Inside the Breeding House, Link and Phyllis were busy.
Phyllis—supposedly Fruitvale Village's finance officer—had practically become a full-time staff member at the Breeding House, much to her frustration.
Thankfully, they had recently recruited some staff to help with service registration and sales. Otherwise, the two of them would have been overwhelmed.
"Miss Phyllis, could you help me register this Pokémon?"
At last, it was Sutter's turn.
He placed Bidoof on the counter and handed over his ID.
"Of course, Captain Sutter," she replied.
Phyllis glanced in surprise at the Bidoof on the table, then nodded.
After that, the standard procedure for registering a Pokémon began. Once both Bidoof and Sutter gave their confirmation, the registration was formally completed!
…
In his study, Aven was organizing information about Bibarel and Bidoof.
As Bidoof and Bibarel gradually became integrated into Fruitvale Village, more and more trainers would inevitably want to capture and train them.
Right now, Aven's task was to compile the data and first create a basic training guide to give to these new trainers.
In addition, some trainers were bound to purchase Bibarel and Bidoof-related training services, so he had to prepare for that too.
Bidoof was a Normal-type Pokémon, with modest base stats and a preference for close-range physical combat.
Bibarel, on the other hand, was a Normal and Water dual-type, with decent attack and speed stats—clearly better suited for a melee-oriented training path.
Training approaches like the long-range Water-style path popular in Marina City were clearly not ideal for the Bibarel line.
Still, considering those knights were trying to use Bibarel to counter the Rhyhorn and Rhydon of Aspiration City—where they were at a clear disadvantage in melee but counters them in typing—he could understand their reasoning.
In terms of abilities, Bidoof and Bibarel had three possible traits: Simple, Unaware, and Moody.
Simple doubles the effect of stat changes—an incredibly coveted ability among trainers who specialize in stat-boosting tactics. It's widely considered one of the strongest support abilities in battle, capable of instantly doubling a Pokémon's combat power.
Unaware ignores the target's stat changes when attacking—an excellent ability for countering stat-boosting opponents. However, it's still not as impactful as Simple in terms of raw potential.
Moody is a very unusual ability. It randomly raises one stat while lowering another at the end of each turn.
Overall, it's an ability with tremendous potential if used correctly, but it's also difficult to control and master.
In the future world, many researchers had studied Moody extensively in hopes of finding a way to stabilize and control its effects to achieve consistent stat boosts.
Considering all this, the most suitable ability for the Bibarel was still Simple. With it, the Bibarel could follow an extreme stat-boosting route.
Bibarels had access to several stat-boosting moves—most notably Swords Dance, which raised its Attack sharply. This paired perfectly with its physical melee build.
Then Aven suddenly thought of a powerful combo: the easily learned Defense Curl + Rollout sequence.
Defense Curl greatly boosts the user's Defense, while Rollout—a Rock-type move—grows more powerful with each successful hit.
If a Pokémon used Rollout after Defense Curl, the power of Rollout would double, reaching a maximum power—an absolutely terrifying figure!
"Defense Curl and Rollout can be a core offensive combo for Bidoof and Bibarel—just like the 'Triple Powders' strategy,"
Aven murmured, eyes narrowing slightly.
In his mind, he imagined a group of Bidoof using Rollout in unison—it was a truly awe-inspiring image.
If the knights from Marina City had attacked back then, and the Bidoof had all used Defense Curl followed by Rollout, even the Vileplume line probably wouldn't have been able to hold them off.
"Next, I'll need to consider the pricing strategy."
"The Rollout combo is too powerful, so it needs to be priced higher."
"I'll let Bidoof learn Rollout first. Defense Curl can come later—maybe as a reward."
Aven furrowed his brow in thought.
Pricing these techniques required careful planning, especially considering how widely their distribution could influence battle dynamics.
"Mm... these are the basic training methods for Bidoof."
"Bidoof doesn't have strong Water-type talent, but once they evolve into Bibarel, they can learn plenty of Water-type moves."
As Aven's gaze sharpened, he recalled something:
During evolution, there was a chance for Bibarel to learn Rototiller, a Ground-type move.
Normally, Bidoof couldn't learn Rototiller at all.
But with early training and special medicine, there was a high possibility of helping Bibarel learn it upon evolution!
And with the sheer number of Bidoof around, it was almost guaranteed that some would have the innate talent to learn Rototiller.
Just the thought of it made Aven's heart race.
Rototiller was undoubtedly a farming miracle move.
Fruitvale Village's rapid development owed a lot to Rhydon's Plow move.
If many Bibarel could master it, they could open up large tracts of fertile farmland, greatly boosting agricultural productivity and ensuring all land was put to full use.
"Whew... Bidoof really does have tremendous development potential,"
Aven exhaled deeply.
A Bibarel that had learned Rototiller would be incredibly valuable.
He definitely needed to find a way to train more of them.
"Step by step—first, let them settle in. Then I'll move to the next stage."
Returning to his desk, Aven began sorting Bibarel and Bidoof training materials again.
Things had to be done one at a time.
Right now, the top priority was to expand the Pokémon Breeding House, which was clearly too small for current needs.
…
Outside Fruitvale Village, a large number of Bibarel and Bidoof had gathered.
After a period of preparation, it was finally time to dig a new waterway.
At the same time, the Bibarel tribe would leave Fruitvale Village to move into their new habitat.
Even though they'd only lived outside the village for about half a month, many of them felt reluctant to leave.
Ever since the funeral, Bibarel had developed a deep attachment to Fruitvale Village, and their relationship with the villagers had grown stronger.
Over this time, some Bidoof had already left the tribe to try becoming human partners.
Besides the Bibarel tribe, many villagers had also gathered—workers assembled by Fessen to help with the lake construction.
The promise of high wages had attracted quite a few, though some villagers came specifically because they wanted to see the Bidoof.
"Bibarel, let's go."
Once everything was ready, Aven patted the Bibarel leader beneath him.
This time, he would accompany the team to the construction site and personally oversee the early stages of the project.
"Lil~ Lil ~"
Petilil stood atop the Bibarel leader's head, her nurse's uniform fluttering in the wind.
Shinx followed closely by their side.
With only Bidoof around, the little guy wasn't afraid at all—excitedly glancing around at everything.
"Bii, Biii…"
The Bibarel leader nodded and started to move, carrying Aven on its back as it led the large group toward the east.
For this trip, Aven had only brought Petilil, Froslass, and Shinx.
All his other Pokémon remained in Fruitvale Village for training.
Much more comfortable than riding Rhydon…
On the road, Aven lay comfortably on Bibarel's back, wrapped in its fluffy tail, completely at ease.
These Bibarel really were well-trained by knights—their marching speed was amazing.
In just two hours, they had already reached Stonefall Village.
Aven's territory covered about 40 square kilometers, and walking from one end to the other normally took half a day.
But on Bibarel, it only took around two hours.
Stonefall Village was located in the southeastern corner of the territory, right next to the Black Forest. It sat perfectly at a natural chokepoint.
Although the villagers had already been relocated to Fruitvale Village, the orchards here were still well maintained, and new berry seedlings had been planted throughout.
As they neared Stonefall Village, a foul stench filled the air, making the Bibarel hesitate for a moment.
"That's the scent from Gloom."
"Don't worry, the village is guarded by Gloom, which is why it smells like that."
Looking into the distance, the lush grasslands around Stonefall Village came into view.
The Bibarel leader nodded and continued moving forward.
"Gloo~"
"Odd~"
Sensing visitors, several Gloom and Oddish peeked out from the grass.
When they saw it was Aven, they joyfully gathered around.
"Thank you for your hard work, Gloom and Oddish,"
Aven said with a warm smile.
He then had the Bibarel camp outside the village while leading the construction crew inside.
The village had already been cleared of debris, leaving behind vast stretches of grass, trees, and orchards—making it feel more like a small forest.
This entire area had long been designated as part of the Pokémon Breeding Facility.
In the future, it would serve as a habitat for many of the Pokémon raised there.
A significant number of the workers were originally from Stonefall Village.
Returning now, many felt a mix of nostalgia and emotion as they saw their familiar home transformed.
Aven didn't stop them from revisiting their old homes.
Instead, he sat on the grass, pulled out a map, and began reviewing the plan.
This time, he intended to dig a large lake south of Stonefall Village.
A river from Mt. Coronet flowed through the area and continued south toward the Black Coast and eventually the sea.
Once the lake was dug, they could redirect the river into it, widen the waterway, and eventually connect it to the sea.
After making the arrangements, Aven brought the Bibarel leader to the construction zone.
Upon hearing that this would become their new habitat, the Bibarel leader grew visibly excited.
It would finally be able to live freely in a place of its own.
Its entire body buzzed with motivation—it couldn't wait to get started.
For Bibarel and Bidoof, digging and dam-building were second nature.
Aven was confident that in no time, they would build a proper home all on their own.
(End of Chapter)