Wilderness Training

Chirp chirp chirp.

Hearing Aiven's praise, Mukkuru flew down, landed on the Ironclad Rhinoceros's back, and puffed out its chest proudly.

Then, its gaze towards Aiven softened. After spending this much time together, it had long since accepted him.

Aiven seized the opportunity and invited, "Want to go for a stroll in the Black Forest with me?"

Mukkuru visibly froze for a moment, a look of hesitation appearing on its face. It had been born in the farm's orchard and had always guarded it, never having left.

After some deliberation, Mukkuru still refused Aiven, flying back into the orchard with a hint of dejection.

It seems it still can't get over being abandoned in the orchard by its parents, Aiven sighed.

This Mukkuru hadn't been captured by Uncle Darby. It had suddenly appeared in the orchard one day, clearly abandoned by its parents, which had hurt Mukkuru's feelings.

"Some wounds need time to heal," Aiven murmured, intending to slowly guide Mukkuru step by step.

Although Mukkuru refused to go to the Black Forest for training, the Walking Grasses were extremely enthusiastic and set off under Aiven's lead.

After this period of training, they had gained the courage to face the Magical Beasts in the forest. This time, they planned to return to their own kind and bring them back to live on the farm.

The Black Forest in autumn was noticeably more desolate. Many trees on the outskirts had yellowed leaves that had fallen.

This time, the Walking Grasses led the way. A troop of 30 Walking Grasses marched in formation, entering the Black Forest via a different path.

"The Walking Grasses' main enemy is a group of small Rattatas."

Along the way, Aiven also organized the information the Walking Grasses had told him. Small Rattatas were purple mice, and Rattatas were their evolved form.

These small Rattatas were omnivorous Spirits that ate anything. The numerous Walking Grasses living in the forest became very good food for them.

As they walked, Aiven continuously picked herbs along the way. The materials for the Flower Dew Potion he had collected last time were almost all used up after this long period.

Rustle rustle rustle.

Not long after entering the Black Forest, Aiven heard a rustling sound.

He looked towards the source of the sound and saw a purple figure flash by. This was clearly a small Rattata from this area.

"It seems we've reached the area where the small Rattatas live."

Aiven also became alert. In the outermost areas of the Black Forest, due to patrols by human knights, almost no Spirits appeared.

As they went deeper, about a few miles in, there were more Spirit trails.

Upon entering this area, the Walking Grasses clearly became more vigilant, constantly searching the woods for the scent of their own kind.

The leader of this group of Walking Grasses was a Gloom, which emitted a very foul odor. Lost Walking Grasses could find their group by following the scent left by their leader along the way.

Rustle rustle rustle.

After walking a short distance, Aiven suddenly stopped.

His nose twitched, and he smelled a foul odor. The surrounding Walking Grasses perked up; their group was nearby.

Squeak squeak squeak.

However, after traveling only a short distance, the sounds of rats echoed around them, clearly indicating the presence of small Rattatas.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a purple figure darted out from the grass and lunged at a Walking Grass.

But just as the figure was about to reach the Walking Grass, a large number of vines suddenly grew from the ground, wrapping around it.

Within the entanglement of vines, the struggling figure of the small Rattata could be seen. A green light enveloped its body, constantly draining its stamina.

"Well done, Petilil." Aiven gave a thumbs-up to the Petilil that had quietly set up the Leech Seed trap.

After encountering the surprise attack of a small Rattata, Aiven proceeded with increasing caution.

However, the further they moved towards the Glooms' location, the more numerous the small Rattatas around them became. Aiven could tell that these small Rattatas were likely acting as lookouts.

Under normal circumstances, these timid small Rattatas should have chosen to avoid their group.

Could these small Rattatas be hunting the Walking Grasses? Aiven's expression grew serious.

Along the way, he had also seen some blue blood and scattered green grass on the ground, all belonging to Walking Grasses.

Nee nee nee.

The Walking Grasses became uneasy.

If it weren't for the training on discipline over the past few days and the confidence Aiven, their leader, gave them, these little fellows would have surely run away by now.

Suddenly, the Ironclad Rhinoceros beneath Aiven stopped. He looked around. With its high affinity for ground-type attributes, it could feel very slight tremors in the ground.

"Prepare for battle. It seems we're surrounded," Aiven said, standing up from the Ironclad Rhinoceros.

They were currently in a relatively open grassland, which was very suitable for these small Rattatas to hunt, and of course, for the Walking Grasses as well.

Hearing Aiven's command, the Walking Grasses immediately spread out neatly, and at the same time, a light blue powder began to condense on their leaves.

Rustle rustle, rustle rustle.

The small Rattatas slowly approached. When they got close, they revealed themselves, their eyes warily sizing up the prey in the field.

Looking at the group of purple mice before him, Aiven briefly scanned them, silently calculating. He discovered there were more than 50 small Rattatas, likely all the small Rattatas in this area had gathered here.

The small Rattatas didn't attack immediately after revealing themselves, merely surrounding Aiven and the Walking Grasses.

Aiven glanced at the Rattatas, making a judgment in his heart: "It seems these Rattatas are waiting for their leader."

Under normal circumstances, Rattatas wouldn't possess such discipline unless a leader had emerged among them.

As expected, it wasn't long before a large, yellowish-brown figure approached. It was the same Rattata Aiven had encountered in the Black Forest last time, though this one appeared even more robust.

"It really is a Rattata, the evolved form of Rattata."

Aiven rubbed his forehead. When did Rattatas become so common in this area? And what's more, these Rattatas had actually gathered together, forming a considerable pack.