The Gloom leader had been living a miserable life lately.
Although attacks from wild Rattata had always been frequent, as long as it gathered with its companions, they could still fend them off.
But at some point, a powerful Raticate had suddenly appeared in the forest and united all the wild Rattata in the area under its command.
This Raticate would launch attacks with its underlings every so often, and during this period, Gloom had already lost many of its companions.
Some were captured by the Rattata, while others fled the dangerous Black Forest, heading toward human territory.
Gloom raised its head and looked west. Thankfully, some of its companions had followed that little human out of the forest.
'I wonder if that farm he mentioned is as nice as he claimed.'
Back then, Gloom had been tempted by the human's offer.
But it knew that humans didn't like it—its scent disgusted them. That's why it didn't leave and instead chose to stay in this dangerous place.
By past experience, it should be around the time for another Rattata hunting party.
Looking at the few companions still gathered around it, Gloom felt heavy-hearted.
"Odd Odd Odd."
Just then, an Oddish came running over in a panic.
'Are the Rattata here already?' Gloom's heart tightened.
But the next moment, it froze.
The Oddish came not to warn of an attack, but to report that a human had returned with some of their kin and was currently fighting the Rattata!
'What? Why did those fools come back?!'
Gloom's feelings were a chaotic mix.
After a brief hesitation, Gloom decided to go take a look.
They were its kin, after all—it had a duty to protect them!
Gathering the remaining Oddish, they quickly rushed toward the battlefield.
When Gloom arrived, it was stunned.
At the center of the battlefield, a human stood atop a Rhyhorn, surrounded by Oddish.
The scene was strange—
All the Rattata, once so familiar, now lay scattered across the ground, clearly unconscious.
Gloom could tell at a glance that they'd been hit by Sleep Powder.
It often used this powder itself to protect its kin, but its quantity was limited—incapacitating all the Rattata with it alone would've been impossible.
So then… who had unleashed such a powerful Sleep Powder?
Gloom's gaze grew complicated as it looked toward the Raticate and Petilil still fighting in the field.
The intimidating Raticate, covered in purple blotches and entangled by thick vines, struggled weakly—it was clear the battle was all but over.
The supposed ruler of the area had been thoroughly defeated.
"Odd Odd Odd."
Seeing their kin approaching, the Oddish surrounding Aven grew visibly excited.
But without his command, they obediently remained in place and didn't act on their own.
Gloom looked similar to the Oddish—its blue, bulb-like body had developed arms, and its legs were more defined than before.
On top of its head was a reddish-brown flower with white spots, consisting of four round petals and four pale brown sepals.
An awful stench, like a mix of old sneakers, garbage, and rotting eggs, wafted through the air.
"Gloom."
Aven's gaze landed on the leader in the distance, followed by dozens of Oddish.
Squeak squeak squeak—
At the same time, the battle between the Raticate and Petilil concluded.
Poisoned and bound by Leech Seed, the Raticate had no chance of escape.
"Lil, Lil."
Petilil clapped its hands, looking quite pleased with itself.
That Raticate had been powerful—nearly elite-level.
At the beginning of the fight, the combined Sleep Powder from the Oddish knocked out almost all the Rattata instantly.
Only the Raticate had shaken off the drowsiness shortly after.
But after that, it had to face Petilil's Leech Seed, followed by a devastating Toxic attack.
It collapsed before it could even escape.
Aven was very satisfied with the Oddish unit's first battle—it had gone exactly as he expected.
With the battle settled, Aven jumped off the Rhyhorn and patted the thick armor of his "silly tank" before walking toward Gloom.
Seeing Aven approach, Gloom froze, then instinctively began to retreat.
It knew humans didn't like its smell.
But Aven acted as if he hadn't noticed anything strange, walking right up to Gloom.
Gloom was at a complete loss.
"Hello, Gloom. Nice to meet you."
Aven crouched down and reached out his hand.
Gloom panicked. It didn't know whether to take the hand or not.
That deep-seated shame brought by its stench—
Aven could see it clearly. He had witnessed this same reaction countless times in his past life.
Because people couldn't stand their smell, many Gloom were abandoned.
He'd seen it more times than he cared to count.
Now that he wanted to take Gloom and the Oddish out of the forest, he needed to give Gloom some confidence—to show he truly didn't mind its odor.
With Gloom still lost in its complicated feelings, Aven gently took its hand and gave it a smile.
Gloom stood there dumbfounded, staring at this clearly different kind of human.
"Odd Odd Odd."
The other Oddish gathered around excitedly.
Aven nodded at them, his expression serious at first before softening into a gentle smile.
"Disband."
As soon as he said the word, the Oddish erupted into cheers and rushed to their companions.
Laughter and joy filled the grassy clearing.
"Lil, Lil."
Petilil cheerfully jumped into Aven's arms.
He rewarded it with a head pat.
Then, Petilil pointed at the unconscious Raticate leader, clearly asking what to do next.
Aven fell silent for a moment, then closed his eyes and sighed.
"Leave it be."
Petilil paused, then nodded.
The Raticate was still poisoned—
If left untreated, it would soon perish.
(End of Chapter)