Chapter 211: Moving the White Apricorn Tree

In the clearing, the shiny variant of Combee was playing happily with a group of Oddish.

Vileplume sat quietly under a tree, watching the scene before her with a gentle expression.

After their conversation the night before, the shiny Combee had agreed to follow them back to Fruitvale Village to live.

"A female Combee... we're incredibly lucky," Aven murmured as he observed the Combee from a distance, memories surfacing in his mind.

He had set out to raise a Combee with the hope of obtaining a Vespiquen—then he could cultivate an entirely new Combee colony.

But for a Combee to evolve into a Vespiquen, it had to be female.

Among the entire Combee population, female Combee were extremely rare. That was why Vespiquen were so few and far between.

His gaze fell on the red dot on the lower face of the Combee—on the forehead of the bottom face in the trio. That red mark was a unique feature possessed only by female Combee.

"Lil Lil~" Petilil was happily munching on a piece of Sweet Honey.

Combee could gather nectar and store it within their bodies, naturally fermenting it into Sweet Honey, a delicious and nutritious treat.

The nutritional value of Sweet Honey was incredibly high, making it quite a rare and valuable commodity. In Aven's previous life, it had also been in high demand, prompting many people to farm Combee.

"Lass~" Froslass licked the Sweet Honey repeatedly, her body seeming to float with joy as she praised its taste.

Mightyena, Shinx, and Cherrim were equally enthralled, completely captivated by the Sweet Honey. Their eyes gleamed with desire—it was clear they wanted more.

"Combee, come here for a moment. I'd like to check your condition," Aven said with a warm smile, waving his hand.

The shiny Combee glanced back at him, then happily buzzed over, flying to Froslass's side.

"Buzz buzz buzz~" Combee greeted cheerfully, once again expressing her gratitude to Froslass for saving her life.

"Lass~" Froslass responded joyfully, greeting her back.

She then began to carefully observe Combee's unique body structure.

Combee hesitated for a moment before happily spitting out the last of her Sweet Honey and offering it to Froslass.

"Lass~" Froslass squinted with joy, accepting the gift and gently patting Combee on the head in appreciation.

Watching this, Petilil widened her eyes, looked at her sticky honey-covered hands, and pouted slightly.

"Physical development is average. Looks like we'll need to use some supplements," Aven concluded after examining Combee carefully.

It was no easy feat to raise a female Combee into a Vespiquen. The most important factor was physical development.

A Vespiquen's greatest ability was to nurture larval Combee within her body—her body became their hive.

She would raise the young using the nectar gathered by worker Combee. When the larvae matured, they would become a new generation of Combee and continue working tirelessly for the hive.

Thus, only the strongest and most well-developed female Combee in a colony could evolve into a Vespiquen.

Only a well-developed Vespiquen could raise her young properly and form a strong colony.

"This is Nutrient Juice. Have a sip."

After finishing his inspection, Aven took out a bottle of Nutrient Juice.

Though healing potions were a type of nutrient juice, their primary function was restoration—they were made from tree sap.

This higher-grade Nutrient Juice, however, contained a wide variety of nutrients required by Pokémon. It was essentially a dietary supplement for their growth.

"Buzz buzz buzz." Combee fluttered her wings and curiously examined the juice.

With just one sniff, her eyes lit up. She could smell the fragrant aroma of tree sap from the bottle.

Taking a cautious sip, her eyes instantly narrowed in delight. So good, so tasty.

"If you like it, have some more," Aven chuckled.

He then began preparing lunch for the other Pokémon. Plates of specially made food were laid out in front of them.

Seeing how happily the Pokémon ate their meals, Aven took out a piece of bread and some juice for himself. A warm, content feeling bubbled up inside.

For a Pokémon breeder, few things were more fulfilling than watching your Pokémon enjoy the food you made.

"If I ever have time in the future, maybe I should open a Pokémon-themed restaurant," Aven mused with a hint of longing.

Lunch ended quickly. Rhydon, now recharged, was full of energy again, itching for a fight.

"It's about time we head back," Aven said as he approached Rhydon and began checking the large backpack strapped to its back.

Due to the time spent exploring the nearby White Apricorn trees and recruiting the Combee, they had been delayed quite a bit. Supplies were also running low.

Looks like I'll have to postpone exploring further until next time… Aven glanced toward the distant Vespiquen territory, thoughts stirring in his mind.

He had already scouted ahead—Vespiquen's territory was vast. If they passed through it, they'd be close to the Black Coast.

"Rhy~ (=﹏)" Rhydon whined, clearly reluctant to leave.

It had come to the Black Forest eager to battle, but up until now, it had done nothing but carry supplies. It hadn't even had a chance to fight! Shouldn't we go take on that Vespiquen first?

"Next time, I promise," Aven patted its massive shoulder reassuringly.

Hearing this, Rhydon sighed heavily.

'Fine, I'll just take it out on the old turtle when we get back.'

After preparations were complete, Aven led the group of Pokémon back through the forest, heading toward the Stunky guarding the White Apricorn saplings.

"Buzz buzz buzz~" Combee flew around Vileplume, glancing frequently at the land she used to call home, a complex emotion in her eyes.

Although she had long made the decision to leave, now that the time had come, Combee still felt a bit melancholic.

"Plume~" Noticing Combee's unease, Vileplume gently comforted her.

"Don't worry. One day, you'll return."

"And when you do, your old companions will see you in a whole new light."

Aven offered some comforting words. He couldn't help imagining the day when Combee returned to her homeland as a fully evolved Vespiquen. What would that scene be like?

Though… it might not be so peaceful. After all, there could only be one Vespiquen per colony. Vespiquen competed fiercely for dominance.

"Buzz buzz buzz." Encouraged, Combee brightened up again.

She eagerly looked forward to the day she could return to her tribe—not as a weak Combee, but as a commanding queen.

Aven and his Pokémon continued through the forest.

Along the way, they encountered quite a few wild Pokémon, all easily dispatched by Shinx.

Shinx, having grown up fending for herself, was no stranger to battle. Her focus now was on mastering the techniques she currently possessed.

Up ahead, she led the way confidently.

Suddenly, her steps halted. She closed her eyes, and a flurry of electric signals appeared in her mind.

Without even opening her eyes, she launched a bolt of electricity in the direction of the disturbance!

She felt a resonance between her own electric signal and the one she had detected—like a link connecting the two.

Zzzzt!

The bolt crackled through the air and struck a bush. Lightning flashed—and a hidden Rattata was hit squarely, its body convulsing as it collapsed.

"Meow~!" Shinx opened her eyes and let out a proud cry.

She had now completely mastered this technique—using her electro-sense to strike unseen foes.

"Nice work, Shinx," Aven praised. He was never stingy with compliments.

This was just a small episode on their journey. Before long, they arrived back at the White Apricorn Tree.

"Tank~" Upon seeing Aven return, Skuntank let out a deep sigh of relief and wagged its tail enthusiastically.

With Skuntank no longer using its Stench ability, the smell in the area had mostly dissipated.

"Skuntank, get ready—we're moving out."

Upon hearing this, Skuntank wagged its tail even more happily and quickly gathered the Stunky group together.

Aven approached the White Apricorn tree, ready to transplant it.

As for the saplings, he had already sent them out of the forest in batches, with Mightyena delivering them back to the farm.

"Rhydon, it's your turn now."

"RHY!!"

Rhydon, standing by the tree, used its Ground-type moves to carefully uproot the White Apricorn tree.

With the help of fertilizer and Petilil's special ability, the tree could survive even outside its natural soil for quite some time.

"Rhy!"

Rhydon exerted some force and effortlessly uprooted the White Apricorn tree.

Then, it carried the tree over to the two Skuntank and placed it on their backs.

The two Skuntank immediately felt a heavy weight—this White Apricorn tree was quite hefty—but thanks to their sturdy frames, they were more than capable of carrying it.

"Skuntank, thank you for your hard work," Aiwen said as he patted their backs, then gave both Pokémon a healing potion each.

"Tank!"

The two Skuntank cried out joyfully and started walking with the White Apricorn tree on their backs.

(End of Chapter)