At this moment on the farm, the Tangelas were tightly guarding the experimental field.
Within this field were the berries that Aven had painstakingly planted, including the rare White Apricorn saplings. Blue vines continuously sprouted from the Tangela's bodies, weaving together to form a living vine wall that blocked the encroaching floodwaters from reaching the experimental crops.
Yet the water level on the farm continued to rise, leaving the Tangelas increasingly anxious.
Meanwhile, in the berry grove, the water had already risen to waist height, completely submerging the roots of the trees. On one of the trunks, Cherrim stood with dozens of Cherubi, watching helplessly as the rain poured from the sky and the flood spread below them.
Starly was nowhere in sight—it was flying swiftly across the village, leading a team of Yanma, rescuing any villagers or Pokémon caught in danger.
"Cher... cher... chee..."
Cherrim, cloaked in purple petals, stared blankly up at the dark, overcast sky.
Though the thick clouds blotted out the sun, it could still faintly feel a strong solar energy above them. It wasn't like nighttime, when the sun's energy completely vanished. No—this felt like something was merely covering it up, like a curtain hiding the light. If that curtain could just be torn away, sunlight would once again shine upon the land.
Whoosh—
Another powerful gust of wind blew through. Rain lashed against the tree trunks, causing a Cherubi to lose its footing and fall into the swirling water below.
Cherrim was startled, but a moment later, a green vine extended from afar, snatching the little Cherubi from the flood and returning it to safety.
Cherrim looked in the direction the vine came from and saw a human it didn't recognize. On his shoulder stood a Gloom—it was the Gloom that had rescued Cherubi.
"You all be careful too. Hold on tight to the trees," Enel said after the rescue, wading through the water toward the berry grove.
Before long, he arrived at the wooden hut in the grove and saw a floating barrel inside. Relieved, he immediately pushed the barrel and began swimming toward the battlefield—he needed to deliver the medicine inside as fast as possible.
…
Boom, boom, boom!
The battle was still raging on.
Thanks to the Grassy Terrain, the Glooms and Oddish were holding out with great determination, continuing their fight against the Bibarel.
However, as time passed, the grassland was now completely submerged, and with the ongoing downpour, the floodwaters continued to rise.
The Glooms and Oddish floated in the water, barely clinging on as they fought, as if they might be washed away at any moment.
On the other hand, the Bibarel and Bidoof moved effortlessly through the water. This was their domain—the battlefield where they could unleash their full strength.
As they unleashed another barrage of Water Guns, waves rose violently across the water's surface, forming tidal surges that crashed toward the Gloom and Oddish.
If it weren't for their Ingrain move anchoring them firmly in place, they would've long been swept away by the flood.
Waaah! Don't underestimate me!
With a resolute look, Petilil's body radiated with life energy.
Suddenly, a dark red energy began to swirl around its body. The energy flowed and gradually merged into the Grassy Terrain. At once, the grass across the battlefield began to grow wildly.
Though the field was flooded, the emerald glow of the Grassy Terrain still covered the land. And now, thanks to Petilil's power, the grass began to rise above the water, forming barriers around the Oddish and Gloom.
The green glow rapidly spread outward, and wherever it reached, grass would grow—creeping toward the Bibarels like a living tide.
The Bibarels were packed tightly together and couldn't retreat. The ones in front were instantly caught in the Grassy Terrain. Before they could react, vines wrapped around them tightly, binding them.
Waaah!
With a loud cry, the vines began to glow with green light.
It was the Absorb move—but powered by the Life Orb, it was no longer Absorb or even Mega Drain. It had become Giga Drain.
"Bii! Bii! Biii!"
Water-types like Bibarel were naturally weak to Grass moves. They could feel their energy being rapidly drained from their bodies.
That stolen energy flowed back into the Grassy Terrain, which only expanded further, pulling more Bibarels into its reach.
At that moment, Petilil felt like its body had completely merged with the terrain. The grass itself felt like extensions of its own limbs—moving at its will.
Watching this, Vileplume was stunned. Though it too could use Grassy Terrain, it had never imagined it could be used this way.
Even Aven, who came from a future world, had never seen anything like it. In his time, Grassy Terrain was rare and mostly used by support Pokémon. Maybe some had figured out this advanced use—but he certainly hadn't seen it.
This was a complete secondary development of the move. Petilil had entered a mysterious state, one that could become a turning point in its growth.
"Lord Paul…"
Even the once-confident knights of Marina City now looked uneasy.
That Petilil... was it planning to take on their entire knight force alone?
What a joke!
"Sound the horn! Begin the full assault!"
Paul's expression turned grim as he gave the order.
Tooot—
With a loud blast of the horn, the Bibarel lifted their heads.
Then, they dove into the water and surged into the Grassy Terrain, heading straight for Fruitvale Village.
Though they had been using Water Gun, Bibarel were far better suited for close-quarters combat. The floodwaters only boosted their speed, letting them dart across the battlefield like torpedoes.
"Lil!"
Seeing this, Petilil tried its best to manipulate the Grassy Terrain, sending vines to entangle the Bibarel. But their numbers were overwhelming.
Even in its heightened state, Petilil couldn't stop them all.
Soon, the Bibarel crashed into the Gloom and Oddish forces.
In melee, Bibarel completely outmatched their opponents—especially in water. Even with the terrain boost, Gloom and Oddish couldn't match their power.
Still, the grass-types fought back desperately, using Absorb, Acid, and Toxic in resistance.
"It's over!"
Seeing this, the Marina City knights finally relaxed a bit.
But as more Bibarel fell in battle, their expressions grew grave again.
Originally, they had expected to take Fruitvale Village without much resistance.
Even after realizing the village's strength, they had planned to rely on the rain and Bibarel's ranged attacks to win.
Now, watching their Bibarel fall one by one, their hearts ached—each one was rare and difficult to raise.
But for victory, some sacrifice was inevitable.
"Lasss..."
Noticing the exhausted but still fighting Petilil, Froslass began to glow faintly.
If it unleashed its Ghost-type energy, it could become a true king-tier Pokémon—capable of commanding the battlefield like a monarch.
"Go. Take out those Pelipper in the sky first.
If we can stop the rain, their power will be cut in half."
Aven took a deep breath. It had come to this—Froslass would have to act.
Looking up at the dark clouds, they could still faintly see white shapes hidden in the rain—flocks of Pelipper clustered together.
They were numerous and cloaked in clouds, but if Froslass—at full power—acted, it could handle them.
But then Aven froze.
In the sky, a gray figure was flying upward fast.
"What is that?"
"Starly—it's Starly! What's it doing?"
"Wait—look on its back! That purple figure—is that…?"
Others noticed too, confusion spreading across the battlefield.
"Starly… and… Cherrim!"
Aven narrowed his eyes. Even he didn't know what they were doing.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Wind and rain raged violently in the air.
Cherrim clung tightly to Starly, eyes locked on the scene below.
From up high, everything was drowned in water. She could see the Bibarel charging in and her grass-type companions struggling to hold them off.
Drip drip drip.
Rain kept falling, droplets rippling across the floodwaters.
With the water level still rising, it would soon overwhelm the remaining Pokémon. At that point, Bibarel's advantage would be unstoppable.
No... the rain can't keep falling... Cherrim thought, heart heavy.
Looking down at the village, memories of life in Fruitvale Village flooded her mind.
She had once been food—living in fear each day.
Then Aven appeared—bringing her the first ray of light, showing her what joy and sunlight felt like.
Following Aven, she felt safe. So she wanted to do something for him—she worked hard, evolving into Cherrim and blossoming beautifully.
Her Flower Gift ability let her shine on others, empowering them—and it filled her with happiness.
But it still wasn't enough.
She wanted to become even stronger—to master the legendary move: Sunny Day, to shine brighter, and support her friends.
Countless memories flashed through her mind—until all that was left was the downpour.
She saw the flood drowning the orchard, Tangelas still protecting the trees, and her friends scattered in the flood.
Then came a deep, suffocating sense of helplessness.
With the rain came invaders—seeking to destroy her home and harm her family. And she could do nothing.
Why couldn't she activate Sunny Day? Why couldn't she use Flower Gift to aid her friends? Why could she only watch as they fell?
Suddenly, Cherrim looked up at the dark sky.
She could feel it—the sun was hidden just beyond those clouds.
"I will call forth the sun with Sunny Day—make the clouds disappear!"
Her eyes were filled with resolve. That's why she'd asked Starly to fly her here.
Even if it cost her life, she would drive away the storm and bring sunlight back to the land!
O sun, can you hear my call?
The higher they flew, the stronger the sunlight she could sense beyond the clouds.
Gradually, she closed her eyes, focusing completely.
In her mind, a blazing sun slowly rose.
When she opened her eyes again, her body glowed with milky-white light.
Enveloped in light, the purple petals around her began to open—transforming from Overcast Form to Sunshine Form.
And as she moved, the white light expanded in all directions—piercing the darkness above!
At that moment, everyone on the battlefield looked up in awe at the sudden radiance in the sky.
They didn't know what it was…
Until the clouds above split apart—sunlight shone through, casting a golden beam down onto Cherrim.
That was when they understood—staring in disbelief at the miracle unfolding before them.
(End of Chapter)