terrain, the Fairy Flowers swayed their leaves gently, and every bud burst into bloom. The floral fragrance intensified.
"Flabé~"
"Flabé~ Flabé~"
"Floette~ Floette~"
...
The blooming flowers delighted Floette and Flabébé even more. They darted through the blooms, pausing occasionally to sniff a flower, their faces lighting up with pure joy.
Amid the fairies' laughter, the Fairy Flowers seemed to merge into one entity. Cole noticed a pink veil materializing above the flower field, floating like a silk scarf in the wind — dreamlike and ethereal.
He thought his eyes were deceiving him and rubbed them, but the veil merely flickered, refusing to vanish. This was no illusion.
As Floette and Flabébé moved through the veil, seemingly unaware of its presence, one Flabébé suddenly began to glow with a milky white light. The others immediately stopped, watching with excitement.
Then, one by one, the other Flabébé began to glow until a white light enveloped the entire area above the flower field.
The Flabébé were evolving!
Golden sunlight bathed the flower field, interweaving with the evolution light to create a breathtaking scene.
Chikorita and Grookey watched in awe, their mouths agape as the fairies evolved above them.
When the light faded, twelve newly evolved Floette gathered in the air, joyfully performing their ring dance. Green sparkles cascaded from their bodies, making the Fairy Flowers beneath them bloom even more brilliantly.
As the evolution concluded, the mysterious veil above the Fairy Flower field dissolved into nothingness, as if it had been a mere illusion.
"Groo Grookey~" — Chikorita, you're amazing! Teach me, teach me!
The excited Grookey gazed at Chikorita with admiration, believing its Grassy Terrain had triggered the Flabébé's evolution.
Chikorita:「(°ヘ°)??? Am I really that amazing?
It wore a puzzled expression.
Cole shook his head fondly as he watched the two chase each other through the flower field.
Just as he prepared to head to the orchard to tend to the berry trees' energy, an agile figure darted past him. He froze, and the figure halted too.
The creature turned to face Cole, its pink tongue gently curling upward as it licked its lips. Its mesmerizing green eyes seemed to hook into his very soul, making his heart flutter.
What's happening? How could a Pokémon appear so seductive and charming?
Damn! Liepard, did you use Attract on me? Wait — how is there a Liepard here? Did Purrloin evolve?
"You evolved?" Cole asked in amazement.
The Liepard was now much larger, nearly reaching his shoulder — completely transformed from its formerly small and cute appearance.
Its purple spotted fur made every movement graceful and mature, and those slightly upturned eyes gave it an elegant presence.
Cole found himself confused by these thoughts about a Pokémon and shook his head vigorously.
Liepard silently bounded to his side and crouched before him, staring intently while lazily grooming its paw.
"Meow~" — Yes, I just evolved this morning.
Liepard: (＞＜)☆
It finished with a playful wink at Cole.
"Congratulations, but stop using Attract on me, or I'll get angry!"
"Meow~"
With a soft laugh, Liepard vanished into the orchard in the blink of an eye.
Cole shook his head and entered the orchard to work.
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Around noon, the clear sky suddenly darkened as heavy clouds rolled in. Cole, Brionne, and Vaporeon looked skyward.
"Bri~" — It's going to rain.
"Vap~ Vap~" — Let's head home first, or Cole will end up like a soaked Blaziken.
As Water-type Pokémon, they weren't bothered by rain, but it was different for the human boy.
"Alright, let's go home." Cole had to put down his work and hurry back.
When the drizzle began, he quickly shielded himself with a psychic barrier, keeping the rainwater at bay.
Thanks to his recent training progress, creating psychic barriers had become second nature to him.
After getting home, he watched the continuing light rain with concern.
The recent frequent rainfall worried him. Many berry trees in the orchard were flowering, and this weather threatened both the blooms and proper pollination.
The rain persisted until evening, and though gentle, its relentless nature was disheartening.
As darkness crept in, Cole stood at the gate deep in thought when a shooting star suddenly streaked across the sky.
A shooting star?
He quickly closed his eyes to make a wish.
I hope my orchard has a great harvest, I hope all my berry trees evolve to A-grade, I hope my berries sell well! I hope Daisy and I stay healthy, I hope all the Pokémon at home stay safe and sound...
Wait, did I wish for too much? There was only one shooting star!
Cole laughed at himself, amused that he'd started believing in such legends!
The shooting star vanished into the horizon as quickly as it had appeared.
The early darkness brought by the rain prompted Buneary and Hatterene to move dinner time up. The family gathered at the dining table, but Daisy hadn't yet returned home.
"Where's Mom? Why has she been coming home so late these days?" Cole asked with concern.
"Hatte~ Hatte~ Hatte~" She should be back soon! Lately she's been searching for strong opponents in the forest, so sometimes she comes back a bit late.
Hatterene answered on her behalf, as Daisy had explained to it before leaving.
Daily sparring with Captain Talonflame no longer challenged Daisy enough. Thanks to Cole's special care, she had grown significantly stronger than her regular training partner.
To seek further growth, she would have Captain Talonflame carry her deep into distant forests beyond Mt. Ascendant, where stronger opponents were more likely to be found.
"Looks like Mom's been working hard lately. I better work hard too and earn more money!" Cole declared enthusiastically.
"Chiko~"
"Helio~"
"Yow~"
...
The other Pokémon cheered in agreement.
Just then, Daisy returned home, her body covered in dirt and fresh grass, with wet mud still clinging to her!
"Mom, you're back!" Cole jumped up, "Are you hurt?"
"Garde~ Garde~" — Don't worry, I'm fine. I found a worthy opponent today and had an excellent battle!
Daisy hurried to her room and emerged moments later, pristine from head to toe. Everyone gathered happily for dinner.
Afterward, Cole gave his Pokémon their wellness treatments, paying extra attention to his mom after her rigorous day.
When they finished, everyone retired for the night.
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That night, in a forest far from Mt. Ascendant, a shooting star blazed across the sky, and a meteorite plunged into a deep crater.
Due to its small size and the late hour, the impact caused little disturbance. Though some wild Pokémon stirred from their sleep, the darkness discouraged any investigation.
Not far from the crater, a round, plump Pidove slumbered peacefully in its tree hollow.
When the first rays of sunlight shone into the hollow, Pidove turned over irritably and buried its head in the hay beneath it.
"Coo coo coo~" — Ah ah... that's right!
Pidove suddenly awoke, remembering that today the berry might be ripe. It needed to hurry, or other Pokémon would pick it first. Quickly getting up, it washed its face with its wings and flew out of the hollow.
Last night's rain left crystal droplets hanging from the leaves. Most Pokémon were still asleep. Breathing in the fresh morning air and anticipating that long-awaited berry, Pidove unconsciously picked up speed.
It didn't know how it had ended up in this forest — it was simply born in a grass patch here. Right after birth, Pidove faced a cruel reality: it had caught the attention of an Ekans that intended to eat it.
Though newly born, when Pidove met the Ekans' greedy gaze, it instantly understood the predator's intentions. In these forests far from human civilization, Pokémon commonly preyed on each other due to food scarcity.
Pidove wobbled to its feet and, when Ekans lunged, managed to roll away and dodge its bite. The snake, unwilling to give up such easy prey, twisted its body and struck again.
Pure survival instinct made Pidove flee. Stumbling and tumbling, it managed to escape Ekans' attack once more.
But Ekans was patient — it would never give up until it caught its targeted prey. And so began the chase.
Pidove ran while flapping its wings until it spotted a Spearow flying overhead. Something clicked, and it managed to flutter skyward.
Ekans could only watch helplessly as its meal flew away.
Though it had survived this immediate crisis, Pidove still faced many challenges in the forest. Food, shelter, being hunted by other Pokémon — these concerns constantly plagued it.
Yet despite frequent dangers, Pidove always managed to escape through sheer luck. Sometimes even it found this miraculous.
These hardships forced Pidove to mature quickly. To survive, it followed other Pokémon around, learning their combat techniques through observation.
Despite its youth, Pidove had mastered numerous moves — Gust, Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Double Team, Steel Wing, Sucker Punch, Tailwind, and more — significantly enhancing its fighting prowess.
In a recent encounter, it defeated the Arbok that had long pursued it, ending the battle with a precise Sucker Punch to the neck.
When Arbok fell, Pidove was startled by how easily it had struck the vital point. In retrospect, it realized it often landed critical hits during battles, particularly when using Sucker Punch.
Though Arbok's defeat didn't fundamentally change Pidove's precarious position — many forest predators still hunted bird Pokémon — its optimistic nature helped it maintain a cheerful outlook despite the dangers.
With this same joyful spirit, Pidove arrived at its destination, only to freeze in disbelief when it looked up at the berry tree.
"Where's my berry? Where's my berry? Who stole my berry?"
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