Aven's arrival immediately drew the attention of the Nidoking tribe.
The Nidoking leader quickly led his clansmen to greet him.
When the leader saw that it was an old friend, he finally let out a breath of relief and waved for his tribesmen to disperse.
"Nido! Nido!"
Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, upon seeing their father, happily ran toward him.
The two little ones ran so fast that when they reached the Nidoking leader, they leapt straight into the air and pounced at him.
"Nidoo!"
The Nidoking leader hurriedly caught his children, his eyes filled with delight.
Naturally, he could tell that their injuries had completely healed, and not only that—their physical condition was even better than before.
Afterward, he turned his gaze toward Aven in the distance, who was holding Ralts in his arms, his eyes filled with gratitude. At this moment, he felt truly glad about the decision he had made back then.
Following Aven had indeed allowed Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ to grow far better than if they had stayed by his side. Under Aven's care, the two little ones would surely become much stronger.
"These are all things I should be doing," Aven said as he stepped forward with a smile. "Given our relationship now, there's no need for too many words of thanks."
"Nido! Nido!"
The Nidoking leader nodded heavily, then looked behind Aven.
Not seeing any sign of Rhydon, he relaxed a little—looked like today he could enjoy a proper rest.
However… it didn't seem like Aven had brought any Pokémon food this time.
Thinking of this, the leader subconsciously swallowed, patting his belly as he found himself missing the taste of Pokémon food.
He really had no idea how that food was made, but compared to the berries and wild greens in Nidoking Valley, it was simply too delicious!
Unfortunately, the last batch they had received for helping out last time had long since been eaten.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Sensing something, Ralts raised its head and glanced at the Nidoking leader, clearly picking up on the yearning emotion radiating from him.
"Looks like using food as bait is quite an effective strategy," Aven chuckled, stroking Ralts' head. He felt that the subtle influence he had been working on for so long was showing great results.
"Lil lil~"
Petilil, sitting atop Luxio's back, gave Luxio a hard nudge.
"Meowr~?"
Luxio turned his head in puzzlement, wondering what the big boss was up to this time.
Following the Nidoking leader, Aven entered the depths of Nidoking Valley. Immediately, he felt countless pairs of eager eyes turning toward him.
"Nidoking, I came here this time because I'd like to ask for your help again."
Hearing this, the leader's eyes lit up—he could already smell that familiar aroma—and he patted his chest to indicate there was no problem at all!
"Mm, it's the same as last time. I need your tribe to help intimidate some of the other groups in the forest."
Aven quickly explained the situation. This time, upon coming to Nidoking Valley, he intended to meet with the Pokémon tribes in this area to establish a basic order for the region.
If these tribes could accept his proposal, he could incorporate this entire area into the Safari Zone.
He was about to fully implement the Trainer Program, which was crucial for the Safari Zone—it would ensure the safety of trainers who entered.
If they didn't gain the tribes' approval, then when trainers wandered in, unnecessary battles and damage would be inevitable.
In truth, while many tribes lived in this area, the Nidoking tribe was essentially the local overlord.
With their help, Aven felt certain the mission would go smoothly.
When the leader heard that not only could they eat Pokémon food along the way, but they would also receive more as a reward upon completion, he immediately agreed without hesitation.
"Good, then I'll leave this matter in your hands."
"However, since it's already getting late, let's start tomorrow."
Aven and the leader quickly came to an agreement. After the last cooperation, the Nidoking tribe had already grown accustomed to this type of commission-and-reward arrangement.
Thus, Aven spent the rest of the day in Nidoking Valley, taking the opportunity to inspect its surroundings.
This time, aside from asking for the leader's help, he also intended to study the valley's situation in detail.
The location was indeed excellent, and the soil was extremely fertile. Because of this, the valley contained abundant wild berries, wild vegetables, and even medicinal plants.
However, the berry growth was somewhat chaotic—overrun with weeds and shrubs—which hindered their development. As a result, these wild berry trees bore very little fruit.
"Nidoking, if you're willing, I can help you transform this valley."
"All those useless shrubs and weeds could be cleared, and berry trees planted in their place. With proper care, this valley could become a berry orchard."
Upon hearing this, the leader's eyes lit up. Truth be told, even with the valley's plentiful resources, it was sometimes still hard to get enough to eat.
Especially in winter, they had to leave the valley to search for food in the surrounding Black Forest. If there were a berry orchard here, they would never have to worry about food again.
Seeing the hope in the leader's eyes, Aven nodded.
"Mm, that wouldn't be difficult at all."
In his previous life, planting berries throughout the forest to ensure abundant food for Pokémon was an important part of a ranger's defensive measures.
As long as there was enough food, Pokémon wouldn't risk invading human territory—this was part of the tacit understanding that allowed humans and Pokémon to coexist peacefully.
Now, Aven intended to start with Nidoking Valley, gradually planting enough berries across the Black Forest, and in doing so, establish a survival pact with the local Pokémon—building an order of harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon!
"Nidooo!"
The leader nodded excitedly.
If time allowed, he would have wanted Aven to start planting immediately.
"This will require cooperation from berry farmers in the territory," Aven said. "To maintain an orchard, we'll need human assistance. I'll arrange this as soon as possible."
He smiled, already thinking he could recruit another batch of rangers experienced in berry cultivation, and have them slowly build a defensive perimeter in the Black Forest.
"But before that, I can help clear out some of the valley's plants first."
"All those shrubs and weeds need to be removed before planting berries—that's the first step."
The leader had no objection to Aven's words, and was even about to rally his entire tribe to start chopping trees.
"That's something I can handle myself," Aven stopped him with a smile. "I happen to need the energy from those plants."
Plants contained abundant life force, and absorbing it could greatly benefit Grass-type Pokémon.
Moreover, the massive life force from so many plants was exactly what was needed for the Grass-type Pokémon Evolution Festival.
Back when Vileplume accidentally initiated such a ceremony, it had consumed the life force of a large patch of grass outside the village.
This time, Aven planned to hold an evolution ceremony for the Oddish family, and he would need the Black Forest's trees to make it happen—without them, they wouldn't be able to gather enough energy for evolution, and the ceremony would fail.
Originally, he had planned to hold the ceremony on the outskirts of the Black Coast Forest. Once the trees there were cleared, he could plant berries in their place.
But now, if Nidoking Valley could be used instead, it was an equally great option—and the resulting orchard would strengthen relations with the tribe and solve their food issues.
Of course, before officially beginning the ceremony, some preparations were needed.
First, the berry trees and crops within the valley would have to be transplanted elsewhere.
After the evolution was complete, Rhydon could plow (Rototiller) the land again, and Petilil and Vileplume could use Grassy Terrain to restore its vitality.
Then, the transplanted berries and crops could be moved back, and even some mature berry trees from outside could be brought in to address the tribe's food needs immediately.
"If you want Pokémon food, you could actually form partnerships with some humans," Aven suggested.
"I'm sure that once they had partners like you, they wouldn't be stingy with food—just like I am with Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀."
As they spoke, Aven kept trying to instill the idea of human–Pokémon partnerships into the leader. With human help, Pokémon could grow much faster!
Unfortunately, the leader only shook his head silently, clearly unwilling to entrust his clansmen to humans. The Nidoking tribe valued their own kind far too much.
Looks like I'll need to slowly change their perception of humans, Aven thought.
Perhaps planting the orchard here will be a good start.
(End of Chapter)