"Star Star Star."
Hearing Aven's praise, Starly flew down and proudly puffed out its chest as it landed on Rhyhorn's back.
Then, its gaze toward Aven softened. Over time, it had come to acknowledge him.
Taking the opportunity, Aven extended an invitation. "Want to come explore the Black Forest with me?"
Starly froze for a moment, visibly hesitant. It had been born in the orchard and had stayed there ever since, never leaving.
After a brief moment of inner struggle, Starly shook its head and declined, flying back to the orchard looking a bit downcast.
'Still can't get past the pain of being abandoned by its parents, huh…' Aven sighed.
This Starly hadn't been captured by Uncle Mike. It had suddenly appeared in the orchard one day, clearly abandoned by its parents, which had left a scar in its heart.
"Some wounds just need time to heal," Aven murmured, deciding he would slowly guide the little one through it.
Although Starly declined the wilderness training, the Oddish were full of energy and enthusiasm, setting off under Aven's lead.
After this period of intense training, they had built up the courage to face the wild Pokémon in the forest. This time, they were determined to return to their tribe and bring their fellow Oddish back to live on the farm.
Autumn had brought a bleak look to the Black Forest. Many of the trees on the outskirts had already lost their yellowed leaves.
This time, the Oddish led the way—thirty of them marching in neat formation, entering the forest from a different route.
"The Oddish' main enemies are a group of Rattata," Aven noted, recalling the information they'd given him.
Rattata were small, purple rodents, and their evolution form was Raticate. These omnivorous Pokémon would eat just about anything, and the plentiful Oddish in the forest made for excellent prey.
As they traveled, Aven continued gathering herbs along the way. The ingredients for the pollen salve he'd picked last time had mostly been used up by now.
Rustle rustle rustle—
Not long after entering the Black Forest, Aven heard a noise. His eyes darted toward the source of the sound just in time to see a flash of purple—clearly one of the Rattata in the area.
"Looks like we've entered their territory."
Aven became more alert. The forest outskirts were usually patrolled by human knights, so wild Pokémon were rare. But the further in one went—just a few miles in—Pokémon activity increased significantly.
Upon entering this region, the Oddish immediately became more cautious, scanning the forest around them for any traces of their kin.
The leader of this Oddish group was a Gloom, whose foul stench helped guide lost Oddish back to the group by following its lingering scent trail.
(TN: I'm not really sure if the Leader is a Gloom, the raw says stinking flower, and google says its either a Vileplum or Bellossom, which makes them super strong to be bullied by a rattata or raticate.)
Rustle rustle rustle—
After walking a little farther, Aven suddenly stopped. His nose twitched as he picked up a pungent odor. Around him, the Oddish perked up—clearly, their tribe was nearby.
Squeak squeak squeak—
But before they could proceed much farther, the squeaking of rodents echoed all around them, signaling nearby Rattata activity.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a purple figure shot out from the bushes, lunging at one of the Oddish.
Just as the Rattata was about to strike, a mass of vines burst from the ground and coiled around it, trapping it mid-air.
Green energy enveloped its body as its strength was slowly sapped away.
"Great job, Petilil!" Aven gave a thumbs-up to the Petilil who had secretly laid the Leech Seed trap.
After that sudden ambush, Aven became even more cautious as they moved forward.
But the closer they got to Gloom's location, the more Rattata appeared around them—clearly acting as scouts or guards.
Under normal circumstances, a group of cowardly Rattata would avoid a group like theirs.
'Don't tell me these Rattata are actively hunting the Oddish…' Aven's expression darkened.
On the way, he'd also spotted some blue fluid and scattered grass on the ground—clear signs that Oddish had been attacked.
Odd Odd Odd …
The Oddish began to grow restless.
If it weren't for their recent discipline training and the confidence they placed in Aven, they would have already fled in panic.
Suddenly, the Rhyhorn beneath Aven came to a halt. Its gaze swept the surroundings. As a Pokémon deeply attuned to the earth, it could feel subtle vibrations in the ground.
"Get ready to fight—we're surrounded," Aven said as he stood up on Rhyhorn's back.
They were in a relatively open grassy area, which made it ideal terrain for the Rattata's pack-hunting tactics—but also for the Oddish to defend themselves.
At Aven's command, the Oddish immediately fanned out into formation, a faint blue powder beginning to form on their leaves.
Rustle rustle rustle…
The Rattata closed in slowly, their figures emerging from the shadows as they approached, eyes warily locked on their prey.
Scanning the scene, Aven estimated their numbers. There were more than fifty Rattata—probably every single one from this area.
Strangely, the Rattata didn't immediately attack. Instead, they circled Aven and the Oddish, forming a tight encirclement.
Aven frowned. "Looks like they're waiting for their boss."
Under normal conditions, Rattata weren't nearly this organized—unless they had a leader.
Sure enough, moments later, a large, yellow-brown figure approached. It was a Raticate—clearly the evolved form of Rattata.
It looked far more muscular than the one Aven had encountered before in the Black Forest.
"So it is a Raticate—the evolved form of Rattata."
Aven rubbed his forehead. Since when did Raticate become so common in this area? And to think they had gathered an entire clan like this…
(End of Chapter)