The Monster Invasion

At the farm's Fruit Grove.

Daby stared at the Orange Fruit trees in front of him, which were growing better and better, his face full of disbelief.

"Aiven, how did you do it?" he asked, looking astonished.

He had been a fruit farmer for half his life, but this was the first time he'd learned that potions could be used on fruit trees—and that they could have such astonishing effects.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't a potion, but fertilizer... Aiven thought, keeping his expression unchanged as he smiled and nodded.

To speed up the growth of the Orange Fruit trees, he had recently mixed composted Growth Fertilizer with water and used it to irrigate the Fruit Grove. The results had been immediate.

"That's wonderful! At this rate, we might be able to harvest the Orange Fruit before the Monster tide arrives." Uncle Daby looked delighted.

A Monster tide? Aiven searched his memories and recalled this major event for Fruit Village.

Every year, as winter approached, Monsters migrated down from the mountains to the foothills. Some even crossed the Mt. Coronet Range and came to the Black Forest.

The Monsters that came to the Black Forest would invade human territory in search of food. Fruit Village, which stood right beside the Black Forest, was the first place they targeted.

Whenever that happened, the villagers of Fruit Village did their best to harvest the fruit in the Fruit Grove. Otherwise, the Monsters would make a meal of it.

It was only the beginning of autumn now. Did that mean wild Pokémon would invade in three months?

When the realization hit him, Aiven's expression darkened. He'd planned to use this fruit to make potions. There was no way he'd let wild Pokémon ruin it all.

"Won't City of Ambition help?" Aiven continued asking. He had a good impression of the white-haired Lady who ruled City of Ambition.

Uncle Daby nodded.

"Whenever winter approaches, City of Ambition sends envoys to buy ripe fruit from the orchards around the Black Forest."

"As for the wild Monsters that break in, there are simply too many of them. Even if the Lady wanted to stop them, she wouldn't have enough people."

The wild Pokémon that invaded human territory were mostly Rattata and Mukkuru, and there really were a lot of them.

Of course, if the goal was to protect just a few particular farms, City of Ambition could manage it. The problem was that there were too many small villages around the Black Forest for them to protect them all.

It looked like they'd have to figure something out themselves. Aiven stroked his chin, thinking. If Orange Fruit Village could form its own militia, they might be able to defend the Fruit Grove.

Of course, an ordinary militia wouldn't be enough. The militiamen would all need Pokémon of their own.

"If powerful Monsters really do invade, the Lady will move us all into the city. I remember one major Monster tide five years ago," Uncle Daby continued.

Hearing Uncle Daby's explanation, Aiven nodded. He remembered being evacuated five years ago, but Uncle Daby hadn't told him why at the time.

"Come on, don't worry so much. I've lived in City of Ambition for so long, and I've only seen one major Monster tide," Daby said, patting Aiven, who was weighed down with worry, before continuing:

"Aiven, your potions are incredibly effective. I hope you can make some for the villagers, too."

It hadn't even occurred to him to form a militia for the village. The greatest victory would be to harvest as much fruit as possible before winter arrived.

Aiven nodded, agreeing to Uncle Daby's request for now.

The excited village chief of Orange Fruit Village didn't waste any time. He pulled Aiven along to make more of that special potion to irrigate the Fruit Grove, so the villagers could prepare for winter as soon as possible.

"Oh, that damn Walking Grass! It's come to my orchard to leech nutrients again!"

As they arrived at a villager's orchard, Aiven suddenly heard the owner cursing.

Farmhands were the most straightforward sort. They cursed whatever they hated, and their voices carried a long way—even from half a mile off.

Walking Grass. Aiven's thoughts stirred as he recalled what he knew about this Pokémon.

It was a small, grass-like Pokémon with a dark blue, bulb-shaped body, two feet, and five green leaves on its head.

Walking Grass was one of the most common Pokémon in the Black Forest. It sought out rich, nutrient-filled soil and planted itself in it, so it often wandered into the villagers' orchards.

Unlike Pokémon such as Petilil and Cherubi, Walking Grass had no economic value at all. Worse, it drained nutrients from the soil, so the villagers hated it like any other weed.

After recalling all that, his eyes suddenly lit up.

They were plentiful, had the Grass Attribute, were easy to raise, and had mild temperaments that made them easy to get along with. Wouldn't they be the perfect Pokémon for a militia?

If he could get them all to learn the Triple Powder Move and use it together, the power would be incredible.

With that in mind, Aiven followed Uncle Daby into the villager's home. He saw the man chasing a blue figure with a wooden stick in his hand.

Walking Grass was running in Aiven's direction. He caught it in one hand, and the little Pokémon frantically kicked its feet in the air.

"Uncle Tessi, leave this Walking Grass to me."

At Aiven's words, Tessi casually waved his hand. He really couldn't stand Walking Grass.

"Be good, little guy. I'll let you go in a little while," Aiven said with a smile. Then he set the little Pokémon down.

Petilil stared at Walking Grass with its round eyes.

Just as Walking Grass tried to flee, green light suddenly appeared around Petilil as it used the Absorb Technique.

Walking Grass froze. Its stamina drained away rapidly, and Petilil grabbed it by the hand.

Aiven smiled at Petilil's little trick but said nothing. Uncle Daby and Tessi, on the other hand, looked at it in surprise.

If they hadn't seen wrong, Petilil had just used a Monster's power. But when had Petilil learned to wield that kind of power?

"Tessi, I came to see you about something," Daby said, recovering first. He took a bottle of Healing Potion Aiven had made from inside his coat.

"This is... a potion?" Tessi took it with a puzzled look and opened it to smell. Then he exclaimed in surprise, "Orange Fruit?"

Daby nodded smugly. Then, pointing proudly at Aiven, he said, "My nephew Aiven made it. He's an Apothecary now!"

"An Apothecary? Aiven?"

Tessi's eyes widened. As a fruit farmer who worked with fruit every day, he knew exactly what it meant to be an Apothecary!