Most of the white apricorns hadn't ripened yet. After a quick inspection, Aven sighed.
However, perhaps that was precisely why this tree still had so many white apricorns left.
After thoroughly checking it over, Aven finally managed to pick out seven fully matured white apricorns. At this level of ripeness, they were excellent materials for crafting Poké Balls.
He carefully wrapped up the seven apricorns and stored them in the backpack strapped to his Rhydon.
Off in the distance, the Skuntank lying on the ground had been watching Aven's every move. Seeing that he only took a few ripe apricorns, it breathed a sigh of relief and gave up the idea of releasing its Stench attack.
"Let's go," Aven said to his three Pokémon.
Before leaving, he glanced once more at the injured Skuntank. After a moment of thought, he took two Oran Berries from his pack and placed them on the ground.
The white apricorn tree wasn't fully matured yet and needed a guardian Pokémon. This Skuntank had guarded it for so long—it was a worthy protector.
If another wild Pokémon had seen that Skuntank was heavily injured, it might have tried to steal the apricorns. In the resulting fight, the tree could've been damaged.
As Aven rode off on his Rhydon, the Skuntank finally struggled out of the vines binding it and carefully moved toward the Oran Berries. It sniffed at them.
Being a Poison-type Pokémon, Skuntank wasn't afraid of any kind of toxin. After a brief hesitation, it swallowed the Oran Berries whole.
Instantly, its eyes lit up—the Oran Berries were incredibly delicious. Compared to these, the white apricorns suddenly didn't seem appealing anymore.
With the apricorns in hand, Aven sped up his return. By now, the sky was gradually darkening. He had to make it out of the Black Forest before nightfall.
According to what he knew, many dangerous Pokémon were active at night. Even in his previous life, nighttime in a forest wasn't safe—let alone in this wild, Pokémon-filled world.
Fortunately, the journey back was relatively smooth, and they managed to leave the forest before sunset.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, all of his Pokémon visibly relaxed. Sakura let out a big yawn, and the petals on her body began to close, returning her to her overcast form.
However, Aven didn't leave right away. He waited just outside the Black Forest.
He had made a promise to the Oddish. They had agreed to meet here, at the spot where he first entered the forest, when it got dark.
He didn't have to wait long. Soon, over a dozen Oddish came walking out of the forest. The one leading them immediately ran over excitedly upon seeing Aven.
"Good job, Oddish."
Looking at the other Oddishs who were lingering behind, timid and unsure, Aven sincerely praised them.
He counted them carefully. Including the ones he already had on the farm, there were now a total of twenty-five Oddish.
The Oddish leader swayed the leaves on its head as it happily exchanged a few simple thoughts with Aven.
These Oddish were originally from its own group. After some convincing, they had willingly followed it here. However, many others had chosen to stay behind in the forest.
Even though the soil in the Black Forest wasn't as fertile as that in the orchard and they constantly faced attacks from other Pokémon, it was still their home—a place they weren't ready to leave.
"That's okay. One day, you'll prove that your choice was the right one."
Aven smiled and patted Oddish gently on the head, offering comfort. Under his guidance as a Pokémon breeder, the Oddish would surely grow quickly.
By the time they returned to Fruitvale Village, it was already completely dark.
Uncle Mike and Aunt Erin were frequently glancing toward the village entrance, worried. It was well past dinner time, and Aven still hadn't returned, which made them anxious.
Aven had only told them he was going out for a bit—he hadn't said he was heading into the Black Forest. If he had, Uncle Mike would've definitely rallied the villagers to go in and look for him.
"That rascal Aven finally came back," Uncle Mike muttered.
From a distance, they saw Aven riding back on his Rhydon. Aunt Erin let out a breath of relief.
She pretended to be nonchalant as she walked back into the kitchen, planning to reheat the food.
Uncle Mike also relaxed. Though Aven wasn't his biological son, he had always treated the boy like his own.
But a moment later, he froze, his face darkening with frustration—because behind Aven, a dozen Oddish were happily trailing along.
He truly didn't understand why Aven had brought back so many Oddish. In his opinion, these little creatures were completely useless.
"Uncle, I'm back!" Aven greeted with a grin.
Uncle Mike gave a faint response. He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. Aven was an adult now—and an apothecary he could be proud of.
'You'll see soon enough,' Aven thought to himself. He was fully aware of Uncle Mike's opinion on the Oddish but kept it to himself as he led them quietly to the orchard.
Once back, he guided the Rhydon—whose back was packed with herbs—into the farmhouse. The Oddish, full of anticipation, scampered toward the grassy field.
With a bounty of medicinal materials, seven white apricorns, and twenty-five Oddish, Aven was very pleased with his trip to the Black Forest. The days ahead would be busy for him.
First, he needed to prepare the Flower Powder Mix that would help Oddish learn the trio of powder moves. Based on the effect of each powder, he would need to separately create Sleep Powder Mix, Stun Powder Mix, and Poison Powder Mix. Then, he would begin researching how to craft Poké Balls.
"Aven, what kind of berry is this?"
Uncle Mike asked, puzzled, as he noticed the white apricorn while Aven was sorting through the herbal materials.
He had been a berry farmer for over a decade and had never seen a berry like that before.
"It's called a white apricorn. You can't eat it—it's used in potion-making," Aven replied with a smile, patting little Andy, who had curiously come over.
Upon hearing it wasn't edible, Andy quickly lost interest and turned his gaze toward the window, bored.
The little guy had been frustrated lately. There were already eight Oddish on the farm, but none of the Pokémon had agreed to bond with him yet.
But now, hearing that Aven had brought back more than ten new Oddish, Andy grew hopeful. With so many of them, he figured his chances were looking pretty good.
If it weren't already nighttime, he probably would've dashed out to the field right away to try and befriend them.
(End of Chapter)