Luxio: I was just getting fired up. How could you stop now?
Looking at Luxio's pitiful, unwilling expression, Aven stepped forward and said with a smile, "If you still want to battle, you can wait until Bidoof completes its evolution."
Upon hearing this, Luxio froze for a second, then its eyes lit up—if Bidoof evolved, it would definitely become stronger, and battling then would be even more exhilarating!
"Bii, Bii, Bii~"
Bidoof also stopped what it was doing, raising its head in surprise and delight as it looked at Aven.
Although it had already sensed, to some extent, that it was now capable of evolving, since Lord Aven had never mentioned it, it had chosen to remain patient and wait.
But now—Lord Aven was finally going to let it complete its evolution. The realization sent a surge of joy flooding into Bidoof's heart.
"Bidoof, get yourself ready. I'll go and prepare the conditions for your evolution right now," Aven said with a smile and a nod.
Once his decision was made, Aven wasted no time. He quickly led his Pokémon toward the smithy—because if they wanted to increase Bidoof's chances of comprehending the move Rototiller, then a genuine Rototillered field was indispensable.
In fact, to improve the odds of any Bidoof learning Rototiller, these Bidoof had already spent plenty of time in cultivated fields, even using the environment to practice the move Mud sport there.
Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong—
As soon as they neared the blacksmith's workshop, the rhythmic sound of hammering iron reached their ears.
When it came to tireless and unmatched diligence, no one compared to Rhydon. Aven didn't even need to think to know exactly where to find it. Ever since the blacksmith had joined them, Rhydon's passion for smithing had only grown stronger.
Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong—
Inside the smithy, Rhydon was fully focused, swinging its Fire Punch in steady, powerful arcs.
On the forge table lay the rough form of an axe head. Under Rhydon's relentless pounding, the metal surface was steadily changing shape.
It was clear that Rhydon was no longer content with simply hammering metal aimlessly. Under the blacksmith's guidance, it had begun forging actual tools.
Watching the axe slowly take form beneath its fists, Rhydon was visibly pleased, its punches falling on the metal like raindrops, fast and unceasing.
"Good, that's it—now quench it! Quench it in water!"
The blacksmith continued to instruct from the side. As the red-hot axe head was plunged into a basin, steam hissed up in thick, curling clouds.
When Rhydon lifted it out again, a somewhat rough but unmistakable axe had taken shape. Although crude, it was undeniably a real weapon now.
"RHYYY!"
Rhydon bellowed excitedly at the sight of the axe in its hands, then gave it a few enthusiastic swings in the air—so sudden and forceful that the blacksmith flinched involuntarily.
"Rhydon, it seems your forging skills have already become quite impressive."
Just then, Aven's voice rang out in the smithy. Rhydon froze mid-swing, then turned around in surprise and delight at the sight of him.
"RHYY!"
With another joyful cry, Rhydon tossed aside the axe and ran straight toward Aven.
Even though it was now a powerful advanced-level Pokémon, before Aven it still acted like an eager child, craving his praise and affection.
"Well done, Rhydon," Aven said, patting its heavy armor.
Whether it was an illusion or not, ever since Rhydon had begun smithing training, its armor really did seem noticeably thicker.
"Greetings, Lord Aven!"
Upon noticing Aven, the blacksmith hurried over, knelt on the ground, and saluted.
In his heart, he was filled with gratitude toward Aven, who had taken him in and allowed him to take up smithing once again.
"Stand up. You've worked hard these days, teaching Rhydon."
Aven regarded the blacksmith—Weber—with satisfaction. From Rhydon's performance alone, it was clear Weber was a skilled craftsman.
Although he might not be among the most elite blacksmiths in Aspiration City, his grasp of fundamental forging techniques was rock-solid—perfect for instructing Rhydon at its current stage.
"Thank you for the praise, Lord Aven. It's simply what I ought to do," Weber replied excitedly, getting to his feet.
"RHY!"
Rhydon also let out a happy cry to Weber, expressing that it had truly learned a great deal.
"Yes, I can see that," Aven said with a smile.
"Later, I'll give you the chance to show off your abilities properly."
"But for now, I need you to come with me and help Bidoof complete its evolution."
He caught hold of the childlike Rhydon—who was all too eager to demonstrate its skills—and quickly explained the situation.
Rhydon scratched its head. All right, I'll show off later… By the way, is this another Bidoof trying to learn Rototiller?
Naturally, it was no stranger to Bidoof's evolution. But since no Bidoof had yet successfully learned Rototiller, Rhydon couldn't help feeling a faint sense of pride at being the only one capable of using it.
"Ralts, Ralts~"
Ralts twitched its red head crest, glancing at the slightly smug Rhydon with a hint of puzzlement.
"This Bidoof has a very high chance of learning Rototiller," Aven said with some anticipation, leading Rhydon quickly toward Bibarel Lake.
"Lil, lil, lil, lil~"
By the lakeshore, Petilil and Mothim were in the midst of training their control over normal energy.
Because a great many Water Stones were buried beneath Bibarel Lake, the concentration of water-type energy here was extremely rich, making it an excellent place to train water-type moves.
Even though they were still a short distance from the water, Petilil's Nature Power manifested as a water-type move.
Normally, when standing on grass, Nature Power would default to a grass-type effect. But Petilil's mastery over normal energy had become so advanced that it could already influence the elemental nature of the move to some degree.
By attuning itself to the energies in its surroundings, it could alter Nature Power's type. This was the normal energy mastery training it had been undergoing recently—a method that greatly improved its overall control.
If it could one day fully master this ability, Aven believed that Petilil might indeed gain the power to completely manipulate the elemental nature of natural energy—a truly formidable skill.
"Moth~"
Mothim was naturally accompanying Petilil in its training.
They used the same methods, yet Mothim's Nature Power still came out as grass-type—clearly showing the difference in their control over normal energy.
But after hearing about the potential of such mastery, Mothim had been training diligently. With its knowledge of the move Camouflage, if it could gain this skill, it might truly be able to change its own type at will!
"Petilil, the evolution is about to begin," Aven called out.
At his words, Petilil's eyes lit up. It gave a quick reply and hurried over.
Evolution had always fascinated Petilil the most, and with its life energy abilities, it could greatly assist in the process.
By the time Petilil reached the riverbank, Rhydon had already used Rototiller, creating a stretch of fertile, energy-filled soil.
In the middle of it stood a sturdy Bidoof, eyes filled with expectation, quietly awaiting the start of its evolution.
"Petilil, I'll leave it to you."
Petilil nodded happily, quickly gathering life energy around itself and channeling it into the Rototillered earth.
"Bidoof, begin!"
Taking a deep breath, the long-prepared Bidoof swiftly uncorked a vial of potion and drank it down.
At once, dazzling evolutionary light flared from its body, while the life energy in the ground surged upward, pouring into it.
"Lil, lil, lil~"
Petilil watched intently, sensing the flow of life energy within Bidoof's body.
Its own body began to mirror that flow, producing subtle life energy fluctuations as it imitated the process of evolution itself.
"Bii.."
Bidoof gave a low growl as the evolution light blazed skyward.
Within the glow, its shape gradually changed—the most striking difference being the appearance of a thick, powerful tail.
As the white light faded, the evolved Bibarel stood tall before them.
"BIII!"
Bibarel roared in triumph.
The energy in the Rototillered earth beneath it began to stir violently.
In the next instant, Bibarel charged forward, churning up the ground as it ran—using none other than the ground-type move Rototiller!
"Chee~"
From Aven's shoulder, Cherrim leapt into the Rototillered earth.
As a grass-type Pokémon, it could sense the life force in the soil more keenly than anyone. Right now, it could feel the rich vitality imbued in the field.
Although the energy was still far weaker than that in Rhydon's Rototiller, it was undeniably the genuine article.
"Rototiller!" Aven's eyes shone brightly.
Though he had anticipated this outcome, a part of him had still been uncertain before seeing it happen—he had even wondered if he had remembered incorrectly and that Bidoof could never learn the move at all.
But now it was proven: during its evolution into Bibarel, a Bidoof had a small chance of learning Rototiller. The stronger its affinity for the ground type, the higher the odds.
"Bii!" "Bii~" "Bii!"
Soon, the Rototillered field was surrounded by other Bibarel and Bidoof.
Seeing their companion evolve successfully and even master Rototiller, they broke into loud, jubilant cheers.
"Lil lil~"
Petilil, eyes bright, opened them again.
By continually experiencing the evolutions of others, its sensitivity to life energy was becoming even keener.
Maybe… someday, even without a Sun Stone, I'll be able to evolve on my own, it thought with anticipation.
"Rhyyy…"
Rhydon froze for a moment, then felt a faint pang of disappointment.
From this moment on, it was no longer the only Pokémon under its master's command who could use the Rototiller move.
"Ralts, Ralts~"
Ralts brushed aside its blue hair, narrowing its eyes to slits.
Withdrawing its gaze from Rhydon, it extended its psychic senses outward, carefully feeling the emotions radiating from all the Pokémon around it.
Those complex emotions pulsed from each creature, and Ralts focused intently—because Aven had told it that such emotions were an extremely powerful energy.
If it could master that energy, it could unleash incredible power—power that might even help a Pokémon break through the shackles of life itself and achieve a higher state of existence.
(End of chapter)
Good night.