Chapter 16: Genius Calem, The Revived Ancient Tree Seed
"Calem?"
Bai Feng was startled. No wonder he had felt the girl before him looked somewhat familiar. Isn't this the future Champion of the Kalos Region?
So I transmigrated to this point in time. Speaking of which, has Ash been born yet? Please don't tell me he's not even an embryo?
Although he didn't know the exact age difference between Ash and Calem, Bai Feng guessed it was quite significant, probably at least a decade.
Seeing Bai Feng's strange expression, Calem asked curiously, "Do you know me?"
Calem's question wasn't strange, because besides being a Trainer, she was also a well-known child star, though she hadn't appeared on screen much in the last two years due to focusing on training.
She thought Bai Feng recognized her because of this.
Bai Feng knew Calem would become both a Champion and a big star in the future, but at this moment, he didn't know she was already famous as a child. So he shook his head and said,
"No, I don't know you. I just thought your name sounded nice." He casually made up an excuse.
"Uh... okay, thanks for the compliment." Calem wasn't sure whether she should be happy or disappointed at the moment. Is her name really so nice it's surprising?
Just then, A Sheng, an apprentice at the Cyllage Gym, walked out. Seeing Bai Feng at the entrance, he greeted him warmly, "Hey, Bai Feng, you're here too!"
Bai Feng nodded and said, "Yeah, I need to see Elder Fu about something."
"Then you'll have to wait. Elder Fu is about to start a Gym Battle." A Sheng nodded, then looked at Calem, "Miss Calem, the Gym Battle is ready. Please come with me." He then beckoned Calem to follow him.
"Okay, thank you." Calem said, quickly following behind A Sheng.
Bai Feng thought for a moment and followed. A Gym Battle with the future Champion, wow. He couldn't control his curiosity and wanted to see what level of strength the Champion had in their youth.
"Do you mind if I watch your Gym Battle?" After catching up to Calem, Bai Feng asked.
"Of course, as long as Elder Fu doesn't mind," Calem said nonchalantly.
A Sheng led Calem all the way to the top floor of the Cyllage Gym, where Elder Fu was already waiting for the challenger.
Calem was led to the center of the battle arena, standing opposite Elder Fu. Meanwhile, Bai Feng sat down in the spectator seats outside the arena.
Elder Fu glanced at Bai Feng from a distance, then withdrew his gaze and looked at A Sheng at the referee's stand, gesturing for him to announce the match rules.
Clearing his throat, A Sheng announced loudly, "The Gym Battle between the Challenger, Miss Calem, and the Cyllage Gym Leader, Mr. Grant, is now officially starting! Both participants may use three Pokemon. The battle ends when all of one side's Pokemon are unable to battle. The Challenger may switch Pokemon freely.
Now, the Gym Leader will send out their first Pokemon."
As A Sheng's words fell, Elder Fu threw a Poke Ball, and a Weepinbell instantly appeared on the field.
Bai Feng had seen this Weepinbell before; it was one of the ones in Elder Fu's garden, usually enjoyed jumping around Elder Fu, a very lively fellow.
The Cyllage Gym's field is a Grass-type field, surrounded entirely by trees and terrain. Weepinbell was very familiar with this place, bouncing around and making cheerful sounds after appearing.
After thinking for a moment, Calem took a Poke Ball from her belt and threw it. Suddenly, opposite Weepinbell, a Sliggoo appeared.
The second evolutionary stage of a pseudo-legendary! Bai Feng clicked his tongue in wonder. As expected of the future Champion.
"The Challenger has the first move!" A Sheng called out loudly.
"In that case, Sliggoo, say hello to Weepinbell with Dragon Breath!" Calem shouted, waving her arm. Even at a young age, she already had a hint of a queenly aura about her.
"Mie~"
Sliggoo puffed out its cheeks, a mass of purple energy gathered at its mouth, then transformed into an energy beam that shot towards Weepinbell.
However, Weepinbell was incredibly fast, disappearing from its spot in an instant. Two thin vines extended from beneath its leaves and, with a whoosh, whipped onto a branch above its head. Just like that, it swung back and forth between branches using the vines, its movements exceptionally skilled.
"It's not over yet, Sliggoo, attack! Attack! Attack!" Calem said with a sharp tone.
"Mieluo~"
As Calem's words fell, Sliggoo suddenly accelerated its attack frequency. Beams of Dragon Breath, like cannonballs, continuously bombarded Weepinbell swinging among the branches.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of explosions was endless on the field.
Bai Feng, watching from outside the field, was engrossed. So this is how Calem's battle style was in her youth, so unrestrained and bold?
"Heh heh, constantly dodging isn't our style, little girl. I'm going to start counterattacking," Elder Fu said with a smile.
"Elder Fu, just bring it on," Calem said nonchalantly, her words full of confidence.
"Weepinbell, Sunny Day!"
Golden light suddenly bloomed from Weepinbell's mouth while it was moving at high speed. With a "poof", a golden orb rose into the sky, and the sunlight suddenly became scorching hot.
At the same time, Weepinbell's speed suddenly increased drastically, becoming even faster than before. Sliggoo could no longer keep up with its rhythm at all.
At this moment, both Calem on the field and Bai Feng outside the field understood. This Weepinbell's Ability was Chlorophyll, doubling its speed in sunny weather!
"Weepinbell, Solar Beam!"
Dazzling golden light burst forth from Weepinbell's mouth and was fired in just an instant. Under the sun, Solar Beam, which normally requires charging, could be used instantly.
Solar Beam is one of the most powerful Grass-type moves.
Bai Feng silently sighed in his heart. Elder Fu was really showing no mercy, unleashing a powerful move right away.
"Sliggoo, Dragon Breath!" Calem commanded Sliggoo to counterattack.
The golden and green energy beams collided. In just an instant, the green energy beam completely dissipated, while the golden energy beam continued to surge forward with undiminished power.
Boom!
Sliggoo was engulfed in the golden energy beam formed by Solar Beam.
Did Calem lose? Bai Feng couldn't help but think as he watched the situation on the field.
Dust and smoke billowed on the field, making it impossible to see the situation clearly for a moment.
"Roar~"
Just then, a blue-purple dragon-shaped energy suddenly soared up from the smoke and dust, directly rushing towards Weepinbell, which was currently observing from a branch.
It was Dragon Pulse!
Weepinbell was caught off guard and directly hit in the face. With a cry of pain, Weepinbell fell from the branch, seemingly unable to battle.
After the dust and smoke cleared, looking at Weepinbell lying on the ground and Sliggoo completely unharmed, Elder Fu shook his head and sighed, "As expected of the Trainer called the most talented in the Kalos Region in recent years. Is your Sliggoo's Ability Sap Sipper?"
"That's right." Calem nodded.
"No wonder you were so confident," Elder Fu said, taking out a Poke Ball to recall Weepinbell.
Pokemon with the Sap Sipper Ability not only take no damage from Grass-type moves but also have their Attack power boosted.
Bai Feng, hearing Elder Fu's words from outside the field, thought to himself: So Calem was already quite famous in the Kalos Region at this time!
The most talented Trainer in the Kalos Region in recent years!
What high praise... As expected of a Trainer who would become a Champion in the future. It turns out she was already showing her talent at such a young age. Bai Feng had originally thought Calem at this age was just starting out.
"Gym Leader, please send out your second Pokemon."
As A Sheng's voice rang out, Elder Fu sent out his second Pokemon, a very cute pink Deerling.
Deerling has four different forms based on the change of seasons: the pink Spring Form, the green Summer Form, the orange-yellow Autumn Form, and the gray-brown Winter Form.
However, due to the special climate of Cyllage City, the Deerling living here always remain in their pink Spring Form.
Of course, Deerling's form change does not affect its moves or types. This is completely different from Oricorio, which also has form changes.
At this moment, the Sunny Day effect left by Weepinbell on the field still remained. Deerling's speed was so fast it turned into afterimages, appearing beside Sliggoo in the blink of an eye.
This Deerling's Ability was also Chlorophyll.
"Yo~"
Deerling raised its two powerful hind legs and fiercely kicked towards Sliggoo using Double Kick.
"Sliggoo, quickly use Muddy Water!" Calem commanded Sliggoo to defend in shock.
"Gurgle~"
The moment Deerling attacked Sliggoo, a pool of muddy water appeared beneath Sliggoo. Under Sliggoo's control, the muddy water transformed into a soft and extremely elastic membrane, completely enveloping Sliggoo.
Muddy Water is an attacking move. It was unexpected that Calem could think of using it for defense, and Sliggoo controlled Muddy Water very smoothly, clearly not using it this way for the first time. It was truly very creative.
Sliggoo's body was already extremely soft and elastic, and now with an added layer of muddy water protective membrane, it actually absorbed most of the force Deerling applied to it. The remaining part caused no damage to Sliggoo at all.
It must be said that Sliggoo's special body structure and the move Muddy Water were quite compatible.
"Gurgle~"
Sliggoo's body swayed back and forth like jelly under Deerling's kicks, looking a bit cute.
Deerling was still continuously stomping on Sliggoo with Double Kick. At this moment, Calem shouted, "Sliggoo, grab it!"
Sliggoo, inside the muddy water membrane, suddenly extended a hand and firmly grabbed one of Deerling's kicking legs. Losing its balance, Deerling fell to the ground in a panic.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Calem was planning a close-range attack on Deerling. If it was hit, could Deerling withstand it?
However, at this moment, Elder Fu calmly commanded, "Deerling, Charm."
"Yo~ Yo~ Yo~"
Deerling, which was struggling desperately just moments before, immediately quieted down. It turned its head to look at Sliggoo, its two eyes glistening and wet, completely portraying a pitiful appearance.
"(ε)Giegie~ Please let me go~"
Those small eyes seemed to speak.
Seeing Deerling in this state, Sliggoo's little heart trembled. Dazed, it loosened its grip, and the half-prepared Dragon Pulse naturally dissipated.
The moment it broke free, Deerling's expression changed.
"Hmph~ Ptui~"
Deerling fiercely showed its disdain for Sliggoo, which had become dirty from being wrapped in Muddy Water. Using its excellent leaping ability, it moved far away from its opponent in the blink of an eye.
Uh... Bai Feng, who had watched Deerling's series of actions, was dumbfounded for a long time. He thought, 'I'll never call this Deerling cute again. It's practically a little devil!'
Sliggoo, now free from Charm's effect, also realized what it had done, and its expression instantly turned ugly. It waved its small hand, and the muddy water on its body automatically receded, as if it had never been there, its body becoming clean again.
At the same time, waves of purple surged out from beneath it, emanating an eerie color and powerfully covering towards Deerling.
This was the Poison-type move, Sludge Wave.
Deerling quickly moved its feet to dodge Sludge Wave's attack, but Sludge Wave had a very wide attack range, almost dyeing the entire battle field purple. The places where Deerling could step became smaller and smaller.
Once it touched the Sludge Wave, Deerling would be in danger of being poisoned. As a Grass-type Pokemon, it had extremely low resistance to Poison-type moves.
Just as it seemed Deerling had nowhere left to escape, Sliggoo's face suddenly showed a look of pain. Immediately, an emerald green vine grew from its body, continuously draining its stamina.
This is Leech Seed! When was it planted?
Let alone Calem on the field who didn't notice, even Bai Feng, the observer who had been staring from outside the field, hadn't noticed this small action from Deerling.
Indeed, the older the ginger, the spicier it is!
But Leech Seed should be ineffective against Pokemon with the Sap Sipper Ability!
Since Sliggoo was hit at this moment, it could only mean one thing: its Ability was no longer Sap Sipper.
Deerling could only achieve this by using one move, and that is Worry Seed. Worry Seed's effect is to change the target's Ability to Insomnia.
Evidently, Weepinbell suffered a disadvantage from Sap Sipper in the previous match. Elder Fu had already prepared for this Ability, which was its natural counter, and did it without anyone noticing.
Deerling and Sliggoo had been locked in close-range stalemate for so long, it had plenty of opportunities to make its move on Sliggoo.
At this moment, Deerling was finally hit by Sludge Wave. The purple tide submerged its knees, and a large amount of toxins corroded upwards along its legs. Before long, Deerling fell into a poisoned state.
Both Pokemon began to lose stamina simultaneously. However, Deerling's advantage was that it had Leech Seed draining Sliggoo's stamina to replenish itself, so its situation was much better.
During the confrontation, Sliggoo was the first to fall due to lack of stamina.
"Sliggoo is unable to battle! Deerling wins! Challenger, please send out your next Pokemon!"
Although Deerling won, its condition was not good. It looked listless, completely different from its spirited appearance when it first came out. From time to time, faint purple mist emanated from its body, proof that the poisoning symptoms had not disappeared.
Calem's second Pokemon was a Gourgeist. This was a Pokemon that had already evolved to its final form. The Sliggoo from before was completely not on the same level of strength as it.
"Gourgeist, Trick-or-Treat!"
As soon as Gourgeist appeared, Calem issued the command.
"Bah~"
Gourgeist's aura was fully unleashed. A pressing deterrence washed over them. It opened its arm-like hair, and the face-like holes on its abdomen emitted a bright light.
At this moment, the sky suddenly darkened. Not a single ray of light was visible, as if all the light had been stolen by Gourgeist. The atmosphere became eerie and terrifying because of this.
By the time the phenomenon disappeared, Deerling was no longer just a Normal/Grass-type Pokemon, but had become a Normal/Grass/Ghost-type Pokemon.
Ghost-type Pokemon counter each other.
With the added Ghost typing, Deerling should have become weak to Gourgeist. Unfortunately, it still had the Normal type.
Normal type is immune to Ghost type.
If it didn't have the Normal type, Deerling would have been completely countered by Gourgeist in terms of typing.
Because Deerling didn't have corresponding moves to utilize the advantage of this unfamiliar extra Ghost typing, Gourgeist, which should have also been countered by it, consequently held the full type advantage.
But Calem had Gourgeist use Trick-or-Treat not for type advantage against Deerling, but for another purpose. So, even if Deerling had the Normal typing, it didn't matter.
"Gourgeist, Seed Bomb!"
"Watch out! Deerling, quickly dodge!"
Just as Deerling was about to leap away, Gourgeist suddenly changed its expression. A large and terrifying black face was projected from the holes on its abdomen, scaring the fleeing Deerling and freezing it in place.
That black face was the effect of the move Scary Face, which greatly lowers the target's Speed. Coupled with the fact that Sunny Day had disappeared by now, Deerling had completely lost its speed advantage.
"Seed Bomb!"
Deerling, frozen in place, was directly taken down by one Seed Bomb.
Calem's purpose in using Trick-or-Treat was to create a terrifying atmosphere, then fully utilize the effect of Scary Face to restrict Deerling's excessively high speed.
Clearly, her goal was achieved.
"Deerling is unable to battle! Gourgeist wins! Gym Leader, please send out your third Pokemon." A Sheng's voice rang out again.
Elder Fu's last Pokemon was naturally the signature Pokemon of the Cyllage Gym - Gogoat.
Elder Fu not only had a plantation but also a very large ranch not far from the Cyllage Gym, where a large number of Skiddo and Gogoat were raised. Therefore, challengers coming to the Cyllage Gym to challenge would usually face a Gogoat as the last Pokemon.
However, Elder Fu would decide which level of strength Gogoat to choose for the battle based on the challenger's approximate strength.
Facing such a formidable Calem, Elder Fu naturally chose a very strong Gogoat.
As soon as this Gogoat appeared, it used the terrain move - Grassy Terrain. Grassy Terrain provided a very significant boost to this Gogoat's strength.
On one hand, the fixed effects brought by Grassy Terrain were boosted power for Grass-type moves and continuous HP recovery.
On the other hand, this Gogoat's Ability was Grass Pelt. When it was in Grassy Terrain, its Defense would also increase.
At the same time Gogoat used Grassy Terrain, Gourgeist used Trick-or-Treat again.
The terrifying dark night descended, and Gogoat was given the Ghost typing.
Elder Fu knew he couldn't prevent this, so he didn't stop Gourgeist's action but instead let Gogoat focus on setting up Grassy Terrain.
"Gogoat, Seed Bomb!"
"Gourgeist, Shadow Ball."
After both sides finished setting up their support moves, they launched their attacks simultaneously.
"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"
The green seeds and black energy balls collided, but the Shadow Ball was quickly shattered by Seed Bomb.
There was nothing to be done. Gourgeist's talent wasn't focused on Special Attack, so facing Gogoat's attack with a special move, it naturally fell into a disadvantage.
Calem naturally knew this well, so she didn't expect Shadow Ball to achieve much. It was enough as long as it could serve to confuse the enemy.
After shattering the Shadow Ball, the green seeds formed by Seed Bomb shot directly towards the Gourgeist behind it. But strangely, in just an instant, Gourgeist disappeared from its spot, and the Seed Bomb attack missed.
Boom~ A large crater was blasted into the ground where Gourgeist had been.
Suddenly, Elder Fu shouted, "Gogoat, be careful, it's behind you."
They saw a black vortex suddenly appear on the ground behind Gogoat, and Gourgeist's figure eerily emerged from the vortex.
By this time, Elder Fu's warning was too late. Gourgeist quickly struck. It was surrounded by black light and directly crashed into Gogoat. Gogoat had no time to react at all.
This was the Ghost-type attacking move - Phantom Force, a move that is very difficult to defend against.
Gogoat cried out, was sent flying, and rolled several times on the ground. Although it had been alert when Gourgeist disappeared, Gourgeist's strange way of reappearing was still impossible to guard against.
Grassy Terrain's healing effect activated in time, restoring some of Gogoat's HP.
It was also fortunate that Grass Pelt had increased its Defense. Otherwise, Gogoat, which had been given the Ghost typing, might not have been able to withstand this one Phantom Force. It might have been finished before Grassy Terrain's healing effect could even take effect.
Gogoat quickly stood up. When Gourgeist tried to finish it off with Shadow Ball, it promptly blocked the attack with vines.
"Gogoat, Milk Drink."
Taking advantage of this moment, Elder Fu chose to use a recovery move. After all, Grassy Terrain's recovery amount was small; its advantage was only in continuous recovery.
Milk Drink is a special move exclusive to Gogoat and Miltank. Its recovery amount is quite significant; just one use restored Gogoat's spirits.
However, at this moment, Gourgeist used Worry Seed on Gogoat, changing Gogoat's Ability from Grass Pelt to Insomnia. Gogoat was caught off guard and hit.
This could be considered using someone's own methods against them.
"Gourgeist, Shadow Sneak!"
They saw the shadow beneath Gourgeist suddenly twist, finally transforming into a pitch-black sharp claw that reached out to grab Gogoat.
Although Shadow Sneak's power was not as great as Phantom Force, it had the advantage of being fast to use.
"Gogoat, quickly dodge!"
Hearing this, Gogoat quickly leaped away, narrowly dodging the grabbing shadow claw. But this claw followed like a shadow, continuing to bare its fangs and brandish its claws as it lunged at Gogoat under Gourgeist's control.
Gogoat's speed wasn't that fast, and it was quickly caught.
With a cry of pain, Gogoat was thrown to the ground. This time, without the protection of Grass Pelt, it instantly became listless.
Gourgeist pursued the advantage, controlling the shadow to strike Gogoat again.
Seeing that it couldn't dodge, Elder Fu shouted, "Gogoat, Leaf Blade."
They saw a sharp leaf-shaped flying blade suddenly fly out from beside Gogoat, bypassing the shadow claw and directly slashing into Gourgeist. Gourgeist was sent flying back by the slash.
At the same time, Shadow Sneak hit Gogoat again.
Because Gogoat had low Defense and was weak to Ghost-type moves, it immediately lost its ability to battle. However, Gourgeist shakily flew back up.
As a Grass-type Pokemon, Gourgeist had strong resistance to Grass-type moves, and its own Defense was also very high, which was why it could withstand that solid hit.
"Gogoat is unable to battle! Gourgeist wins! Because the Gym Leader's three Pokemon are all unable to battle, the winner of this Gym Battle is the Challenger, Miss Calem!" A Sheng promptly announced the match result.
Seeing this, Bai Feng immediately clapped from outside the field. Amazing!
"Popplio, you saw that, right? That's what being powerful looks like. You need to work hard from now on," Bai Feng said to the Popplio in his arms.
"Woo!!!"
Popplio nodded with a serious expression. After watching this match, its fighting spirit was ignited, and it vowed to become a Pokemon even stronger than that Gourgeist.
After recalling Gogoat, Elder Fu signaled A Sheng to bring over the Badge and said to Calem, "I'm truly getting old. The future belongs to you young people." Saying this, he handed the Badge to Calem, "This is the Grass Badge. I hope you achieve a good result in the League Tournament."
"Thank you, I will work hard." Calem took the Badge and put it into a specially made Badge case. "Then I'll take my leave. Thank you for today."
"No trouble at all. It's my duty."
After the match ended, Calem immediately bid farewell and left. As she passed by Bai Feng, she said, "If we have a chance to meet again, I hope we can have a Pokemon battle then."
Bai Feng nodded and replied, "I look forward to meeting you again."
Elder Fu walked over to Bai Feng's side and asked, "What are your thoughts after watching this battle?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Bai Feng replied, "Exciting? Amazing?"
Elder Fu helplessly tapped him. "You kid, why do you have no drive at such a young age! She's so capable already at her age, don't you have any desire to catch up?"
After saying that, he sighed, "Being a Trainer... that's the romance of young boys and girls!"
"Uh..." Bai Feng scratched the back of his head. "It's not like I have no thoughts at all, it's just that I can't afford to focus on it right now."
Hearing this, Elder Fu didn't say much more.
Indeed, Bai Feng's situation was different from others. At ten years old, others could become Trainers carefree and without worries, and travel with peace of mind. Bai Feng, however, had to struggle for his livelihood.
This kid also has it rough...
"You came today because you needed something?" Elder Fu asked.
Bai Feng nodded, "Yes, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."
Elder Fu walked outside, signaling Bai Feng to follow, "What is it?"
"I'd like to ask you a question. Generally, after fruit trees in an orchard bloom on a large scale, how is the pollination problem solved?"
Previously, Bai Feng had only planted a little over thirty fruit trees. After they bloomed, relying solely on the wild Vivillon and Butterfree nearby, plus his and Bai Ye's manual assistance, the pollination problem could be easily solved.
Now he had planted over a thousand fruit trees. When these trees bloomed, relying only on wild Pokemon for pollination would likely affect the final fruit yield.
After all, wild Pokemon don't come just because you ask them to, or leave just because you ask them to. The uncertainty is too great.
This batch of his fruit trees wasn't cultivated from seeds like the previous batch. They would definitely bloom and bear fruit earlier than the previous ones, so he had to be prepared in advance.
Elder Fu listened and suddenly understood, "Ah, so that's the problem! This is actually very easy to solve.
Generally, orchards hire specialized pollination agencies to help. These agencies raise many Pokemon like Vivillon, Butterfree, Combee, and others, specifically taking on tasks to help with pollination in orchards, flower gardens, and other planting industries. You can also hire them to come help, and the price isn't expensive.
There are also some large-scale plantations that raise these types of Pokemon themselves, so they can solve the pollination problem on their own.
In the future, when your conditions are better, you can also raise some of these types of Pokemon yourself. Pokemon like Combee, Cutiefly, and Ribombee are all good choices. Besides helping pollinate your fruit trees, the honey and pollen puffs they produce are also good profit sources."
Considering Bai Feng's situation, the advice Elder Fu gave had been carefully thought out.
Seeing Bai Feng was seriously considering it, Elder Fu added, "There's a very good pollination agency near us. I often invite them to help pollinate my garden. If you need it, you can go ask them."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you," Bai Feng said gratefully.
"You've been very busy lately. It's rare for you to come here today. Come on, I'll take you to see something good," Elder Fu suddenly said at this moment.
"Something good? What is it?" Bai Feng asked curiously.
"You'll know if you follow me and see," Elder Fu said, creating a little suspense.
Elder Fu led Bai Feng all the way into the depths of his garden. This was Bai Feng's first time here.
The outer areas of Elder Fu's garden were filled with various rare and exotic flowers and plants. Unexpectedly, the innermost part seemed very spacious, with only a sparse scattering of plants growing.
Elder Fu smiled and pointed at the plants, saying, "Don't think some of the plants here look unimpressive. Some of them are already extinct outside.
Although the flowers and plants I cultivate outside are also rare, they are far inferior compared to the ones here."
Oh~ So these are the real treasures, I understand!
As they walked, Bai Feng followed Elder Fu to a small flowerbed.
This flowerbed was empty, with only a green seedling less than twenty centimeters tall. Moreover, this seedling looked thin and weak, not having the vigorous appearance a seedling should have at all.
"This is the 'something good' you mentioned?" Bai Feng asked in confusion.
"That's right." Elder Fu nodded. "This seedling was grown from a seed discovered in some ruins."
"Discovered in ruins?" Bai Feng exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right, and it's also a seedling of a fruit tree," Elder Fu continued.
"A fruit tree seedling?" How come I don't remember any fruit tree seedling looking like this?
Seeing Bai Feng's confused expression, Elder Fu explained, "This is a Leppa Berry seedling."
Hearing this, Bai Feng couldn't help but widen his eyes. 'You must be joking,' he thought, 'Haven't I seen a Leppa Berry seedling before?' Although he hadn't planted Leppa Berries himself, he had seen Leppa Berry seedlings in books and at the Qing Qing Plantation.
"Isn't it unbelievable?" Seeing Bai Feng's expression of disbelief, Elder Fu was amused and laughed heartily. "That's the truth. It has already been confirmed by botanists."
The seed for this seedling was discovered by Sanders and his research team while exploring the ruins. However, they had been unable to make the seed sprout, so they reluctantly sent it to Elder Fu.
As expected, Elder Fu did not disappoint and successfully revived the seed from its slumber.
Although the seed had sprouted, it hadn't been growing well, which had troubled Elder Fu for a long time.
Looking at the ancient Leppa Berry seedling in the flowerbed, Elder Fu sighed, "Plants are truly wondrous. They are clearly the same type of plant, yet because they grew in different eras, they have grown into completely different appearances."
"It was left in the ruins for so long, yet this ancient tree seed still retained its vitality. It's truly incredible," Bai Feng said.
"It's not just you who finds it incredible. The botanists who have been researching for a long time also find it very incredible. It was precisely to find this secret that they kept urging me to revive the seed.
However, although this seed has successfully sprouted, whether it can grow smoothly is a problem. If it withers before it grows up, then everything will have been for nothing," Elder Fu couldn't help but sigh.
At this moment, Bai Feng suddenly became curious about the internal structure within this ancient plant. Was it the same as modern Leppa Berry trees?
So he looked at Elder Fu and asked, "Can I touch it?"
Elder Fu was a little puzzled hearing this. Why would you touch it for no reason? Can you feel something from touching it? However, he didn't refuse. He knew Bai Feng was a sensible child. He just solemnly instructed:
"Be gentle, it's very delicate."
Bai Feng nodded and gently placed his hand on the seedling's stem.
End of Chapter