At the entrance of the farm.
After leaving Aspiration City, Aven returned straight to the farm with the Rhyhorn.
"Come on, let's go home."
Aven patted Rhyhorn's back and entered the farm while carrying his Petilil.
"Rhy—"
Rhyhorn turned to glance one last time in the direction of Aspiration City before resolutely turning back to look at its new home.
Lux~
However, they hadn't gone far before they spotted Luxray approaching, with Uncle Mike following behind.
Clearly, Luxray had detected the presence of a new magical beast entering the farm and came over to check it out.
"Aven?"
Uncle Mike glanced at Aven, then shifted his gaze to the Rhyhorn behind him.
This is…
He narrowed his eyes and stared harder, gradually recognizing it.
"Isn't this the same Rhyhorn that used to pull Viscount Daly's carriage?"
Recognizing the Rhyhorn, Uncle Mike cried out in surprise. He had no idea how that Rhyhorn had ended up here!
"From now on, Rhyhorn will be part of the farm's team." Aven grinned.
Uncle Mike was even more baffled. It took him a moment to process what Aven had said—this Rhyhorn was now part of the farm?
He knew very well that this Rhyhorn was worth several hundred gold coins on the market. Add in the cost of its magical beast gear, and it easily amounted to nearly a thousand.
Hearing Aven casually say it now belonged to the farm was like hearing him say, "Oh, I just made nearly a thousand gold coins for the farm."
He had only been out for a few hours—how could he have possibly made that much?
"This is Uncle Mike," Aven introduced, directing the Rhyhorn.
Rhyhorn gave a friendly cry and gently rubbed its head against Mike to show friendliness.
It seemed Rhyhorn had been completely won over by Aven. Uncle Mike began to wonder if it had actually been… kidnapped?
Aven ignored Mike's complex expression and led Rhyhorn across the clearing in front of the farmhouse.
Hearing movement outside, the lively little Andy came running out and curiously circled the Rhyhorn.
"Aven bro, where'd this Rhyhorn come from?" The boy asked without hesitation.
Uncle Mike instantly perked up his ears.
Aven replied nonchalantly, "I healed the Viscount's Luxray, and they gave me the Rhyhorn in return."
Upon hearing that, Andy's eyes sparkled. In his mind, Aven's status as an apothecary skyrocketed.
Uncle Mike, standing to the side, was stunned. If that was the payment for a single treatment, wasn't it a bit too high?
"Oh my, Aven, you've really become an outstanding apothecary."
Aunt Erin, who was very sensitive to money, was wide-eyed. If being an apothecary was this profitable, maybe she should have Andy start studying it too…
Under the amazed gazes of the family, Aven introduced Rhyhorn to everyone. After a round of warm welcomes, Rhyhorn was officially part of the farm.
"Rhyhorn, this is Luxray. He's the guardian of our farm."
Then, Aven introduced the other Pokémon.
Rhyhorn already knew Petilil and Luxray, and next, Aven would take it to the orchard to meet Starly and the Cherubi.
"Aven, let's have dinner first."
It was perfect timing—they had just returned as dinner was ready. Aven, tired from a long day, didn't refuse and suggested they eat outside.
It was late summer, still a bit hot, and moving the table under the shade of the trees gave a unique ambiance.
But the main reason was that Rhyhorn couldn't enter the house. As it was new to the farm, Aven wanted Rhyhorn to experience the family atmosphere and integrate quickly.
After dinner, with Aven's approval, Uncle Mike brought out freshly harvested apples from the barn.
Although the farm's berry and potion business was now thriving, Uncle Mike still maintained the regular fruit trees, even if they weren't very profitable.
"Rhy…"
Rhyhorn looked at the apples in front of it and called out uncertainly. It was used to eating grass.
Even at the Viscount's estate, no one was extravagant enough to feed apples to a Rhyhorn. Their goal was just to keep it full, not well-fed.
Crunch crunch—
As Rhyhorn chewed on the apples, it was visibly moved.
Aunt Erin, watching the scene, seemed like she wanted to say something but held back. Rhyhorn's appetite was massive—feeding it apples every meal would drain the farm's resources fast.
Looks like I need to hurry up and make some Pokémon-friendly nutritional feed…
Seeing this, Aven made a mental note. He sighed—raising and training Pokémon really was expensive.
That also explained why Sir Enzo had been so concerned about Luxray. Every well-trained magical beast represented a massive investment from the family.
That night, Rhyhorn rested in the courtyard. It slowly paced about, basking in a freedom it had never felt before—and it liked it.
…
The next morning, Aven got up early and carried the Petilil out to check on Rhyhorn.
To his surprise, Rhyhorn wasn't in the courtyard.
Just as he was feeling puzzled, he saw Rhyhorn slowly walking back from the direction of the orchard, pulling the farm's berry cart.
When Rhyhorn saw Aven, it happily trotted over with the cart, rubbing its head against Aven's arm affectionately.
"Aven…"
Uncle Mike followed behind the cart, scratching his head sheepishly. "Um… Rhyhorn offered to help on its own…"
Aven was touched. He glanced at the cheerful Rhyhorn and smiled as he patted its head in praise.
Rhyhorn probably wanted to integrate into the family quickly too… he thought. Since it was Rhyhorn's decision, he wouldn't stop it.
Aunt Erin came out to help and sighed at the sight. Her view of the hardworking Rhyhorn softened significantly.
After a joyful breakfast, Aven took Rhyhorn to the orchard.
Petilil sat atop Rhyhorn's head, happily swinging its legs. Training had been delayed yesterday, and it was eager to resume!
As they approached, they spotted Starly, the orchard's guardian.
Thanks to the Pokémon's natural recovery abilities and some healing potions, Starly was already able to fly again just one day after its injury.
As soon as it regained its flight, it escaped from little Andy's warm embrace, much to the boy's disappointment.
"Starly, this is Rhyhorn. From now on, it's one of us!" Aven introduced them.
Starly nodded and circled Rhyhorn once before perching on a tree, chirping a few times.
Aven wasn't sure what was said, but from Rhyhorn's serious nodding, he guessed it had something to do with the orchard rules—likely about not hurting the orchard Pokémon.
At that moment, the sun broke through the trees, and the Cherubi walked out to bask in the morning light.
Aven led Rhyhorn over and introduced them to each other. His gaze fell on one Cherubi whose berry looked noticeably shriveled.
Looks like it's about to evolve in the next day or two… Aven judged silently, his eyes full of anticipation.
Then, it was time for training. During his visit to the Viscount's estate, Aven had used Lum Berries to craft a new toxic agent.
With it, Petilil's poison moves would become even more potent.
Aven took out both the toxic agent and antidote, then applied the poison to the leftmost leaf on Petilil.
While the Pokémon absorbed the toxin, Aven brought over the fermented fertilizer from the forest, turning it into a nutrient-rich growth solution.
He dug a hole, and the three Cherubi happily dove in, absorbing the fertilizer from the soil. The berries on their heads gradually grew fuller.
After wrapping that up, Aven clapped his hands and looked at Starly and Rhyhorn, who were now both looking his way.
"You two want to try as well?"
Aven smiled at the two Pokémon. If they could be trained, they'd be quite formidable in battle.
Chirp chirp!
Starly hesitated, then jumped back.
The stubborn little thing believed that only its official trainer could train it—and Aven wasn't its trainer.
But Rhyhorn had no such hesitation and nodded firmly. It also wanted to grow stronger and help Aven more.
"Well, if you don't want to, Starly, that's fine."
"But here's a suggestion—you could try refining your Tackle move and see if you can evolve it into Take Down."
"I think that move really suits your personality and would greatly boost your combat power." Aven patted Rhyhorn's head, then turned to Starly.
Upon hearing this, Starly seemed thoughtful. It flapped its wings and flew into the forest.
Not long after, the sound of something repeatedly crashing into trees echoed out—clearly, Starly had gone off to secretly train its Tackle.
So stubborn… Aven smiled helplessly and muttered under his breath, "I wonder if Starly's ability is Keen Eye or Reckless."
A Pokémon's ability often influenced its personality. Based on Starly's behavior, it was most likely Reckless.
The Reckless ability boosts the power of moves that cause recoil damage, which was exactly why Aven recommended it learn Take Down.
(End of Chapter)