In the days to come, the farmers planned to interact more with the Combee in hopes of earning their trust and eventually capturing one as their own Pokémon.
Aven only smiled faintly—he knew winning over a Combee was no easy task, given their deep dependence on the swarm.
Still, he approved of the farmers' willingness to care for them.
After all, the Combee would help pollinate the orchard's trees, increasing the fruit set rate and significantly boosting harvest yields.
…
"Bzzzz~"
In the distance, a swarm of Combees fluttered continuously through the air, their tiny wings producing a steady hum. As they flew, their compound eyes curiously observed the human village in front of them.
What caught their attention the most was the sweet, fragrant scent drifting through the air, as well as the clusters of reddish-brown flowers blooming in the grassy fields not far away.
"Bzzzt~"
At that moment, Vespiquen returned, gracefully commanding the Combees to follow her as she led them toward the direction of Mike's Farm.
Vespiquen knew Mike's Farm like the back of her hand. For a long period in the past, she had lived here together with Vileplume. This place held a sense of familiarity and comfort for her.
"Star~"
Just as Vespiquen arrived in the skies above Mike's Farm, the figure of a Starly suddenly darted out to greet her.
Starly had always been the farm's vigilant guardian. Even though the nearby Fruitvale Village no longer needed constant protection, Starly still faithfully carried out its duties without complaint.
Now, seeing a large group of Pokémon approaching from the air, Starly immediately flew forward to investigate the situation.
"Bzzzz~"
Upon seeing Starly, Vespiquen quickly signaled for the Combees to remain hovering in the air while she herself went forward to greet the familiar bird.
"Star~"
Starly gave Vespiquen a careful once-over, scanning her from head to toe—well, head to stinger—and finally recognized who she was.
However, compared to the time when she had first arrived at the farm as nothing more than a low-ranked Combee, the Vespiquen standing before Starly now had changed drastically. The most astonishing difference was her strength.
Back then, as a Combee, her combat ability had been at the very bottom among the farm's Pokémon. Yet in what felt like such a short span of time, the aura now radiating from her body far surpassed Starly's own by a large margin.
"Bzzzzt~"
Vespiquen chatted with Starly for a while before pointing toward the Combees hovering behind her.
When she explained that she was bringing these Combees to settle in the farm's berry orchard, Starly was momentarily stunned. Then, without a word, the bird simply nodded in understanding.
"Star!"
Flapping his wings, Starly moved aside to make way, watching as Vespiquen led the swarm of Combees into the orchard area.
As his gaze swept over the densely packed swarm—numbering easily over a thousand—Starly's eyes grew complicated. He tilted his head upward to glance at the deep blue sky above, where a few Yanmas were darting gracefully past.
Quietly, he withdrew his gaze, a faint sense of loneliness welling up inside. At some point, it seemed, this farm no longer truly needed his protection anymore.
"Bzzzz~"
The Combees continued their joyful flight.
The moment they approached the farm, the thick fragrance of blossoms filled their senses.
When they neared the berry orchard, the sight of the flowers blooming on the berry trees made their eyes light up in excitement.
"Bzzzz~"
Quickly flying to the edge of the orchard, Vespiquen promptly announced to the Combees that this would be their new hive from now on.
Watching her fellow Combees flit happily among the berry trees, landing on one blossom after another, Vespiquen's stern expression softened into a satisfied smile. From now on, this place would be their new home.
…
Not far from Fruitvale Village, in the new Stonefall Village—
Village Chief Raul was currently inspecting the state of his own berry orchard.
Walking among the thick, sturdy berry trees, he looked at the blossoms in full bloom on the branches, and a look of deep satisfaction spread across his weathered face.
As a veteran berry farmer, he could instantly judge how well the berries were developing. He was confident that this year's harvest would far exceed that of previous years.
"Fertilizer… it really is a miraculous kind of medicine," Raul said with heartfelt emotion.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that such a special substance could be applied to berry trees, greatly accelerating their growth and development.
"Odd~" "Odd~" "Odd~"
Sensing Raul's approach, several Oddishes cheerfully ran out from between the berry trees.
"Good morning, little ones," the old village chief greeted warmly, his gaze gentle as he looked at the Oddishes.
He didn't know exactly when these Oddishes had appeared in the orchard, but now they had completely settled in.
It's often said that people grow fonder of lively company as they age, and indeed, the current Raul looked at these Oddishes as though they were his own children.
In the past, for a berry farmer, such a thing would have been unthinkable. There was a time when they guarded against Oddish as if they were harmful pests.
Now, their mindset had undergone a complete transformation. These Oddishes living in the orchard, when provided with sufficient nutrition, didn't harm the berries at all—in fact, they even helped them grow better.
Normally, when farmers watered the berry trees with fertilizer, only a small portion was actually absorbed by the trees, while the majority seeped into the soil and went to waste.
The Oddish, however, could absorb that excess fertilizer efficiently and, in turn, convert it into nourishing Grass-type energy to feed back into the berry trees. Over time, a mutually beneficial relationship had formed.
"Grow strong and healthy, and help me protect the orchard," Raul said, sitting down on a wooden chair and gently patting the Oddishes on their leafy heads. His eyes shone with paternal affection.
"Odd~"
The Oddishes seemed to understand, lifting their heads happily and squinting their eyes in delight.
"Bzzzz~"
Just then, a low buzzing sound filled the air, and several Combees suddenly flew into the orchard.
Seeing the newcomers, the Oddishes' eyes immediately turned wary, their gaze locking on the airborne strangers.
"These Combees were brought back by Lord Aven," Raul quickly explained.
"Lord Aven has instructed us that these Combees can help with artificial pollination, which will allow the berry trees to produce even more berries."
Smiling up at the Combees as they hovered above, Raul extended an arm to stop the Oddish from attempting to chase them away.
"I'm not entirely sure what 'artificial pollination' means," he admitted, "but if Lord Aven says so, then I believe today's berries will definitely yield more fruit."
When Raul mentioned Lord Aven, his eyes filled with respect and his tone carried absolute trust. Everything they had now was thanks to Lord Aven.
"Life is so good these days…" Raul murmured, closing his eyes slightly, lost in thought. He felt that meeting Lord Aven had been the greatest fortune of his life.
"Bzzzz~"
The Combees made a circuit around the orchard before landing on blossoms to collect nectar.
The moment their bodies brushed against the flowers, large amounts of pollen clung to them, and they carried it with them as they flew to the next bloom.
With each journey from flower to flower, the Combees spread pollen far and wide, scattering not only the grains of life, but also seeds of hope.
"Bzzz Bzzz~"
The Combees buzzed happily, sensing that in this new home of theirs, flowers bloomed everywhere.
There were so many blossoms that the Combees were kept constantly busy, shuttling nectar back to their hive without pause.
"Mama, mama, look! It's Combee! So many Combees!"
In the orchard, a little girl pointed excitedly at the sky, clapping her hands in joy at the sight of the swarm.
As if sensing the child's cheerful voice, one Combee broke away from the group and flew toward her.
"Ah, you're so cute!" the little girl squealed. "Here, this is for you."
With a pure, innocent smile, she held out a freshly picked flower to the Combee.
"Bzzzz~"
The Combee landed gently on the flower.
Then, to the girl's surprise, it spat out a small piece of sweet honey and placed it in her tiny hand.
"Giggle-giggle~ It's so sweet!"
Popping the honey into her mouth, the little girl burst into delighted laughter.
The Combee, having finished collecting the nectar from the flower she offered, buzzed in a quick loop around her before turning and flying off into the distance.
"What an adorable Pokémon," she murmured softly, still smiling.
The little girl's mother, standing off to the side, let out a sigh of emotion.
She didn't even know when it had happened, but the once-ferocious magical beasts had vanished, replaced by a great number of cute Pokémon that now appeared in their daily lives.
"Bzzzz~" "Bzzzz~"
The Combees flew off in all directions, each one carrying nectar back to the hive.
At this time, out in the grassy fields beyond the village, a group of Gloom had hidden their bodies beneath the ground to shield themselves from the blazing hot sun.
Just then, a Combee came fluttering over and landed on the flower atop one of the Gloom, beginning to collect nectar from the blossom.
Compared to ordinary flowers, the nectar found within the blooms of Gloom was of an undeniably higher quality.
Sweet Honey brewed from Gloom's nectar contained an exceptionally rich concentration of energy.
So long as they could continue consuming such Sweet Honey, the Combee would be able to grow rapidly.
For that reason, the Gloom scattered across the meadow were extremely tempting to them. Over time, the Gloom had gradually grown accustomed to the presence of the Combees.
(End of Chapter)
Sigh, what a sweet chapter