"Just 500 more meters. If I still don't find a Apricorn Tree, I'm heading back."
Aven made his decision, patted the Rhyhorn beside him, and continued deeper into the Black Forest.
Perhaps deterred by the Rhyhorn, the wild Pokémon around them merely observed from a distance, making no move to approach.
Finally, just as Aven was hesitating on whether to turn back, a tree filled with white Apricorn appeared before him!
At the same time, he noticed a purple figure lying beneath the tree.
Skuntank.
Aven's eyes narrowed.
It was a large, skunk-like Pokémon over a meter tall. Its body was predominantly purple, patterned with milky white markings.
As Aven spotted the Skuntank, the Skuntank also looked up at him. Then, it slowly stood on its feet and bared its fangs in warning.
Clearly, it was guarding the Apricorn Tree and warning Aven not to approach—otherwise, it would attack.
"This Skuntank is really well developed. No wonder it can protect this Apricorn Tree." Aven didn't act rashly, carefully observing the Skuntank from top to bottom.
Soon, he had a rough idea of its strength. Based on the classification from his previous life, this Skuntank had already reached the elite level.
For a wild Pokémon to reach the elite level, it truly counted as a local overlord.
Even after all their training, his Petilil and Rhyhorn were only at the normal level—still some distance away from elite. And though Cherrim had evolved once, her current strength was only at the entry level.
One-on-one, none of his Pokémon could take on this Skuntank. But if all three fought together, they had a good chance.
Aven quickly made up his mind.
Just then, the Skuntank, noticing Aven had no intention of leaving, grew visibly colder. It lowered its body slightly, taking a battle stance.
"Rhyhorn!"
Seeing this, Aven shouted.
The Skuntank suddenly charged forward. Despite its size, it was remarkably agile.
Petilil reacted the fastest, shooting out a green beam—Absorb!
In an instant, the Skuntank was wrapped in green light. But within moments, it broke free from the energy and continued charging toward Aven.
Rhyhorn, a step slower to react, realized the danger and immediately lunged forward with a Tackle.
Boom! The two large Pokémon collided.
The next moment, Rhyhorn staggered backward—clearly overpowered by Skuntank's strength.
Just as Skuntank was about to press the attack, Petilil fired another Absorb, disrupting its movements.
"Rhyhorn, use Rototiller!"
Aven gave a quick command.
Rhyhorn nodded, lifting its heavy legs. Ground-type energy gathered as it stomped the earth hard, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
The ground between Skuntank and Rhyhorn turned uneven and rugged, making it harder for Skuntank to move freely.
Petilil leapt into the Rototiller zone, its body glowing green. Absorb's power surged dramatically.
Before, Skuntank could easily shake off the drain. But now, it had to treat the attack seriously.
"Cherrim, Flower Gift Ability!"
Aven continued commanding.
Since entering the Black Forest, Cherrim had remained wrapped in her purple petals, staying in her Overcast Form. During this time, she had been quietly absorbing solar energy.
Now, under the power of her Flower Gift ability, her petals bloomed, shifting her from Overcast Form into Sunshine Form! At the same time, milky-white energy rippled from her body and flowed into Rhyhorn.
Though it wasn't broad daylight, Cherrim used the solar energy stored in her body to push her Flower Gift to its limit!
"Rhy! Rhy!"
Rhyhorn suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of strength.
Its eyes locked onto the charging Skuntank, and it lunged forward with another Tackle.
Boom! Another collision.
Previously, Rhyhorn had been knocked off balance. But this time, it was the Skuntank that was sent staggering backward—a complete reversal.
With Flower Gift boosting its power, Rhyhorn now outmatched Skuntank in strength!
As Skuntank reeled from the impact, Petilil quickly fired two Leech Seeds, one to each side of the Skuntank.
Vines erupted rapidly from the seeds, their growth accelerated by the life energy of the Rototiller zone. In no time, they entangled Skuntank completely!
"Rhy! Rhy!"
Seizing the opportunity, Rhyhorn charged up again and launched a full-power Tackle.
With no way to defend itself, Skuntank was sent flying, slamming hard into a nearby tree!
But Aven wasn't playing a turn-based game—no waiting between moves. As Skuntank fell, Rhyhorn rushed forward again and sent it flying once more.
With the combo of Leech Seed and Absorb draining its energy, Skuntank finally collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
"Rhyhorn, that's enough."
Aven quickly called out, seeing his Pokémon was ready to continue the assault.
Skuntank had lost most of its strength and was no longer a threat.
Besides, Skuntank was a Poison-type Pokémon and could emit foul-smelling gases as an attack. Aven didn't want to push it too far.
"Rhy."
Rhyhorn gave a clumsy nod and retreated to Aven's side.
Still, the big guy remained alert, standing guard like a bodyguard, wary of a sneak attack.
"Well done."
Aven praised his three Pokémon, then took out a healing potion and gave it to Rhyhorn.
As for Petilil, it had been using Absorb and Leech Seed continuously. Not only was it not tired—it still had energy to spare.
After defeating Skuntank, the little one hopped onto Rhyhorn' back, happily chatting with it.
With the guardian of the Apricorn Tree taken care of, Aven finally stepped up to the tree.
(End of Chapter)