Pokémon from all over the farm were gathering together.
They all curiously stared at the newly evolved Tangrowth standing in the field.
The other Tangela, in particular, were extremely excited—they had never even heard that they could evolve!
"I'll teach you all how to learn the move Ancient Power later,"
Aven promised with a smile.
These Tangela had contributed vines for making Pokémon food this whole time—it was only fair they were rewarded.
Once a Tangela evolved into Tangrowth, not only could it produce even more vines, but its vines were now rich in life energy, allowing them to be crafted into higher-quality Pokémon food.
Seeing this, Petilil excitedly walked up to Tangrowth as well.
She wanted to ask about its experience—how Ancient Power led to evolution.
"Tangela really evolved?"
On the other side, Uncle Mike was staring in amazement at the towering Tangrowth. Then his eyes drifted to the massive pile of dark blue vines beside it.
"Aven, do you think these vines can be used to make Pokémon food?"
Aven nodded without hesitation, immediately making Uncle Mike's eyes light up.
Just moments ago, he'd been wondering how to get Tangela to produce more vines—and now the problem had solved itself! These were more than enough!
Watching Uncle Mike take the vines away, Aven smiled faintly.
Now, Tangela were undeniably the farm's top producers, greatly easing the Pokémon food shortage.
…
Boom—boom—boom!
At that moment, Rhydon returned to the farm with heavy steps.
As soon as the Tangela saw it, they rushed over excitedly, waving their vines.
They all knew that it was thanks to Rhydon's training that their leader had evolved. They wanted to learn from it, too!
"Rhyyy!"
Rhydon scratched its head before realizing what had happened.
Its gaze fell on Tangrowth, and its eyes sparkled.
Back when Tangela were unevolved, they'd been too weak to interest it.
But now, one had finally evolved!
What better way to celebrate than with a battle?
As its mentor, Rhydon felt it had to do this right!
"Tang…"
Tangrowth instantly shrank back. It didn't want to fight Rhydon!
But when Rhydon motioned for it to follow, it reflexively complied—
o(╥﹏╥)o
"Hold on, Rhydon."
"Tangrowth definitely isn't your match just yet—maybe we should boost it with some enhancements."
Aven didn't stop the battle-hungry Rhydon.
In fact, he wanted to test Tangrowth's new strength so he could plan its future training.
He also felt it was time to improve the coordination among his Grass-type Pokémon—this would greatly improve their team synergy.
Hearing Aven's suggestion, Rhydon paused, then nodded excitedly.
It agreed—without enhancements, Tangrowth wouldn't stand a chance.
Soon, the Pokémon gathered in a grassy clearing.
For Tangrowth, grasslands were its home field, where it could perform at its best.
"Cherrim, use Sunny Day!"
"Vileplume, set up Grassy Terrain!"
With Aven's orders, the two Pokémon swiftly acted.
In moments, the field was enveloped in lush green light, overflowing with Grass-type energy.
At the same time, a glowing sun appeared in the sky, rapidly heating the area.
A soft, milky light enveloped Tangrowth—this was the effect of the Chlorophyll ability!
Buzz-buzz-buzz!
Vileplume's Combee took flight and handed Tangrowth a piece of Honey as encouragement.
Tangrowth, basking in the warm sun and feeling the life energy beneath its feet, took a bite of the sweet Honey and closed its eyes in bliss.
"RHHHYYY!"
On the other side, Rhydon tightened the white headband on its head and let out a thunderous roar—It was ready!
Tangrowth had started to feel some fighting spirit… but as soon as Rhydon roared, it flinched again—still a little timid.
"Don't be afraid," Aven said gently.
"It's just a regular battle. I'll be with you."
He set Petilil down to watch, then stepped behind Tangrowth.
"Let's go—use Vine Whip!"
Tangrowth turned to look at Aven. With his encouragement, its nerves calmed.
A green glow shimmered across its body, and countless blue vines shot out—swarming toward Rhydon like a wave of tendrils!
Having evolved, Tangrowth's vine production speed had skyrocketed.
Now, it could produce dense masses of vines like a curtain of hair!
Rhydon didn't dare take this lightly.
From experience, it knew: if these vines latched on, it would surely follow with a Draining move—a common combo strategy.
First entangle the opponent, then drain their energy and use it to fuel more vines—it was an efficient tactic.
Boom!
Rhydon stomped the ground, raising a stone wall to block the vines.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The vines lashed against the wall, leaving cracks all over its surface.
"Tangrowth—use Ingrain!"
Aven gave the next command.
Without hesitation, Tangrowth obeyed.
Dozens of vines pierced into the soil, rooting itself and linking with the earth.
Suddenly, it felt tremors underground—its extended vines had touched something!
"Wrap the digging Rhydon!"
Tangrowth hesitated, then quickly reacted.
Its underground vines lunged toward Rhydon, wrapping around it!
BOOM! The ground shook violently.
Rhydon burst from the earth—but vines followed, erupting around it from all directions!
Clearly, it had tried to use Dig to approach Tangrowth from underground—but Aven had seen through the move.
Now, Rhydon was completely entangled!
A familiar green glow flared—Draining moves began!
But this time, the energy drain was far more intense!
"That's Giga Drain!" Aven's eyes narrowed.
Tangrowth had already known Mega Drain, but after evolving, it had powered up!
"RHHYY!" Rhydon roared, unleashing all its strength.
With the sound of vines snapping, it tore its arms free.
A burst of Rock-type energy formed on its body as sharpened stones launched out in all directions!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sharp rocks slashed through the vines, cutting them down!
Now close enough to strike, the drill on Rhydon's head began to spin.
With Ground-type energy gathering, it used Drill Run!
Brownish-yellow energy coated the drill as Rhydon charged straight at Tangrowth!
"Tangrowth—bind all your vines into one and use Vine Whip!"
Aven ordered.
Tangrowth raised its right arm. Its vines wrapped tightly around it, forming a massive whip.
The surrounding Grassy Terrain's energy surged into the vines, covering the whip in glowing green light.
With a mighty swing, it lashed the whip through the air—
CRACK!
The whip collided head-on with Drill Run!
The protective energy around Drill Run shuddered violently, cracks forming across it!
While Tangrowth's strength was lower than Rhydon's, the Grass field buffs helped balance the difference, and the sheer force of its massive vine whip packed a punch.
"RHYYY!"
Drill Run shattered—but Rhydon's charge didn't stop!
Its body gleamed white—it was now using Take Down!
With a flash, it slammed into Tangrowth, sending it flying through the air!
As it soared, Tangrowth rapidly extended its vines to cushion itself.
Upon landing, its body shimmered with a soft green glow—Grassy Terrain had begun to heal its wounds.
From afar, Rhydon charged again—this time, Rock energy gathering in its fists.
It was using Rock Slide, condensing the power into a punch of shattering force!
"Tangrowth—wrap yourself in vines!"
"Tannnnng!" Tangrowth cried out.
Its vines surged forth, coiling around its entire body in a protective cocoon.
Boom!
Rhydon's fist struck. Vines snapped like dry twigs—but the core of Tangrowth remained untouched.
But Rhydon wasn't done. It grabbed a handful of vines and with a spin, flung Tangrowth into the air!
WHOOSH—CLANG—CRACK!
As it soared, Stone Edge was launched—sharp rocks slashed through the air, slicing vines and striking Tangrowth midair!
Vines fluttered down like falling leaves as Tangrowth crashed to the ground.
"Rhhhyyy…"
Rhydon finally exhaled—it hadn't expected the battle to be this intense.
It looked over at Aven, expecting him to declare the match over.
But Aven didn't say a word.
Rhydon turned back to the battlefield—Tangrowth was now wrapped in green light again.
"It's recovering?!"
Alarmed, Rhydon quickly formed a huge boulder in its hands, preparing for a final blow.
But then… the vines on Tangrowth's body began to surge explosively!
Each one glowed vividly green and grew visibly thicker!
Grassy Terrain's energy rushed toward it—the fireball in the sky poured down radiant light.
Even Cherrim noticed with surprise—
"It's absorbing sunlight? Can it really do that?"
"Looks like Tangrowth has successfully learned Growth," Aven smiled, explaining to the Cherrim on his shoulder.
"It's a buffing move that boosts Attack and Special Attack. Under Sunny Day, it also absorbs solar energy to double the effect."
"Plus, Growth can be used on plants to accelerate growth—extremely useful."
In his previous life, many forest rangers had trained Pokémon specifically for this move—to help nurture plant life.
(End of Chapter)