Successful Capture

"I'll give you the freedom to choose."

Aiven took a deep breath and slowly walked toward Petilil.

If Petilil turned him down, he would look for another partner.

Raising a powerful Pokémon required the right methods and resources, but the Pokémon itself was just as important.

Without the determination to grow stronger, it was hard for a Pokémon to become powerful!

When Petilil saw someone approaching, it tensed up. But when it realized it was Aiven, it relaxed and let him come closer.

Petilil had complicated feelings about Aiven. Lately, it often found itself thinking about him and the things he had said to them.

Sure enough, ever since that day, nobody had come to pick the fruit and leaves from them again. That had filled Petilil with trust in Aiven.

"Petilil..."

Aiven stopped in front of Petilil and hesitated.

Why did this feel like a confession? All of a sudden, Aiven felt as if he were confessing to the girl he loved.

After a pause, he took a deep breath. "Petilil, would you like to become my partner?"

Petilil froze at Aiven's words. It hadn't expected him to say something like that.

"Yeah, a partner like Uncle Darby and Luxray." Afraid Petilil might not understand, Aiven explained further.

Then he saw Petilil nod without the slightest hesitation. It looked as if it had already secretly fallen for him.

Uh, that worked... Aiven hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. It was his first time confessing, and it didn't seem nearly as hard as he'd imagined.

So what should he do now? Should he just take Petilil away?

Aiven stood there thinking. Going by the stories from his previous life, he should be tossing a Poké Ball at it right about now.

But this world didn't have Poké Balls, leaving him awkwardly standing there.

He soon came to his senses, crouched in front of Petilil, and smiled. "Then I look forward to working with you."

Petilil nodded happily, adding silently, I look forward to working with you, too...

That evening, Aiven brought Petilil home.

"Oh, Petilil... Big Brother Aiven, why did you bring it here?" Little Andy asked excitedly.

Aiven smiled and patted Andy's head, then introduced Petilil again. "From now on, Petilil is my partner, just like Uncle Darby and Luxray."

Andy gasped, then said enviously, "I wish I could become partners with Mukkuru, too, but it keeps refusing."

"Then you'd better take good care of Petilil."

At the mention of himself and Luxray, Uncle Darby smiled wistfully.

At his feet, Luxray looked up at its Trainer. The corners of its mouth lifted before it lay back down and closed its eyes to rest.

Aunt Irene had just brought the dishes out from the kitchen. She glanced at Petilil and hesitated. "I wonder what Petilil would like to eat."

"Aunt Irene, I've already prepared food for Petilil," Aiven explained with a smile. The Orange Fruit should have finished fermenting by now.

After a sumptuous dinner, Aiven took Petilil to the backyard.

Half a month had passed. Under the scorching sun, the wooden barrel had grown much more weathered.

When he opened the jar, a faint fruity scent wafted out. The rotten Orange Fruit had completely dissolved into the water.

He gave the jar a gentle shake. The brimful nutrient solution rippled, releasing a distinctive aroma.

"The nutrient solution from fermented Orange Fruit is ready!"

After inspecting the solution in his hands, Aiven nodded in satisfaction. Next, he just had to turn it into Growth Fertilizer.

With that in mind, Aiven untied the bag he had brought back. It was full of soil.

He had dug the soil out of the orchard. It contained the basic nutrients needed for Orange Fruit to grow.

Ordinary fertilizer required mixing soil with the nutrient solution made from fermented Orange Fruit, then composting it and processing it further.

But those steps were meant to turn it into fertilizer suitable for fruit trees. For Grass Attribute Pokémon to absorb, it was already ready.

"Now it's time to train."

In the room, Aiven smiled at the little Pokémon before him, looking forward to it.

Today was the first time he would have Petilil absorb fertilizer, and he wasn't sure how effective it would be.

"Lili!" Petilil nodded happily, looking forward to it as well.

Petilil was completely different from before. Now that it had gained the freedom it wanted, it seemed to have found itself again, and its expression had grown much more animated.

This is how a Grass Attribute Pokémon should be... Aiven thought happily. Grass Attribute Pokémon were always sunny.

"Normally, training shouldn't take place somewhere like this."

"But we're really short on time, and we have to keep this secret, so I'll have to ask you to put up with it for now."

When Petilil looked at him in confusion, Aiven gave an embarrassed smile and pulled an old, battered flowerpot out from under the bed.

If fertilizer was food, then this certainly didn't look appetizing.

"Lili." Petilil shook its head as if it didn't mind, then clambered into the flowerpot on its own.

Why does this feel like being a dad? Aiven joked to himself. He picked Petilil up and smiled. "Wait a moment. Let me get everything ready first."

He took the prepared Growth Fertilizer and spread it inside the flowerpot.

Petilil watched quietly from the side, its eyes suddenly curving into crescent moons.

Its heart was full of contentment.

After gaining the freedom it wanted, Petilil had thought its life would remain as peaceful and ordinary as ever.

But the person who had given it that freedom had offered it a completely different choice: to become a true Monster, a powerful Monster!

Become strong, then live however I want. Could anything be freer than that? Aiven's words surfaced in its mind.

So Petilil had chosen to grow stronger without a moment's hesitation, just as it had once made what it believed was the right answer for its whole life.

"All right, climb in and give it a try." Once he had spread the fertilizer and soil, Aiven picked Petilil up and carefully placed it in the flowerpot.

Crouching in the pot, Petilil instinctively pushed at the soil beneath it, burrowing into it. It immediately felt at ease.

The next moment, it suddenly froze. It could sense an incredibly soothing energy in the soil.

Petilil relaxed and stretched. The two leaves on its head swayed gently as it became completely immersed in that soothing energy.