The Farm's Spirit

Fruit Village.

When they discovered Aiven was missing, Uncle Darby and Aunt Irene went frantic.

They mobilized the entire village to search for Aiven, but found nothing at all.

"I heard there have been several disappearances in the Slums lately."

"Aiven, he couldn't have, he couldn't have..." Aunt Irene covered her mouth, afraid to voice the thought.

Uncle Darby's face went stiff. If Aiven really had vanished, how could he ever face his late brother's memory?

Myaaow!

Just then, they suddenly heard a Luxray's cry, coming from the direction of the Fruit Grove entrance.

"Luxray found something..." Darby's heart tightened. He grabbed Aunt Irene and ran over.

At the entrance, they indeed saw Aiven, along with an Ironclad Rhinoceros Carriage slowly pulling away from the Fruit Grove.

Seeing Aiven with his back to them, Aunt Irene let out a huge sigh of relief. "It really is little Aiven. Thank goodness."

"Aiven, where did you go?"

Hearing the voice behind him, Aiven turned around. Seeing his anxious uncle and aunt, warmth filled his heart again.

Uncle Darby stepped forward and sighed. "Don't run off anymore. I've already lost Petilil. I can't lose you too..."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly froze, staring blankly at the Petilil in Aiven's arms.

"I went to rescue Petilil..." Aiven said with a smile, gently stroking the Petilil's head in his arms.

Petilil's big, round eyes looked at the Fruit Grove, then at the Fruit Grove owner before it. Its eyes suddenly grew moist.

Even though this Fruit Grove owner was utterly detestable, even though he plucked the hard-grown leaves from its head every day... at least here, its life wasn't in danger.

"It really is Petilil. Oh my."

Aunt Irene walked over too, covering her mouth in disbelief.

But why? How did Petilil end up here? Oh, right—Aiven said he went to rescue Petilil. But how did he manage that?

"I cured Baron Reiser, so they agreed to release Petilil." Aiven said it lightly, leaving his uncle and aunt even more bewildered.

Cured Baron Reiser?

If the baron were that easy to cure, they wouldn't have snatched Petilil away to brew a Panacea in the first place.

Having Petilil back, uncle and aunt were both overjoyed.

"Alright, little one. Time to go home."

Aiven smiled at the Petilil in his arms and carried it toward the orchard.

Uncle Darby and Aunt Irene exchanged a glance and followed. The dark cloud hanging over their heads had vanished in an instant.

They passed through the ordinary orchard and headed toward the Fruit Grove.

The Fruit Grove... Petilil sighed inwardly. It really disliked this place, but returning here now brought an inexplicable sense of peace.

Fruits were to ordinary fruit trees what Pokémon were to common beasts—each type of fruit had a special effect.

For example, Orange Fruits helped restore stamina, Peach Fruits cured poisoning, and of course, there were the Lingyu Fruits he had used earlier to brew the Awakening Potion.

The unripe fruits before them were all Orange Fruits. They looked like blue oranges, bursting with a mix of flavors so delicious it was almost unbelievable.

Just then, several Cherubi came out into the sunlight to bask.

Aiven's sharp eyes caught the short stem on one Cherubi's head. The fruit that had been picked from it had already grown back.

The fruit on a Cherubi's head was incredibly sweet and tasty, a favorite food for many bird-type Monsters, packed with rich nutrients.

The fruit growing on these Cherubi had clearly been harvested by humans. Like ordinary fruit trees, the fruit on a Cherubi's head would regrow.

Eating an entire Cherubi was an extreme luxury even for nobles. Eating just the fruit from a Cherubi was the norm. Raising Cherubi and continuously harvesting their fruit brought greater profits to the orchard.

When the Cherubi saw Aiven, Uncle Darby, and Aunt Irene approaching, their bodies visibly trembled.

Chirp chirp chirp.

Just then, a bird call rang out.

Aiven noticed a small gray bird perched on a tree.

"Mukkuru..." Aiven murmured, and a memory of this Mukkuru surfaced in his mind, warming his heart.

Dutiful and loyal—that was his deepest impression of Mukkuru.

When Sir Bellin led his men into the Fruit Grove, Mukkuru was the first Pokémon to step forward and protect Petilil.

As a result, it had been severely wounded by the Pokémon Sir Bellin brought, and its body was still wrapped in bandages.

Thinking of this, Aiven's fists clenched unconsciously. He would find the time to settle that score with the knight properly.