Wilderness Training

Chirp chirp chirp.

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

Then, its gaze softened as it looked at Aiven. After spending so much time together, it had already come to accept him.

Aiven seized the moment to invite it. "Want to come explore the Black Forest with me?"

Mukkuru was clearly taken aback. Hesitation showed on its face. It had been born in the farm's orchard and had stayed there ever since, guarding it. It had never left.

After some hesitation, Mukkuru still turned Aiven down. Looking a little forlorn, it flew back into the orchard.

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

Uncle Darby hadn't caught this Mukkuru. It had suddenly appeared in the orchard one day, clearly abandoned by its parents. The experience had left it with some emotional scars.

"Some wounds need time to heal," Aiven murmured. He decided to take things slowly and try to help Mukkuru, little by little.

Although Mukkuru had refused to go on a training expedition in the Black Forest, the Walking Grass were eager to go. Led by Aiven, they set out.

Their training over the past few days had given them the courage to face the Monsters in the forest. This time, they planned to return to their own group and bring them to live at the farm.

The Black Forest looked much more desolate in autumn. Many of the trees on its outskirts had lost their leaves, which had turned yellow and withered.

This time, the Walking Grass led the way. A group of thirty marched in formation, entering the Black Forest by a different route.

"The Walking Grass's main enemies are a group of Rattata."

As they walked, Aiven organized what the Walking Grass had told him. Rattata were purple mice, and Raticate were their evolved form.

Rattata were omnivorous creatures that ate just about anything. The numerous Walking Grass living in the forest made an excellent food source for them.

As they walked, Aiven also gathered herbs along the way. The ingredients for Flower Dew Potion that he'd collected last time had nearly run out after all this time.

Rustle, rustle.

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

He looked toward the sound and caught sight of a purple figure darting past. It was clearly one of the Rattata living in this area.

"Looks like we've reached the Rattata's territory."

Aiven grew more alert. There were almost no creatures on the very outskirts of the Black Forest, since human knights patrolled the area.

The farther they went, the more signs of creature activity they saw. After about a few miles, their tracks became much more common.

Once they entered this area, the Walking Grass grew visibly wary, constantly searching the woods for the scent of their kind.

The leader of this group of Walking Grass was a Gloom. It gave off an intensely foul odor, which lost Walking Grass could follow to find their group.

Rustle, rustle.

After they had gone some distance, Aiven suddenly stopped.

His nose twitched. He caught a whiff of something foul, and the Walking Grass around him perked up. Their group was nearby.

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

But they hadn't gone much farther when the sound of mice came from all around them. Rattata were clearly moving nearby.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a purple figure sprang out of the bushes and pounced on one of the Walking Grass.

Just as it was about to reach its target, a mass of vines suddenly burst from the ground and wrapped around it.

The Rattata struggled in the vines. Green light enveloped its body, steadily draining its stamina.

"Well done, Petilil." Aiven gave a thumbs-up to Petilil, who had secretly laid a Leech Seed trap.

After the Rattata's Surprise Attack, Aiven grew more and more cautious as they pressed on.

But the closer they got to where the Gloom were, the more Rattata appeared. Aiven could tell that these Rattata were probably keeping watch.

Normally, these timid Rattata should have avoided a group like theirs.

Could these Rattata be hunting the Walking Grass? Aiven's expression grew grim.

Along the way, he'd also spotted blue blood and scattered grass on the ground. They belonged to the Walking Grass.

Nai, nai, nai.

The Walking Grass grew uneasy.

If not for the discipline they'd learned during their training over the past few days, and the confidence Aiven inspired as their leader, these little ones would have run away by now.

Suddenly, the Ironclad Rhinoceros beneath Aiven stopped. He looked around. With its strong affinity for the Ground attribute, it could sense faint vibrations in the earth.

"Get ready to fight. It looks like we're surrounded." Aiven stood up on the Ironclad Rhinoceros's back.

They were in a relatively open grassy area, ideal for the Rattata to hunt. Of course, it was just as suitable for the Walking Grass.

At Aiven's command, the Walking Grass immediately spread out in formation. Pale blue powder began to gather on their leaves.

Rustle, rustle. Rustle, rustle.

The Rattata slowly crept closer. When they were near, they revealed themselves one by one, warily sizing up their prey.

Aiven swept his gaze over the purple mice and counted silently. There were more than fifty Rattata here. It seemed that every Rattata in the area had gathered.

After revealing themselves, the Rattata didn't attack right away. They simply surrounded Aiven and the Walking Grass.

Aiven looked over the Rattata and reached a conclusion. "Looks like they're waiting for their leader."

Normally, Rattata couldn't be this disciplined unless one of them had risen to become their leader.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before a large, tawny figure approached. It was the Raticate Aiven had encountered in the Black Forest last time, though this one looked much more powerfully built.

"Just as I thought. A Raticate, the evolved form of Rattata."

Aiven rubbed his forehead. Since when had Raticate become so common in this area? And how had all these Rattata gathered together to form such a large group?