Fruit Village

Fruit Village.

After Aiven disappeared, Uncle Darby and Aunt Irene were frantic.

They rallied the whole village to search for Aiven, but found nothing.

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

"Aiven, he wouldn't have... He wouldn't have..." Aunt Irene covered her mouth, afraid to say the words aloud.

Uncle Darby's face stiffened. If Aiven really had disappeared, how could he explain it to his late older brother?

Meow!

Just then, they suddenly heard Luxray cry out. The sound came from the entrance to Fruit Grove.

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

At the entrance, they saw Aiven, as well as the Ironclad Rhinoceros Carriage slowly leaving Fruit Grove.

Watching Aiven's back, Aunt Irene let out a deep breath of relief. "It really is little Aiven. Thank goodness."

"Aiven, where have you been?"

Hearing the voices behind him, Aiven turned around. Seeing his anxious uncle and aunt, he felt a warmth in his heart.

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

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

"I went to rescue Petilil..." Aiven said with a smile, stroking Petilil's head.

Petilil's round eyes looked toward Fruit Grove, at the master of the grove standing before it. Its eyes suddenly grew damp.

Although the master of this grove was awful, and picked the leaves that it had struggled so hard to grow every day, at least... it wouldn't be in danger of losing its life.

"It really is Petilil. Oh my goodness."

Aunt Irene had come over, too, and covered her mouth in disbelief.

But how had Petilil ended up here? Oh, right. Aiven had said he went to rescue Petilil—but how had he done it?

"I healed Baron Reiser, and they agreed to let Petilil go," Aiven said casually, leaving his uncle and aunt even more bewildered.

Healed Baron Reiser?

If Baron Reiser had been that easy to save, they wouldn't have come to take Petilil away to make a Panacea.

Now that they had Petilil back, his uncle and aunt were both overjoyed.

"All right, little one. We can go home now."

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

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

They crossed the ordinary orchard and headed toward Fruit Grove.

Fruit Grove... Petilil sighed inwardly. It didn't like this place at all, but now that it was back, it felt strangely at ease.

Berries were to ordinary fruits as Pokémon were to ordinary beasts. Each kind of berry had a special effect.

For instance, Orange Fruit could help restore stamina, Peach Fruit could cure poisoning, and Lingyu Fruit was the one Aiven had used earlier to make the Awakening Potion.

The berries here that hadn't yet ripened were all Orange Fruit. They looked like blue oranges and had a jumble of flavors, yet were unbelievably delicious.

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

Aiven's keen eyes fixed on the short stems atop one Cherubi's head. The fruit that had been picked from it had already grown back.

The fruit on Cherubi's head was sweet and delicious, and it was also food for many bird Monsters, with plenty of nutrients.

The fruits growing on these Cherubi had clearly been harvested by people. Just like ordinary fruit trees, the fruits on Cherubi's heads would grow back.

Eating an entire Cherubi was an extravagant indulgence even for nobles. It was more common to eat the fruit growing on them. Raising Cherubi and continually picking their fruit brought greater returns to an orchard.

When the Cherubi saw Aiven and his uncle and aunt approaching, their bodies visibly trembled.

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

Just then, a bird's call rang out.

Only then did Aiven notice a small gray bird perched in a tree.

"Mukkuru..." Aiven murmured. Memories of this Mukkuru surfaced in his mind, and warmth filled his heart.

Dutiful—that was the strongest impression Mukkuru had left on him.

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

As a result, it had been gravely injured by the Pokémon Sir Bellin brought along, and bandages still wrapped around its body.

At the thought, Aiven clenched his fists again. Someday, he would settle this score with the knight.