Most of the White Oran Berries hadn't ripened yet. After a quick inspection, Aiven sighed.
But that might have been why so many White Oran Berries had remained on the tree.
After checking them over, Aiven finally found seven ripe White Oran Berries among the many still on the tree. Berries of this quality were excellent materials for making Poké Balls.
He gathered the seven White Oran Berries, wrapped them up, and put them in the backpack on Ironclad Rhinoceros's back.
Tank Skunk, lying on the ground in the distance, had been watching Aiven the whole time. When it saw that he'd only picked a few ripe White Oran Berries, it breathed a sigh of relief and abandoned its plan to use its stench.
"Let's go," Aiven said to his three Pokémon.
Before leaving, he glanced at Tank Skunk again. After thinking for a moment, he took two Orange Fruits from his backpack and set them on the ground.
Before the White Oran Berry tree had fully ripened, it needed a Pokémon to guard it. Tank Skunk had been protecting it for so long, making it a pretty good guardian.
Otherwise, if another Pokémon saw that Tank Skunk was badly injured and came to seize the tree, the White Oran Berry tree might well be damaged in their fight.
Watching Aiven ride off on Ironclad Rhinoceros, Tank Skunk finally broke free of the vines around its body. It cautiously made its way over to the Orange Fruits and sniffed them.
As a Poison-type Pokémon, Tank Skunk was completely immune to poison, so after a brief hesitation, it swallowed the Orange Fruits.
Its eyes immediately lit up. The Orange Fruits were incredibly delicious. Compared to them, the White Oran Berries suddenly seemed a lot less appealing.
After obtaining the White Oran Berries, Aiven picked up his pace on the way back. The sky was growing dark, and he had to get out of the Black Forest before nightfall.
From what he knew, many dangerous Pokémon were active at night. Even the forests on Earth hadn't been safe after dark, let alone this wild world full of Pokémon.
The journey went smoothly enough, and they made it out of the Black Forest before sunset.
Watching the setting sun, the Pokémon all breathed a sigh of relief. Cherrim yawned widely as the petals on its body began to close, turning it back into its Overcast Form.
Aiven didn't leave right away, though. Instead, he waited outside the Black Forest.
He'd made an agreement with Walking Grass to wait for it at the spot where they'd entered the forest, when night fell.
He didn't have to wait long. Soon, more than a dozen Walking Grass emerged from the Black Forest. The one leading them spotted Aiven and hurried over, delighted.
"Walking Grass, well done."
Aiven praised it from the bottom of his heart as he looked at the Walking Grass standing at a distance, too timid to come closer.
He counted carefully and found that there were seventeen Walking Grass gathered there. Added to the eight already at the farm, that made twenty-five in all.
Walking Grass happily accepted Aiven's praise, its leaf bobbing as it briefly explained things to him.
The other Walking Grass had originally belonged to the same group as it. After being persuaded by Walking Grass, they had agreed to come with it, but many others had still chosen to remain in the Black Forest.
The soil in the Black Forest wasn't as fertile as the orchard's, and the Pokémon there were often attacked by others. But it was still their home, and they didn't want to leave.
"It's all right. One day, you'll prove to them that you made the right choice."
Aiven smiled and gently patted Walking Grass on the head to comfort it. Under the care of a Pokémon Breeder like him, Walking Grass was sure to grow quickly.
By the time they returned to Orange Fruit Village, it was completely dark.
Uncle Darby and Aunt Irene kept looking toward the outskirts of the village.
It was already past dinnertime, and they were worried when Aiven still hadn't returned.
Aiven had only told them he was going out for a while. He hadn't said he was going to the Black Forest. Otherwise, Uncle Darby would surely have gathered the villagers and gone looking for him by now.
"Aiven, that boy finally made it back."
From a distance, they saw Aiven riding Ironclad Rhinoceros. Aunt Irene breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she pretended not to care and headed toward the farm, intending to warm up the food.
Uncle Darby also breathed a sigh of relief. Aiven wasn't his biological son, but he had always treated him as one.
The next moment, he froze, looking helpless. Seeing the dozen or so Walking Grass following behind Aiven, his expression darkened.
He just couldn't understand why Aiven had brought back so many Walking Grass. These little Monsters were completely useless.
"Uncle Darby, I'm back," Aiven said with a smile, greeting him.
Darby gave a quiet reply. He opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. Aiven was an adult now, and he was an Apothecary who made him proud.
You'll understand before long. Aiven could tell what Uncle Darby thought of the Walking Grass. He kept that to himself and quietly led them back to the orchard.
After returning, he took Ironclad Rhinoceros, which was loaded with medicinal ingredients, back to the farmhouse. The Walking Grass, meanwhile, headed toward the grass, full of anticipation.
With all those medicinal ingredients, seven White Oran Berries, and twenty-five Walking Grass, Aiven was very pleased with his trip to the Black Forest. He'd have plenty to keep him busy for a while.
First, he needed to prepare Flower Dew Potion that could teach Walking Grass the Triple Powder Move. Since the powders had different effects, he'd need to make separate Flower Dew Potions for Sleep Powder, Paralysis Powder, and Poison Powder. After that, he could start researching how to make Poké Balls.
"Aiven, what kind of berry is this?"
As Aiven sorted the medicinal ingredients, Uncle Darby spotted the White Oran Berries and asked curiously.
He'd been a fruit farmer for more than ten years, but he'd never seen berries like these.
"These are called White Oran Berries. They aren't edible; I'm going to use them to make potions," Aiven explained with a smile, patting little Andy, who had come over to take a curious look.
As soon as he heard they couldn't be eaten, little Andy lost interest and gazed out the window, bored.
The little guy had been very frustrated lately. There were already eight Walking Grass at the farm, but none of them wanted to become his Monster.
But he'd heard that his big brother Aiven had brought back more than a dozen Walking Grass today. With so many of them, I've got a pretty good chance, little Andy thought.
If it weren't nighttime, he'd have run straight over to the grassy area to talk to the Walking Grass and try to get them to become his Monsters.
Before you continue