Chapter 213: Master Olai’s Obsession

Combee buzzed joyfully as it flew around Vileplume.

It had been remarkably obedient and hadn't left Vileplume's side for days. It ate, drank, and even slept nestled among the petals on Vileplume's head.

The high-quality nectar secreted from Vileplume's flower was more than enough to sustain the Combee.

Compared to the wildflowers of the Black Forest, the nectar from Vileplume was on a whole different level in terms of quality. This also led to an unexpectedly high-grade batch of Sweet Honey!

"Plume~" At that moment, Vileplume was instructing Combee on how to use the move Sweet Scent.

Vileplume was extremely proficient with this move, and Sweet Scent was also one of the few techniques Combee could learn.

Now that a female Combee had been secured, Aven's next plan was to evolve her.

Aside from simply allowing her to grow, he also planned to train Combee in battle. Combat was, after all, one of the fastest ways to trigger a Pokémon's evolution.

Additionally, the move Sweet Scent had a strong correlation with the quality of the Sweet Honey that Combee could produce.

A Combee that mastered Sweet Scent could brew higher-quality Sweet Honey. The two aspects complemented each other perfectly.

"Bzzzt bzzz bzzz~"

Combee listened intently to Vileplume's instruction.

She too was excited about becoming stronger and being able to fight like Vileplume.

Meanwhile, on the farm, Aven was also working on his beekeeping plans.

He was quite confident about evolving Combee into a Vespiquen. Now, he was focused on what to do after her evolution.

If he wanted to develop a business centered around the Sweet Honey produced by Vespiquen, the most important step was to create an environment suitable for a Vespiquen hive.

In addition, a large flower field would be necessary so the Combee born from Vespiquen could forage nectar.

After all, both Vespiquen and Combee primarily fed on Sweet Honey. The size of the flower field would directly determine the scale of the hive.

"Aven, where did you get that Combee?"

At that moment, Uncle Mike rushed over excitedly, having heard about the Combee.

As a berry farmer, he was naturally familiar with this species. In fact, a colony of Combee was something most farmers dreamed of having.

Uncle Mike knew all too well the value a Combee colony could bring. Sweet Honey was considered a rare delicacy even among the nobility.

Even though wild Sweet Honey was typically protected by Vespiquen and a large swarm of Combee, many honey gatherers still risked their lives to collect it each year.

He knew of a huge Combee colony in the nearby Black Forest that no one had ever succeeded in raiding.

"Good morning, Uncle Mike," Aven greeted him with a smile. "That Combee was lured here by Vileplume."

"As you know, Combee are extremely fond of nectar, and the nectar from Vileplume is among the very best. It's rare for any Combee to resist it."

Hearing this, Uncle Mike immediately thought of the massive flower on Vileplume's head and nodded. That truly was top-tier nectar.

Though he accepted Aven's explanation, he had a vague feeling that things might not be so simple.

"Uncle Mike, I was just thinking about building a hive for the Combee colony," Aven added, taking the opportunity to steer the conversation.

Uncle Mike nodded repeatedly. They definitely needed to focus on the hive and flower field now—these would ultimately determine the size of the colony.

In the end, Aven left the matters of the hive and flower field to Uncle Mike and headed toward the breeding house.

Besides his beekeeping plan, he also needed to formulate the growth-boosting potions to aid Combee's development.

In the breeding house's lab, Master Olai was poring over the notes Aven had given him, deep in thought.

On the open page was a detailed table listing the names of various berries, each marked with their corresponding attribute.

Each berry carried a latent elemental property. With the right technique, that energy could be extracted to strengthen Pokémon.

"What an incredible potion theory… this is completely different from mainstream potion-making today."

After pondering for a while, Master Olai let out a slow breath, his gaze shifting to the formula for the "Rock Slide Auxiliary Potion."

This potion used the Rock-type Wiki Berry as a base ingredient. When combined with other specific compounds, the final product was infused with Rock-type energy.

(TN: Not Sure about this berry, can't seem to find it so I just put in Wiki Berry.)

This new approach to potion-making was nothing short of revolutionary for Master Olai. He felt both shaken and exhilarated.

He silently praised Aven once more—this teacher of his was truly remarkable. To Olai, the notebook Aven gave him was a priceless treasure.

After studying the Rock Slide Auxiliary Potion for a while longer, Master Olai stepped out of the lab and looked up at the blue sky, feeling a surge of contentment.

Compared to the dim environment of Aspiration City, he far preferred Fruitvale Village. At this moment, he finally understood why Johann chose to live outside the city.

Back then, Olai had stayed in Aspiration City mainly because it provided easier access to research materials. But now, Fruitvale Village had become his new home.

"Good morning, Master Olai."

Aven approached, carrying a Petilil in his arms.

Petilil cheerfully greeted the potion master as well.

Previously, because of the misunderstanding surrounding the Brown Potion, Petilil had always tried to avoid Olai.

Now that the air had been cleared, it no longer feared this serious-eyed alchemist.

"Aven!" Olai's eyes lit up at the sight of him.

He had many questions he wanted to ask, and now that Aven was here, he could finally seek guidance.

Aven didn't refuse his request.

During this time, Master Olai had already produced a vast number of potions for the breeding house.

Although Aven had given him generous pay and a share of profits, he knew what Olai truly wanted wasn't money—but the formulas in his hands.

If he were after wealth alone, Olai would've never turned down Lady Mira's offer to be the royal court's chief apothecary in favor of continuing his studies.

Ever since he moved to Fruitvale Village, a strong mutual understanding had developed between them: labor in exchange for formulas.

"Potion-making isn't just about the medicinal properties of ingredients," Aven explained. "The elemental relationships are equally critical."

He went on to explain the famous potion property system from the future world, which he himself had studied.

Take the Rock Slide Auxiliary Potion as an example—it's Rock-type.

Rock is weak to Water and Grass. So, when making such a potion, one has to counterbalance that weakness with other ingredients to stabilize it.

Using the notebook as a reference, Aven delved deeper into discussion with Olai, whose eyes lit up with inspiration. He couldn't wait to test it all out.

(End of Chapter)